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Production Efficiency and Environmental Research for Sustainable Mining
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Production Efficiency and Environmental Research for Sustainable Mining

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 4748

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Marc Bascompta Massanés

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mining, Industrial and ICT Engineering, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Avenue Bases de Manresa, 61-73, 08242 Manresa, Spain
Interests: mining; underground mining; surface mining; health and safety; corporate social responsibility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mining sector plays a key role for the development of any society, providing raw materials to all economic sectors and being particularly relevant for the transition towards a more sustainable world. Hence, the mining sector itself has to transform its daily operation to maximize sustainable activity in terms of environmental impacts related to GHG emissions, water, soil, dust, vibrations, noise, subsidence, and waste management, among others. In addition, the concept of sustainability must also include interactions between all stakeholders that are affected by mining operations.

On the other hand, the production efficiency is crucial for correct operation and feasibility in short- and long-term periods. Hence, the concept of sustainability must be embedded in the improvement of operating systems in its full spectrum.

This Special Issue will collect high-quality original research articles and review papers reflecting advances in research on production efficiency and environmental research for sustainable mining. The main potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

  1. Socio-economic and environmental implication of the mining industry;
  2. New mining waste usage and management approaches;
  3. Interaction of the mining industry with the environment and society;
  4. Process optimization and technological advancements;
  5. Green mining approach.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Marc Bascompta
Guest Editor

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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • surface mining
  • surface and underground mining optimization
  • mining optimization
  • sustainable mining
  • green mining

