Topic Editors

School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China
School of Resources and Safety Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia

Innovative Strategies to Mitigate the Impact of Mining

Abstract submission deadline
31 January 2025
Manuscript submission deadline
31 March 2025
Viewed by
8023

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of mining to the global economy cannot be underestimated. It provides a diverse range of mineral commodities that are essential to our everyday lives as vital raw materials for numerous products that we use. In addition, many industries depend on input from the mining industry, such as in the manufacturing of drugs, glass, plastics, ceramics, electronics, etc.

However, the evolution of the mining has been coupled with a huge environmental footprint, i.e., acid mine drainage, deforestation, noise, dust, air and water pollution, public health impacts, and a loss of livelihoods. How to mitigate the impacts of mining and, simultaneously, offset the increased environmental and social costs, has been one of the most daunting problems encountered by the mining industry.

Over the last decade, innovative strategies have been proposed to mitigate the impact of mining in different areas. Some studies propose the identification of mining-induced soil pollution using advanced remote sensing, while others intend to design novel ways to recycle solid waste. On this basis, the overall aim of this Topic is to collect state-of-the-art research findings on the latest developments, challenges, and solutions in the field of mitigating the impacts of mining. The key areas that have been concentrated on include, but are not limited to:

  • Innovative strategies to mitigate the impact of mining on water resources, i.e., acid mine drainage, contaminant leaching, soil and mine waste erosion into surface waters, and groundwater drawdown.
  • Innovative strategies to mitigate the impact of mining on air quality, i.e., air pollution, the incidental release of mercury during gold mining, noise pollution, and mining-induced vibrations.
  • Innovative strategies to mitigate the impact of mining on soil quality, i.e., heavy metal pollution, remediation, food safety, and wildlife.
  • Innovative strategies to mitigate the impact of mining on the community, i.e., human displacement and resettlement, human migration, lost access to clean water, impacts on livelihoods, public health, and cultural/aesthetic resources.
  • Innovative strategies to mitigate the impact of mining on global climate change, primarily greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Life cycle assessments and case studies for green mining.

Prof. Dr. Chongchong Qi
Dr. Qiusong Chen
Dr. Danial Jahed Armaghani
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • environmental impacts
  • sustainability
  • pollution identification
  • pollution remediation
  • solid waste minimization
  • recycling
  • circular economy

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Applied Sciences
applsci
2.5 5.3 2011 17.8 Days CHF 2400 Submit
Crystals
crystals
2.4 4.2 2011 10.8 Days CHF 2100 Submit
Materials
materials
3.1 5.8 2008 15.5 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Minerals
minerals
2.2 4.1 2011 18 Days CHF 2400 Submit
Mining
mining
- 2.8 2021 19.6 Days CHF 1000 Submit
Toxics
toxics
3.9 4.5 2013 15.6 Days CHF 2600 Submit

