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Women’s Special Issue Series: Mining
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Women’s Special Issue Series: Mining

A special issue of Mining (ISSN 2673-6489).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 5436

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marilena Cardu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Ambiente, del Territorio e delle Infrastrutture, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Turin, Italy
Interests: drill & blast; quarrying; mining exploitation; dimension stones; mining equipment; controlled blasting; vibration monitoring; conventional & mechanised tunnelling; rock-tool interaction; excavation specific energy
Dr. Giovanna Antonella Dino

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy
Interests: circular economy; sustainable mining; raw materials; mining and quarrying; environmental engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Raw materials supply is a central issue for both European and global development policies. Securing access to raw materials (also a critical issue) is highly influenced by international geopolitical strategies and global market trends. To face the urgent challenge linked to sustainable mining, an interdisciplinary approach and new skills are needed. New models for industrial development and territorial governance also have to be assessed.

Women and mines are two apparently conflicting terms: the role of women in the exploitation and management of primary resources seems to be of secondary importance to inexperienced eyes, but a huge contribution to geosciences comes from women engaged in the mining sector.

Women not only contribute to the further development of modern mining technologies, but also to the further technological development of society as a whole. This is because only a mining industry that is efficient, safe, and environmentally compatible is fit for the future.

The present SI aims to collect scientific papers and reviews by women who have a close link to the mining sector: professors, mining engineers and geologists linked with industry, policy makers involved in territorial governance, etc.

Articles where the lead authors are women, or that are completely authored by women, are encouraged. We welcome submissions from all authors, irrespective of gender.

Dr. Marilena Cardu
Dr. Giovanna Antonella Dino
Guest Editors

Women’s Special Issue Series

This Special Issue is part of Mining’s Women’s Special Issue Series, hosted by women editors for women researchers. The Series advocates the advancement of women in science. We invite contributions to the Special Issue whose lead authors identify as women. The submission of articles with all-women authorship is especially encouraged. However, we do welcome articles from all authors, irrespective of gender.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Mining is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable mining
  • raw materials
  • critical raw materials
  • exploitation techniques and methods (open cast and underground)
  • traditional and innovative mining processing
  • reuse of wastes from mining
  • education in mining
  • capacity building in mining
  • social acceptance of mining industry
  • novel mining methodologies
  • AI for Mining
  • space mining applications
  • deep ocean mining

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 6396 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Explosive and Rock Mass Properties on Blast Damage in a Single-Hole Blasting
by Magreth S. Dotto and Yashar Pourrahimian
Mining 2024, 4(1), 168-188; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining4010011 - 20 Mar 2024
Viewed by 731
Abstract
In rock blasting for mining production, stress waves play a major role in rock fracturing, along with explosive gases. Better energy distribution improves fragmentation and safety, lowers production costs, increases productivity, and controls ore losses and dilution. Blast outcomes vary significantly depending on [...] Read more.
In rock blasting for mining production, stress waves play a major role in rock fracturing, along with explosive gases. Better energy distribution improves fragmentation and safety, lowers production costs, increases productivity, and controls ore losses and dilution. Blast outcomes vary significantly depending on the choice of the explosive and the properties of the rock mass encountered. This study analyzes the effects of rock mass and explosive properties on blast outcomes via numerical simulation using data from the case study, and later validates the simulation results from the field blast fragmentation. The findings suggest that, for a given set of rock properties, the choice of explosive has a major influence on the resulting fragmentation. Strong explosives (high VOD and detonation pressure) favor large fracture extents in hard rocks, while weaker explosives offer a better distribution of explosive energy and fractures. The presence of rock structures such as rock contacts and joints influences the propagation of stress waves and fractures depending on the structures’ material properties, the intensity and orientations, and the direction and strength of the stress wave. When the stress wave encounters a contact depending on its direction, it is enhanced when traveling from soft to hard and attenuates in the opposite direction. The ability of the stress wave to cause fracturing on the opposite side of the contact depends on the intensity of the transmitted wave and the strength of the rock. Transmitted wave intensity is a function of the strength of the incident wave and the impedance difference between the interface materials. The presence of joints in the rock mass affects the propagation of the stress wave, mainly depending on the infill material properties and the angle at which the stress wave approaches the joint. Less compressible, higher stiffness joints transmit more energy. More energy is also transmitted in the areas where the stress wave hits the joint perpendicularly. Joints parallel to the free face offer additional fracturing on the opposite side of the joint. Other parameters, such as the joint width, continuity, fracture frequency, and the distance from the charge, enhance the effects. To achieve effective fragmentation, the blast design should mitigate the effect of variability in the rock mass via explosive selection and pattern design to ensure adequate energy distribution within the limits of geometric design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Mining)
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Review

