NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES AND EXAMPLES - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The non - renewable resources are all factors which satisfy a human need, the replacement rate is zero or less than consumption. Non-renewable resources include fossil fuels, radioactive elements, minerals, rocks, and underground aquifers.

A resource is any item that satisfies a human need, be it material or spiritual. Human beings obtain their material resources from nature and according to their availability they are classified into renewable and non-renewable resources.

Oil well. Source: Flcelloguy

Non-renewable resources are present in nature in limited quantities and have no replacement or it is so slow that it is not able to compensate for human consumption. These resources do not obey regular cycles of natural production, so the rate of consumption tends to make them disappear.

Where are non-renewable resources found?

Depending on its geographic location, geological history, and other factors, each country has certain non-renewable resources. Similarly, as technology advances, materials that were not considered a resource, acquire this character.

Thus, Mexico has important reserves of oil and natural gas, coal, silver, gold and other minerals. Spain has small reserves of oil, but a large quantity of elements called rare earths that are strategic oxides for electronics.

For its part, Colombia has oil, gas, coal, gold, silver, emeralds, platinum and coltan (another modern and scarce strategic material). Peru also has significant reserves of non-renewable resources such as oil, gas, silver, copper, zinc, gold, and other minerals.

In the case of Venezuela, its oil reserves (the largest in the world) and its mineral wealth (iron, aluminum, gold, coltan) stand out. While Argentina, in addition to fossil fuels, it has lithium which is another important element in the electronics industry.

characteristics

- Acyclic

Non-renewable resources generally do not follow regular cycles and if they respond to one, they follow such extensive lapses that they escape the period of human existence.

The oil that is underground is due to processes of transformation of the organic matter of ancient organisms that lived millions of years ago. To the extent that it is extracted and used, the natural deposits are not replaced and the resource is consumed in a linear way, without a replacement cycle.

Cyclical cases

There are renewable natural resources that in a certain context behave as non-renewable resources. For example, water is a renewable resource, but water that is deposited in underground aquifers behaves like a non-renewable resource.

Well of an underground aquifer. Source: Bluemangoa2z at ml.wikipedia

This is because if the consumption rate is very high and there is inadequate management of the aquifer, it can dry up. If this happens, the soil compacts and the cavities where the water was stored collapse and the possibility of recharging the aquifer is lost.

- Finites

Modern technology allows reliable surveys to establish how much of a certain resource is available in nature and define the amount existing on the planet.

This is particularly important for evaluating non-renewable resources because their quantity is limited. The availability of a resource will depend on the speed with which it is consumed (consumption rate) and the existing quantity.

The finite nature of non-renewable resources even poses a problem regarding use. This is because it must be decided whether to exploit it until it is exhausted for the benefit of the current generation and depriving future generations of it.

On the other hand, there is a problem of economic profitability since the more scarce a resource is, the greater its value in the market.

The example of gold

Gold has been used as a value reference for much of the recent history of mankind. Today it is a safe haven, that is, an investment to protect capital from market fluctuations.

For this reason, gold has been extracted from the earth and refined to be accumulated in vaults, but also for jewelery and industrial uses. The World Gold Council estimates that in the more than 6 thousand years of exploitation, around 77% of global reserves have been extracted.

This represents 190,000 tons of gold that have been mined and refined and it is estimated that 57,000 tons remain extractable. Because gold is not formed as it is mined, this resource will be depleted in the medium to long term.

Thus, to the extent that the existing quantity is reduced and the same extraction rate continues, the price of the resource rises because it is increasingly scarce.

Types

According to the nature of the resource

Non-renewable resources are classified into non-renewable energy sources and non-renewable materials.

Among the former are fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal) and radioactive materials (uranium and plutonium). Non-renewable materials include minerals and rocks.

Absolute and relative

Absolute non-renewable natural resources are those that, regardless of the rate of use, will end up being depleted, as occurs with minerals. For its part, a resource whose non-renewable nature depends on management is an underground aquifer.

Examples

- Energy sources

Petroleum

This fossil fuel was formed millions of years ago in deep geological layers, the product of the slow decomposition of the remains of marine organisms. When these organisms died they fell to the bottom, were covered by sediments for millions of years and subjected to high pressures and temperatures.

