Summary of Documental NatGeo sobre Chuquicamata subterránea

00:00:00 - 00:40:00

The video discusses the Chuquicamata subterranean mine project in Chile, which is designed to help develop the technology needed for sustainable mining practices. The mine will produce copper, which is essential for a variety of reasons, including its role in electricity transmission. The video highlights the challenges associated with the project, including the need to build a new mine from scratch, and the importance of safety measures.

• 00:00:00 The video discusses the importance of copper and its role in modern technology. It highlights how Chile, being the world's largest producer of copper, faces a double challenge of mining a valuable resource while ensuring it is an efficient, safe and sustainable mine. The journey to future mining begins with understanding how copper is used today. The engineer in mines and Catholic University professor, Gustavo Lagos, has studied the economic, strategic and environmental aspects of copper for over 40 years. He shares his insights on the challenges facing modern copper mining, including the need for more copper and the associated costs and risks. Copper is essential for a variety of reasons, including its role in electricity transmission. The video also highlights how Chile's seven largest copper mines are located in the north of the country.
• 00:05:00 The documentary discusses the Chuquicamata subterranean copper mine, which is located in the Andes Mountains and has played a significant role in copper production over the years. Today, the mine has dimensions that are unprecedented and covers an area of 5 km by 3 km. The miners are working on phase 49 of the mine, which is a very challenging and dangerous job. The goal of the day is to drill a tronadura, or vertical shaft, that will reach the bottom of the mine. This will allow them to extract more copper than ever before. However, the mine is becoming more difficult to exploit because of the advances in technology and the decreasing amount of copper available. The documentary also discusses the future of copper mining in the region and the challenges that lie ahead.
• 00:10:00 The video presents the history and current status of Chile's Chuquicamata subterranean copper mine. Geologists have found that the mine still contains a great deal of copper, and they've been able to determine that Chuquicamata has a continuous mining history down to a depth of 1,700 meters. This represents almost 60 percent of the total copper brought to light by geologic studies, and it has led to the development of a new, much more efficient mining method called "subterranean mining." Francisco Carrasco, the project's designer, is currently the head of strategic planning and oversees the construction of the mine's subterranean access tunnel. The biggest challenge facing the team is the need to build a new mine from scratch, one that is both efficient and sustainable. The project's target is to produce 140,000 metric tons of copper a day from an underground mine that is currently the world's second largest.
• 00:15:00 The video discusses the safety features of the Chuquicamata subterranean mine, which is scheduled to be operational in two years. The miners responsible for designing and building the mine were inspired by an example of a larger mine, the Teniente Mine, located 54 kilometers from rancagua. This mine is the largest subterranean copper mine in the world and has a long history of safety and productivity. A key part of the safety features of the Chuquicamata mine is the use of technology to detect and avoid potential hazards. For example, sensors are used to detect water levels above the mine and prevent flooding. In addition, special protocols are followed to ensure worker safety, including the use of safety watches and training programs. Despite the advances in mining technology, the most dangerous part of the Chuquicamata mine is still the "lhd" (loading truck), which is operated by a remote operator. The truck carries heavy loads of mining debris and is in constant contact with dust and mine emissions. If an accident were to occur, the truck driver would be the most exposed. To minimize risks to workers, the mine is designed to use a variety of safety measures, including the use of technology.
• 00:20:00 The documentary discusses Chuquicamata, a subterranean copper mine in Chile, and the challenges of mining in an extreme climate. The mining company codelco is using remote control mining technology to reduce labor costs and increase production. The documentary interviews an academic from the Universidad de Chile who researches metalurgical extractive and processing of minerals. The documentary also discusses the importance of recycling copper, which is difficult to produce in large quantities due to its low vaporization tendency.
• 00:25:00 The video follows a tour of an underground Chuquicamata mine in northern Chile, highlighting its efforts to reduce emissions of particulate matter. Another source of particulate production is the continual flow of mining giants, and the documentary argues that underground mining is a more efficient and sustainable way to produce metals. The mine's design includes a transport system with a capacity of 140,000 tons per day, which will transport the mineral in an ascending fashion 900 meters to the surface and continue a 5-kilometer journey to the concentrator. Replacing trucks with an underground mine system would reduce the use of fuel and generate environmental pollution.
• 00:30:00 Bio Sigma, a Chilean research team focused on studying how to speed up this process with a natural method in bioscience laboratories and in Santiago, Chile, has found a new way to use bacteria to remediate copper mining waste. By isolating different actions from the environmental medium, these bacteria-based silvestres (wildlife organisms that live in the wild but are not domesticated) are more effective in remediation than those that are isolated only in a controlled environment. This technology is being used to recover copper that was not feasible to mine in the past. By using a technique called "microscopic mining," they are able to extract copper three times faster than traditional mining methods, and the most important aspect is that it is based on natural organisms, which does not contaminate the environment. This technology is very environmentally friendly and can be used in a wide range of applications. However, one of the team's most recent discoveries is that copper has the unique property of being able to resist the development of bacteria when they come into direct contact with the metal surface. This makes it a highly effective bactericide. As the use of copper in technology grows, so too does its importance in the medical field. Bio Sigma's designers are currently working
• 00:35:00 Chuquicamata is a Chilean copper mine that is being excavated under the surface. The mine is being built with the latest technology and is expected to be one of the largest mines in the world within the next 50 years. The workers who are working on the project are very excited because they have completed the last tunnel segment and are now ready to detonate the explosives.
• 00:40:00 The video documents the beginning of the Chuquicamata subterranean mine project, which will help to develop the technology needed to apply mining innovations. The project is expected to create new mining paradigms and lead the way in future mining developments. The mine will produce copper, a necessary metal for the present and future for a world that needs sustainable mining practices.