Do you think its benefits outweigh the negatives? It disrupts the environment but is also one of the most used metals.
This is a good question, and one that has been confusing me for quite a while.
Yes, the positives definitely outweigh the benefits. More steel is produced in the world than every other metal combined. The downsides that apply to iron apply to mining pretty much every other metal that we could use to replace it. And we don't have enough of other metals to replace it. There are 180 billion metric tons of known economic iron ore reserves in the world. There are only 28 billion metric tons of aluminum ore reserves and less than 1 billion metric tons of titanium ore reserves. Steel is irreplaceable in many applications because it's so strong and so cheap. A major disruption in the world's iron ore supply could cause economies to grind to a halt. Recycling will never be enough to satisfy world demand, even with 100% recycling rates. Countries like China and India are doing a lot of expansion and are consuming more steel than they could recycle.
I think the positive to any mining is that we extract the minerals and get to use them. That Ford Ranger you are driving? Thank the iron mines in Northern Michigan for that one. Mining iron ore is a bit cheaper then any other method of getting iron. You dig, you throw in a bunch of chemicals and some heat at the ore, and now you have steel. Recycling steel is a bit less energy-intensive, but there is not enough recycled steel to satisfy our demands. There are several negatives. The biggest one is that iron mines are typically strip mines in that they rip out all of the trees and leave giant holes in the ground. This is not such a pretty thing. Usually they replace the trees, and depending upon where the mine is they might even make it pretty - as in a golf course or something. Still, it is not so pretty. The chemicals they use to extract the iron from the ore - these are not so healthy, either. Various government groups regulate these chemicals such that they are not all that hazardous, but if they happen to leak and you happen to be exposed to the leak - that is not so good. The reason we have capitalism is so that the market can decide if the benefits outweigh the costs. If the cost of extracting iron ore is $1,000 per ton of iron, and the cost or obtaining recycled iron is $1,500 per ton, I guess we'll be extracting iron ore. On the other hand, if the government decides that the health benifits cost $1000/ton and taxes the iron industry, suddenly it costs $2,000 per ton to extract iron. Meanwhile it is only $1,500 per ton to recycle it. Now which gets used? Ultamately recylcing iron is way better then mining it. Unfortunately the price is only slightly better, and comapnies still prefer to keep their iron and coal mines fairly close together.
there is a valve in your brake line that sends the brake fluid off to the individual wheels, its name escapes me right now, but from what you are describing, it sounds like that valve either went, or is sticking. if you get that valve unit replaced it should take care of everything for you. Best recommendation's with that is to take it to a brake shop because of how extensive the work is.