Oil becomes a resource to the extent that human beings assign a utility to it. In the first place it was used to caulk ships, then when noticing its energetic properties it was used in lamps.

Between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, as its refining progressed, oil became a fundamental resource. Since then, industrial development, transportation, and war machinery have depended on this raw material.

When it is extracted from its deposits in the subsoil and there is no replacement process, this resource is exhausted without being able to be renewed.

Coal

This resource was the source of energy that drove the industrial revolution in its first phase. It is the product of terrestrial plant remains subjected to high pressures and temperatures inside the earth.

Coal mine. Source:

Coal is a highly flammable material with a lot of accumulated energy and its formation is due to random and non-cyclical phenomena. This process lasts millions of years and once the existing deposits are exhausted, there will no longer be access to the resource.

Natural gas

Natural gas is another product of the decomposition of old organisms, it is subject to the same contingencies as oil and has no possibility of renewal.

Nuclear energy

Unlike previous energy sources, the radioactive materials that make the so-called nuclear energy possible are not of organic origin. In this case, they are materials of mineral origin that have the property of having unstable nuclei that lose energy.

These elements are the product of processes that are at the very origin of the planet and therefore cannot be renewed once consumed.

- Materials

Minerals

The minerals that exist on Earth originated in the planet's formation processes in the context of the formation of the solar system. Various factors participated in this, which involved very high temperatures and pressures, giving rise to the different minerals and their specific proportions.

From the era of metals to the present day, human beings found use for each metal, transforming them into indispensable resources. As their quantities are finite and there is no replacement cycle, they are transformed into non-renewable resources.

Limestone

Limestone rock is a resource that is used for construction, either directly or in the preparation of cement or concrete. The processes that gave rise to this type of rock include geological and biological factors.

The origin of limestone can be hydric or biological, in the first case due to the dissolution of calcium carbonate in water with CO2. In the second, they are the remains of calcareous shells of marine organisms, subjected to high pressures and temperatures.

Although these processes continue, their rate is so slow (billions of years) that they do not compensate for the rate of use by humans. In this sense, these rocks are a finite, exhaustible resource and therefore a non-renewable resource.

Underground aquifers

With proper management, with a use rate in accordance with the aquifer's recharge capacity, it behaves like a renewable resource. This is because the water cycle guarantees that the vital liquid reaches the underground spaces and recharges the aquifer.

However, an overexploited aquifer generates a series of processes that will end up preventing renewal. Therefore, if the water that occupies the spaces of the subsoil is depleted, it dries up, compacts and collapses so that the aquifer disappears.

Non-renewable resources in Mexico

Mexico is the third largest country in Latin America with 1,964,375 km² and has a large amount of non-renewable natural resources.

Petroleum

Mexico is an oil country, ranking 17th in proven oil reserves, with 9.8 billion barrels. The state oil company Pemex is the third largest oil producer in the world.

Natural gas

Associated with its oil production, Mexico produces 433 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually.

Coal

Another source of fossil energy that exists in the Mexican territory is coal, with about 1,211 million tons.

Silver

Mexico has oscillated between the first and second place in the world in the production of this precious metal for centuries.

Gold

Among the precious metals the most valued is gold, with Mexico being the eighth largest gold producer in the world.

Other minerals

Mexico ranks third in the world in bismuth production, fifth in lead and eleventh in copper production.

Non-renewable resources in Spain

Spain covers 505,944 km² including the Canary Islands and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa. This extension places it as the fourth country in Europe in size.

Petroleum

Although Spain is not one of the major oil producers, it has 150 million barrels in proven reserves.

Natural gas

In the case of natural gas, it has a significant amount of reserves, reaching 2,548 million cubic meters.

Coal

There are about 530 million tons of coal in the Spanish territory

Minerals

In Spain gold, silver, copper, lead, nickel, zinc and tungsten are produced. This last mineral is of strategic value since it is used in electronic components and drilling machines.

Rare earths

It is a group of 17 elements from the class of oxides that have various magnetic, conductive and luminescence properties. They are valuable for their usefulness in the electronics industry, for the construction of screens, computers, electric motors, nuclear reactors, among others.

