Trends in Modern Mining Technology

Dear Colleagues,

The transformation of the European economy toward a greener and more climate-friendly one is one of the most important tasks defined by the European Union. However, this is a particular challenge for mining regions, both in terms of the technological and social as well as economic aspects. The transformation process also includes the liquidation of underground workings and infrastructure surface development as well as a number of indispensable activities aimed at the restitution of the natural environment and protection of mine areas against hazards that may occur after the end of operation. Therefore, this infrastructure should be used for achieving the objectives of a Just Transition because it also generates an opportunity to invest in renewable energy sources and create new markets related to green energy, energy storage, and sustainable transport. Finally, the Just Transition also forms an opportunity to revitalize urban and natural areas and to repair the damage caused by the intensive exploitation of mineral deposits.

Despite the decline in hard coal and lignite production related to the energy transformation across Europe, the mining industry still needs modern machinery and equipment. Due to the descent to ever greater depths of extraction and the associated increase in natural hazards, the mining sector needs intelligent and even more automated technical solutions. In the coming years, hard coal mines may become important participants of the so-called Industrial Revolution 4.0, popularizing, inter alia, intelligent ICT systems and automating subsequent elements of production processes. The intelligent mine is to be characterized by state-of-the-art solutions
that translate into higher efficiency and an increase in miners’ work safety, enabling them to be separated from particularly dangerous workplaces.

The Special Issue aims to present the latest scientific, research, and technical achievements in the field concerned with the transformation of the mining sector, with particular emphasis on the issues of the Just Transformation, the Green Deal, as well as the exchange of knowledge and experience as regards the use of innovative techniques and technologies.

Dr. Dariusz Prostański
Guest Editor

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• shaft transportation
• horizontal transport
• powered roof supports
• longwall mining
• roadway systems
• run-of-mine transportation
• transportation of people in mine undergrounds
• automation and robotization of mining processes
• forecasting of natural hazards
• elimination of mine hazards