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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17 pages, 4803 KiB  
Article
A Deep Learning Approach for Chromium Detection and Characterization from Soil Hyperspectral Data
by Chundi Ma, Xinhang Xu, Min Zhou, Tao Hu and Chongchong Qi
Toxics 2024, 12(5), 357; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12050357 - 11 May 2024
Viewed by 908
Abstract
High levels of chromium (Cr) in soil pose a significant threat to both humans and the environment. Laboratory-based chemical analysis methods for Cr are time consuming and expensive; thus, there is an urgent need for a more efficient method for detecting Cr in [...] Read more.
High levels of chromium (Cr) in soil pose a significant threat to both humans and the environment. Laboratory-based chemical analysis methods for Cr are time consuming and expensive; thus, there is an urgent need for a more efficient method for detecting Cr in soil. In this study, a deep neural network (DNN) approach was applied to the Land Use and Cover Area frame Survey (LUCAS) dataset to develop a hyperspectral soil Cr content prediction model with good generalizability and accuracy. The optimal DNN model was constructed by optimizing the spectral preprocessing methods and DNN hyperparameters, which achieved good predictive performance for Cr detection, with a correlation coefficient value of 0.79 on the testing set. Four important hyperspectral bands with strong Cr sensitivity (400–439, 1364–1422, 1862–1934, and 2158–2499 nm) were identified by permutation importance and local interpretable model-agnostic explanations. Soil iron oxide and clay mineral content were found to be important factors influencing soil Cr content. The findings of this study provide a feasible method for rapidly determining soil Cr content from hyperspectral data, which can be further refined and applied to large-scale Cr detection in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Innovative Strategies to Mitigate the Impact of Mining)
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19 pages, 4933 KiB  
Article
Study of the Critical Safe Height of Goaf in Underground Metal Mines
by Qinli Zhang, Peng Zhang, Qiusong Chen, Hongpeng Li, Zian Song and Yunbo Tao
Minerals 2024, 14(3), 227; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14030227 - 23 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1054
Abstract
The empty-space subsequent filling mining method is the main mining scheme for underground metal mines to achieve large-scale mechanized mining. The stage height, one of the main parameters of this method, affects the various production process aspects of the mine and influences the [...] Read more.
The empty-space subsequent filling mining method is the main mining scheme for underground metal mines to achieve large-scale mechanized mining. The stage height, one of the main parameters of this method, affects the various production process aspects of the mine and influences the stability of the goaf. In order to determine the stage height scientifically and rationally in the empty-space subsequent filling mining method, a formula for the stabilized critical safe height of a high goaf in an underground metal mine was derived based on Pu’s arch equilibrium theory, Bieniawski’s pillar strength limit theory, and the Kastner equation and combined with the results of an orthogonal analysis to rank the importance of the main factors in the formula. A copper mine in Jiangxi Province was used as a case study, with the reliability of the formula verified by numerical simulation and industrial testing. The factors in the formula influencing the critical stabilized safe height of the goaf were, in descending order, the compressive strength of the rock body, the width of the two-step mining pillar, the width of the one-step mining room, the mining height, and the depth of mining. Based on the calculation results, the recommended stage heights are 30 m (−378 m middle section) and 25 m (−478 m middle section) in the area of poor rock body stability and 50 m in the area of better rock body stability. The simulation results show that the goaf is significantly affected by the compressive stress under the condition of a certain rock body stability and that the compressive stress increases with increasing goaf height. The minimum recommended values of the sidewall safety coefficients in areas of poor and better rock stability are 1.04 and 1.06, respectively. The volume deviation coefficients of the three industrial test mines were all controlled within 3%, indicating that no obvious collapse and destabilization phenomenon occurred in the goaf. This paper provides some theoretical and applied guidance for the stage height design of similar underground metal mines using the empty-space subsequent filling mining method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Innovative Strategies to Mitigate the Impact of Mining)
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21 pages, 2621 KiB  
Article
A Mine Closure Risk Rating System for South Africa
by Megan J. Cole
Mining 2024, 4(1), 58-78; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining4010005 - 30 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4614
Abstract
Mine closure is a growing concern in mining countries around the world due to the associated environmental and social impacts. This is particularly true in developing countries like South Africa where poverty, social deprivation and unemployment are widespread and environmental governance is not [...] Read more.
Mine closure is a growing concern in mining countries around the world due to the associated environmental and social impacts. This is particularly true in developing countries like South Africa where poverty, social deprivation and unemployment are widespread and environmental governance is not strong. South Africa has 230 operating mines located in diverse natural and social settings. Over 6 million people live in urban and rural mining host communities who will be significantly affected by mine closure. The national, provincial and local governments need guidance in identifying high-risk areas and relevant policy and programmatic interventions. This paper describes the development of a quantitative mine closure risk rating system that assesses the likelihood of mine closure, the risk of social impact and the risk of environmental impact of mine closure for every operating mine in the country. The paper visualises the high likelihood of closure and environmental impacts for numerous coal and gold mines, and the significant social risks in the deprived rural platinum and chrome mining areas. The rating system was tested with 10 mines and 19 experts, and the resulting maps are communicated in an online South African Mine Closure Risk and Opportunity Atlas. The risk ratings could be used in mine closure planning and management by mining companies, consultancies, governments and affected communities. While this risk rating system has been designed for South Africa, the methodology and framework could be applied to any mining country in the world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Innovative Strategies to Mitigate the Impact of Mining)
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