Scandium (Rare Earth). Source: Alchemist-hp (talk) (www.pse-mendelejew.de)

Spain has significant reserves of these elements and great potential for their exploitation.

Non-renewable resources in Colombia

Colombia has a land area of ​​1,141,748 km², with a significant amount of non-renewable resources, such as oil, gas and coal. In addition to gold, silver, platinum and other materials.

Petroleum

Colombia is a medium oil producer with around 1,987 million barrels of proven reserves.

Natural gas

It also has a significant amount of natural gas reserves, with 134 billion cubic meters.

Coal

Colombia is the world's fifth largest coal exporter and has more than 6,500 million tons of reserves.

Gold

Since pre-Columbian times, gold has been an important non-renewable resource and in 2018 this country achieved an extraction of 43 tons of gold. The importance of this mineral for Colombia can be evidenced in the Gold Museum (Bogotá) where pieces used by indigenous ethnic groups are found.

Silver

This is a precious metal of great value of which Colombia achieved an extraction of 15.55 tons in 2018.

Platinum

Platinum is a rare mineral in the earth's crust and therefore very valuable, especially since it is used to make special medical and scientific instruments. It is also used in jewelry and electronics and Colombia has a ton of proven reserves of this mineral.

Emeralds

This country disputes with Zambia the first place in the production of gem quality emeralds in the world.

Esmeralda from Colombia. Source: Parent Géry

Thus, the Colombian production of emeralds represents 33% of the world market for this precious stone.

Coltan

Colombia is one of the few countries where this mineral has been found, which is the combination of two minerals (niobium and tantalum). It is used in the manufacture of electronic equipment (mobile phones and others).

Other minerals

Other minerals such as nickel, copper, iron, manganese, lead, zinc and titanium are exploited in Colombian territory.

Non-renewable resources in Peru

Peru occupies an area of ​​1,285,216 km², with very important non-renewable resources such as oil, natural gas, silver and copper, among others.

Petroleum

Peru has 930 million barrels of proven oil reserves and a booming oil industry.

Natural gas

The South American country is the fourth in reserves worldwide with 16,000 billion cubic meters.

Silver

Peru is the first silver producer in the world with more than 100 million ounces.

Copper

In Peru 1,800,000 tons are produced annually, making it the second largest copper producer in the world.

Zinc

This country is the world's third largest producer of zinc, contributing around 12% of demand.

Gold

Peru is the sixth largest gold producer in the world with an annual production of around 155 million tons.

Lead

The country is the third leading producer of lead worldwide with about 300 thousand tons per year.

Non-renewable resources in Venezuela

Venezuela has a land area of ​​916,445 km² and is a country with a large amount of non-renewable resources. Especially in terms of fossil fuels, but also minerals in general.

Petroleum

It is the first country in the world in terms of proven oil reserves, with 360,000 million barrels. It is mainly heavy oil located in the so-called Orinoco oil belt.

Natural gas

Regarding natural gas, it is the seventh country in the world in reserves, with 8,280 billion cubic meters.

Coal

In Venezuela there are about 479 million tons of coal, especially in the Perijá mountain range on the border with Colombia.

The Guiana Shield

In the Venezuelan territory, south of the Orinoco River, there is a large proportion of territory belonging to the Guiana Shield formation. Strategic metals such as gold, iron, coltan and aluminum abound in these geological formations. For the latter, the country is the tenth largest producer worldwide.

Coltan

Illegal coltan mine. Source: CarlosE Duarte

Along with Colombia, Venezuela is one of the few countries where this rare mineral has been found.

Non-renewable resources in Argentina

Argentina occupies an area of ​​3,761,274 km², its main non-renewable resources being oil and natural gas, followed by lithium.

Petroleum

Argentina is a country with important oil reserves, with around 2,500 million barrels.

Natural gas

In line with its oil areas, Argentina's natural gas reserves reach 332 billion cubic meters.

Lithium

This country is the fourth largest lithium producer in the world, thanks to its vast extensions of salt flats rich in this mineral. Lithium is in great global demand due to its use in the manufacture of batteries and other electronic components.

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