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The thermodynamic properties of the upper continental crust: Exergy, Gibbs free energy and enthalpy

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  • Valero, Alicia
  • Valero, Antonio
  • Vieillard, Philippe

Abstract

This paper shows a comprehensive database of the thermodynamic properties of the most abundant minerals of the upper continental crust. For those substances whose thermodynamic properties are not listed in the literature, their enthalpy and Gibbs free energy are calculated with 11 different estimation methods described in this study, with associated errors of up to 10% with respect to values published in the literature. Thanks to this procedure we have been able to make a first estimation of the enthalpy, Gibbs free energy and exergy of the bulk upper continental crust and of each of the nearly 300 most abundant minerals contained in it. Finally, the chemical exergy of the continental crust is compared to the exergy of the concentrated mineral resources. The numbers obtained indicate the huge chemical exergy wealth of the crust: 6 × 106 Gtoe. However, this study shows that approximately only 0.01% of that amount can be effectively used by man.

Suggested Citation

  • Valero, Alicia & Valero, Antonio & Vieillard, Philippe, 2012. "The thermodynamic properties of the upper continental crust: Exergy, Gibbs free energy and enthalpy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 121-127.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:41:y:2012:i:1:p:121-127
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2011.06.012
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Valero, Antonio & Agudelo, Andrés & Valero, Alicia, 2011. "The crepuscular planet. A model for the exhausted atmosphere and hydrosphere," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 3745-3753.
    2. Szargut, Jan, 1989. "Chemical exergies of the elements," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 269-286.
    3. Valero, Alicia & Valero, Antonio & Martínez, Amaya, 2010. "Inventory of the exergy resources on earth including its mineral capital," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 989-995.
    4. Ahrendts, Joachim, 1980. "Reference states," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 5(8), pages 666-677.
    5. Valero, Alicia & Valero, Antonio & Gómez, Javier B., 2011. "The crepuscular planet. A model for the exhausted continental crust," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 694-707.
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    Cited by:

    1. An, Qier & An, Haizhong & Wang, Lang & Huang, Xuan, 2014. "Structural and regional variations of natural resource production in China based on exergy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 67-77.
    2. Jose-Luis Palacios & Guiomar Calvo & Alicia Valero & Antonio Valero, 2018. "Exergoecology Assessment of Mineral Exports from Latin America: Beyond a Tonnage Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Noushabadi, Abolfazl Sajadi & Lay, Ebrahim Nemati & Dashti, Amir & Mohammadi, Amir H. & Chofreh, Abdoulmohammad Gholamzadeh & Goni, Feybi Ariani & Klemeš, Jiří Jaromír, 2023. "Insights into modelling and evaluation of thermodynamic and transport properties of refrigerants using machine-learning methods," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(PA).
    4. De Vilbiss, Christopher D. & Brown, Mark T., 2015. "New method to compute the emergy of crustal minerals," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 315(C), pages 108-115.
    5. Abel Ortego & Alicia Valero & Antonio Valero & Eliette Restrepo, 2018. "Vehicles and Critical Raw Materials: A Sustainability Assessment Using Thermodynamic Rarity," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(5), pages 1005-1015, October.
    6. Domínguez, Adriana & Czarnowska, Lucyna & Valero, Alicia & Stanek, Wojciech & Valero, Antonio, 2014. "Thermo-ecological and exergy replacement costs of nickel processing," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 103-114.
    7. Jamali-Zghal, N. & Le Corre, O. & Lacarrière, B., 2014. "Mineral resource assessment: Compliance between emergy and exergy respecting Odum's hierarchy concept," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 272(C), pages 208-219.

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