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3765 KiB  
Article
Assessing Ecological Restoration in Arid Mining Regions: A Progressive Evaluation System
by Tianyu Zhu, Chengzhi Li, Xiaocao Liu and Xiaobing Zhao
Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2266; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062266 - 08 Mar 2024
Viewed by 503
Abstract
The mining activities in arid regions have resulted in significant ecological environmental issues, exacerbating the already challenging ecological conditions and leading to severe ecosystem damage. Merely relying on natural recovery processes proves inadequate, thus necessitating the implementation of artificial restoration measures to facilitate [...] Read more.
The mining activities in arid regions have resulted in significant ecological environmental issues, exacerbating the already challenging ecological conditions and leading to severe ecosystem damage. Merely relying on natural recovery processes proves inadequate, thus necessitating the implementation of artificial restoration measures to facilitate ecosystem recovery in these arid mining regions. However, it is difficult to scientifically answer the questions of how artificial restoration can be effectively combined with natural recovery, and to what extent can artificial assistance can define the beginning of natural recovery in ecosystems. To address this issue, this study proposed a stepwise ecological restoration model for arid mining regions. The model delineated the ecological restoration process in arid mining regions into three phases: “artificial reconstruction”, “auxiliary ecological restoration”, and “natural recovery”, and constructed an evaluation index system of the stepwise ecological restoration process. Taking an example of a mining ecological restoration in Aksu, Xinjiang, this study examined the evaluation effects of the stepwise ecological restoration model on ecological restoration projects in arid mining regions. The research showed that adopting the stepwise ecological restoration model in arid mining regions can achieve scientific and moderate artificial restoration, better clarify ecological restoration goals, and facilitate the implementation of ecological restoration projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production Efficiency and Environmental Research for Sustainable Mining)
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16 pages, 5134 KiB  
Article
Substantiation of the Direction for Mining Operations That Develop under Conditions of Shear Processes Caused by Hydrostatic Pressure
by Pavlo Saik, Oleksii Cherniaiev, Oleh Anisimov and Kanay Rysbekov
Sustainability 2023, 15(22), 15690; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152215690 - 07 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 667
Abstract
This research is aimed to substantiate the optimally safe direction for mining operations developing in the conditions of shear processes under hydrostatic pressure influence when mining the Zavalivskyi Graphite Deposit. Using a graphical–analytical method, the slope stability index of the Pivdenno–Skhidnyi open-pit walls [...] Read more.
This research is aimed to substantiate the optimally safe direction for mining operations developing in the conditions of shear processes under hydrostatic pressure influence when mining the Zavalivskyi Graphite Deposit. Using a graphical–analytical method, the slope stability index of the Pivdenno–Skhidnyi open-pit walls in the Zavalivskyi deposit and the safe distance for placing mining equipment have been determined. This method involves constructing a calculation scheme for each studied open-pit wall area based on the determined parameters by algebraically adding forces along a curvilinear shear surface, taking into account hydrostatic pressure within a possible collapse prism. During the research, factors have been identified that influence the optimal direction for stripping and mining operations developing under conditions of shear processes caused by flooding of lower horizons at the Zavalivskyi Graphite Plant. It has been revealed that the determining factor when choosing the direction for the development of mining operations is the safety factor of the open-pit working wall, ranging from 0.9 to 2.71 in the studied areas. Moreover, according to current normative documents, this indicator should not be less than 1.3. It has been determined that a promising direction for the development of mining operations in the Pivdenno–Skhidnyi open-pit mine is its south-western, western, and north-eastern areas, with a length of 556 m and a safe size for placing mining equipment of 27.12–32.54 m. Recommendations and measures for conducting mining operations have been developed to ensure the stable condition of the open-pit walls. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production Efficiency and Environmental Research for Sustainable Mining)
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15 pages, 2969 KiB  
Article
A Mimic Model Approach for Impact Assessment of Mining Activities on Sustainable Development Indicators
by Hesam Dehghani, Marc Bascompta, Ali Asghar Khajevandi and Kiana Afshar Farnia
Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2688; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032688 - 02 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1594
Abstract
Mining activities are usually associated with negative outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and assess these outcomes by the mining company to achieve proper management. The present study has been defined to discover the outcomes of mining activities and their testing in [...] Read more.
Mining activities are usually associated with negative outcomes. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and assess these outcomes by the mining company to achieve proper management. The present study has been defined to discover the outcomes of mining activities and their testing in one of the open pit mines of Iran. The present research has been defined into two sections, qualitative and quantitative. The corresponding data of the qualitative section were derived through analysis of the hidden contents of semi-structured interviews with experts and a review of the literature using the Maxqda 2022 software in the forms of open coding and axial coding. In the quantitative section of the study, data were collected via the standard questionnaire and analyzed using the SPSS26 and Mplus software. By coding the interviews and existing documents, 62 primary codes were extracted and classified into 5 main criteria (environmental, health, social, economic, and cultural) in the form of axial coding. The analysis results of the collected questionnaires showed that mining activities had the highest impact on the environment (86.32) and individual health (80.86), while the lower impact was on their economic situation (54.55). The findings of this study showed that there is a significant difference between men and women in terms of the environmental (p = 0.013) and economic (p = 0.01) indicators. While men believed that the mining activity had caused permanent environmental impacts on their living area, women recognized the mining activities as the cause of economic weakness in their families. Results from the present study could be effective in formulating the controlling strategies for potential negative outcomes of mining and achieving effective sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production Efficiency and Environmental Research for Sustainable Mining)
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28 pages, 7043 KiB  
Article
Empirical Model of Gaseous Mercury Emissions for the Analysis of Working Conditions in Outdoor Highly Contaminated Sites
by Rafael Rodríguez, Hector Garcia-Gonzalez and Efrén García-Ordiales
Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 13951; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113951 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1362
Abstract
The project SUBproducts4LIFE is a LIFE-funded research project that aims to demonstrate innovative circular economy concepts by repurposing industrial subproducts/waste (coal ash and gypsum from coal power plants, blast furnace slag, and steelmaking slag from steel factories) for the remediation of contaminated soils [...] Read more.
The project SUBproducts4LIFE is a LIFE-funded research project that aims to demonstrate innovative circular economy concepts by repurposing industrial subproducts/waste (coal ash and gypsum from coal power plants, blast furnace slag, and steelmaking slag from steel factories) for the remediation of contaminated soils and brownfield areas associated with Hg mining on a large scale. Within the project, one of the objectives is related to worker safety by developing protocols and elaborating a guide of good practices to work under in these highly contaminated areas. The present research aims to assess the working conditions in an abandoned mine facility in terms of gaseous mercury in the environment, evaluating the main areas of the mine to ensure the health and safety of all workers and visitors. The study developed an empirical model for estimating the gaseous mercury concentration at any temperature with the target of scheduling the work to avoid occupational hazards. The research concluded that working without restrictions for temperatures under 15 °C in all the mine’s facilities is possible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Production Efficiency and Environmental Research for Sustainable Mining)
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