Question

calculate amount of copper in the Berkeley mine pit and the total value of that copper at 2016 prices

There are 1.5 x 10^11 liters of water in the pit with concentrations as high as 150 ppm Cu2+

2016 copper prices: $00.05/g^2

Answer 1

SOLUTION:

1 ppm means = 1g of solute is 1,000,000g of solution

devide both sides by 1000

1 ppm means = 0.001g of solute is present 1000g of solution

or1ppm = 1mg of solute in 1000g of solution

For an aqueous solution

1 ppm = 1mg solute per liter of solution.

Hence 150ppm = 150mg solute in 1L

Therefore 1.5 x 10¹¹ liters at 150ppm concentration will contain 1.5 x 10¹¹ X 150mg = 225 x 10¹¹ mg of Cu²⁺

225 x 10¹¹ mg of Cu²⁺ = 225 x 10⁸g of Cu²⁺ (1mg = 0.001g)

225 x 10⁸ g of Cu²⁺ = 150000 g² of Cu²⁺

Cost of 1 g² = 0.05$

Therefore cost of 150000² g = 0.05 $ X 150000 g² =7500$