A geostationary satellite over Africa could supply the necessary data to generate accurate emissions from African copper and cobalt mining, helping track air quality forecasts for populations at heightened risk of pollution from mining.
The study by the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) demonstrated that emissions from mining operations in Africa’s Copperbelt can be accurately quantified through satellite monitoring.
Hourly observations over urban areas tracked the daily progression of pollution levels and their sources, providing opportunity for informing local regulatory agencies.
There has been a rapid increase in mining of copper and cobalt in Africa, particularly due to growing global demand for electric vehicles, laptops, smartphones and other devices that rely on lithium-ion batteries.
However, one of the key challenges in monitoring mining activity is the scarcity of surface monitoring and inconsistent or absent reporting by mine operators.
The tool
The research by the NCAR utilises data from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (Tropomi) aboard the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite (S-5P), offering the possibility of remotely monitoring fluctuations in mining activities in a region.
Tropomi can monitor various trace gases crucial for air quality, including nitrogen dioxide.
It also serves as a tool to monitor the growth of mining activities in remote regions, where surface monitoring is scarce.
Africa’s Copperbelt, spanning Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, accounted for 73 percent of the world’s cobalt supply in 2022, according to the Cobalt Institute. Cobalt production in the Copperbelt witnessed a staggering 600 percent increase between 1990 and 2021, as reported by the US Bureau of Mines and the US Geological Survey.
While copper mining primarily generates cobalt as a byproduct, some copper mines do not produce any cobalt. The energy consumed in copper and cobalt mining, including the operation of large machinery and electricity production, relies heavily on diesel fuel combustion, resulting in the release of nitrogen oxides, a significant contributor to smog.
NCAR scientist Sara Martínez-Alonso, highlighted the significance of understanding the impact of mining-related activities on local air quality, particularly when these activities proliferate near or within population centres.