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19 pages, 1867 KiB  
Review
Use and Recovery of Extractive Waste and Tailings for Sustainable Raw Materials Supply
by Susanna Mancini, Marco Casale, Antonio Tazzini and Giovanna Antonella Dino
Mining 2024, 4(1), 149-167; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining4010010 - 15 Mar 2024
Viewed by 566
Abstract
Extractive waste (EW), including tailings, is produced in large quantities during mining activities. In recent years, the linear economic model (“take-use-and-throw” approach) has been replaced by a circular approach, emphasizing the sustainable use and recovery of EW. The development of innovative protocols, such [...] Read more.
Extractive waste (EW), including tailings, is produced in large quantities during mining activities. In recent years, the linear economic model (“take-use-and-throw” approach) has been replaced by a circular approach, emphasizing the sustainable use and recovery of EW. The development of innovative protocols, such as Best Available Techniques (BATs), which aim at the technological and process improvement of more sustainable mining activities and at the production of renewable, highly performing green materials, has led to technological advancements, expertise in sustainability, and a reduced ecological footprint, potentially causing positive economic and social impacts and reducing environmental ones. Extractive waste and tailings, if suitably characterized, can be used to improve and make sustainable the works connected to the management of mining activities. The qualitative–quantitative characterization of EW is essential for subsequent reuse and for assessing the risk to human health and the extent of environmental impacts in the various matrices. The application areas vary according to the type of waste and mining tailings, the morphological characteristics of the deposits, and the geological, geomorphological, and logistic context of the area. Integrated protocols for sustainable EW exploitation and positive impacts on the economic, environmental, and technological/social level are analyzed. The present paper aims at providing an overview of challenges and potentialities connected to extractive waste (EW) management and potential exploitation to recover raw materials (RM), critical raw materials (CRM), and secondary raw materials (SRM). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Mining)
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25 pages, 2759 KiB  
Review
Gene Expression Programming (GEP) Modelling of Sustainable Building Materials including Mineral Admixtures for Novel Solutions
by Denise-Penelope N. Kontoni, Kennedy C. Onyelowe, Ahmed M. Ebid, Hashem Jahangir, Danial Rezazadeh Eidgahee, Atefeh Soleymani and Chidozie Ikpa
Mining 2022, 2(4), 629-653; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining2040034 - 21 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3030
Abstract
In this study, the employment of the gene expression programming (GEP) technique in forecasting models on sustainable construction materials including mineral admixtures and civil engineering quantities (e.g., compressive strength), was investigated. Compared to the artificial neural networks (ANN) based formulations, which are often [...] Read more.
In this study, the employment of the gene expression programming (GEP) technique in forecasting models on sustainable construction materials including mineral admixtures and civil engineering quantities (e.g., compressive strength), was investigated. Compared to the artificial neural networks (ANN) based formulations, which are often too complicated to be used, GEP-based derived models provide estimation equations that are reasonably simple and may be used for practical design purposes and even for hand calculations. Many popular models, such as best-fitted curves based on regression analyses, multi-linear regression (MLR), multinomial logistic regression (MNLR), and multinomial variate regression (MNVR), can also be used for construction materials properties modeling. However, due to the nonlinearity and complexity of the target properties, the models established using linear regression analyses may not reveal the precise behavior. Additionally, regression models lack generality, and this comes from the fact that some functions are defined for regression in classical regression techniques; while in the GEP approach, there is no predefined function to be considered, and it reproduces or omits various combinations of parameters to provide the formulation that fits the experimental outcomes. If the input parameters can be evaluated through simple laboratory or rapid measurements, and also a comprehensive experimental database is made available, the models can be constructed with optimal flexibility. Flexibility in choosing the complexity and fitness functions, such as RMSE, MAE, and MSE, might lead to better performance of the approach and well-capturing the governing pattern behind the material’s characteristics. There may be minor inaccuracies with this technique; however, the explicit mathematical expressions, which can be easily implemented in the design and analysis process, may cover the minor inaccuracies compared to ANN, support vector machine (SVM), and other intelligent approaches. Based on the presented study, sometimes it would be better to provide more than one GEP model and consider different combinations of input contributing variables to afford the possible initial feed for a more settled and comprehensive model. Mostly, GEP’s strengths as a superior machine learning technique in modeling the behavior of construction materials including mineral admixtures, leading to innovative solutions in civil engineering, have been presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Mining)
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