Energy Use in Premanufacture (Mining)

The product material supply chain starts with stage 1 in manufacturing. In Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) or in an SLCA (streamlined LCA) this is premanufacture. Ideally the first stage starts with recycled material, however most material comes from mining, and will do so for the foreseeable future. The first stage has five elements: material, energy, solids, liquid and gas. Important considerations are water use (liquids), emissions (toxicity and carbon) and energy consumption. This paper considers energy use in mining extraction, in particular energy consumption by equipment such as LHD's (Load-Haul-Dump machinery) and by HVAC systems.