Search Results (12)

Post-industrial and post-mining areas are an important element of cities historically associated with industrial activity. The transformation of degraded areas is a challenge for spatial policy, which is characterized by a substantial impact on the cultural heritage of mining and industry. The case of Piekary Śląskie shows the consequences of deindustrialization, which leads to the degradation of urban space and requires innovative revitalization strategies considering the principles of sustainable development and the concept of blue–green infrastructure. Archived topographic maps and current interactive maps of the study city were used in a spatial data analysis. The aim was to determine the directions of the spatial development of post-industrial and post-mining areas using the example of a medium-sized city located in the core of the Katowice conurbation, while considering the role of blue–green infrastructure in the revitalization process. Integrating blue–green infrastructure into the city’s planning documents may serve as a model for other urban areas, highlighting the synergy benefits between urban development and environmental protection. Such solutions support the development of a green economy to improve residents’ living conditions and increase the city’s competitiveness in the region. The specific examples of the revitalization of the areas in the Andaluzja and Julian mines and the reclamation of the brickyard in the area of Kozłowa Góra in Piekary Śląskie show that a multifunctional approach to revitalization contributes to the harmonious development of urban spaces. Full article

The expansion of the open-pit exploitation of mineral raw materials, and especially the energy resources of fossil fuels, makes open-pit coal mines spatially dominant objects of large mining basins. Exploitation activities are accompanied by negative ecological impacts on the environment, which requires the integral planning, revitalization, reclamation, and rehabilitation of the disturbed area for human use in the post-exploitation period. The post-exploitation remediation and rehabilitation of open-pit mining areas and disposal sites, i.e., space disturbed by mining activities and accompanying facilities, are complex synthetic multidisciplinary multiphase engineering project tasks. In this paper, a hybrid fuzzy MCDM model (Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making) was developed for the selection of a reclamation solution for the Tamnava-West Field open-pit mine. IMF SWARA (Improved Fuzzy Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) was applied to define the weights of 12 criteria of different structures used in the evaluation of reclamation solutions. The Fuzzy ROV (Range of Value) method was applied to select the reclamation solution from a total of 11 solutions previously obtained using a process approach. The results of the hybrid IMF SWARA—Fuzzy ROV model show that forestry is the best solution for the Tamnava-West Field open-pit mine. After the results had been obtained, verification analyses of the proposed model were performed and the best stable proposed reclamation solution was determined. Full article

The novelty of the paper is the analysis of the possibilities of reducing the operating costs of a mine water pumping station in an abandoned coal mine. To meet the energy needs of the pumping station and reduce the carbon footprint, “green” energy from a photovoltaic farm was used. Surplus green energy generated during peak production is stored in the form of green hydrogen from the water electrolysis process. Rainwater and process water are still underutilized sources for increasing water resources and reducing water stress in the European Union. The article presents the possibilities of using these waters, after purification, in the production of green hydrogen by electrolysis. The article also presents three variants that ensure the energy self-sufficiency of the proposed concepts of operation of the pumping station. Full article

This paper concerns the revitalization of post-mining heaps using a developed software tool. Revitalizing degraded areas is crucial for sustainable development because heaps pose numerous hazards to people and the environment, and there are significant numbers of waste heaps across Europe. The applied approach enables us to consider essential factors when deciding on the heap revitalization strategy. This includes heap properties, assumed land use, and various risks to people and environment, financial, and intangible factors. The methodology addresses various revitalization aims, ranging from heap liquidation to different forms of nature restoration and industrial or energy applications. A computer-aided tool was developed based on this approach, allowing the specification of the revitalized heap and proposed revitalization alternatives. It assesses risk reduction, costs/benefits, and non-financial factors such as social, environmental, technological, and political aspects for each alternative. This provides decision-makers with input to manually select the target alternative for implementation. The revitalization planning process is supported comprehensively, and there are additional cost-, quality-, and time-related advantages due to computer aid. The authors suggest future tool enhancements, especially to extend the range of applications and better formalize the decision process. Full article

This study assesses the water quality of the Sušanecké Ponds in the Czech Republic post-mining area. Four monitoring profiles were chosen: the Sušanka River inflow into the Sušanecké Ponds, two ponds and the outflow of the Sušanecké Ponds to the Sušanka River. The sampling took place in a 14-day interval from March to October 2022. The monitored parameters were temperature, O₂, pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, nitrate nitrogen, ammoniacal nitrogen, total phosphorus, chlorophyll-a, COD_Cr, BOD₅ and metals—Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb, Co, Cd, Cr. The results were evaluated in accordance with the Czech standard ČSN 75 7221 and Government Regulation No. 401/2015 Coll. Based on the evaluation data, it was found that the area of the Sušanecké Ponds does not meet the limits of the government regulation for three out of the twenty parameters. According to the standard, Sušanecké Ponds are mainly classified as highly polluted waters. Full article

Large areas become unsuitable for full-fledged life after mining activity. To improve the state of environmental safety of post-industrial landscapes and the rational use of disturbed territories, a Decision Support System (DSS) should be created. This system should also contain proposals for restoring the soil cover and plant communities that are proposed in this article. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the process of vegetation formation in the post-industrial landscape of a sulfur quarry. During reclamation works in human-made ecotopes, vegetation has already formed there in a certain way due to natural succession processes. We assessed the level of vegetation self-restoration and, on the basis of the obtained data, the need and direction of phytoreclamation in relation to specific ecotopes. The set of restoration of soil cover and plant communities makes it possible to solve the problem of reusing post-industrial landscapes. The positive effect of the treatment of seedlings with a spore remedy of arbuscular, mycorrhizal fungi on the studied breeds’ height increase was observed. In the process of the revitalization of disturbed landscapes through the mycorrhization of planting material, there is a tendency to restore and increase phytodiversity at the floristic and coenotic levels. Full article

The sustainable provision of mankind with energy and mineral raw materials is associated with an increase not only in industrial but also in the ecological and economic development of the raw material sector. Expanding demand for energy, metals, building and chemical raw materials on the one hand, and the deterioration of the living environment along with a growth of raw materials extraction on the other, put the human-centric development of mining at the forefront. This forms a transition trend from Mining 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, smart sensors and robots, machine vision, etc., to Mining 5.0, presented with collaborative robots and deserted enterprises, bioextraction of useful minerals, postmining, and revitalization of mining areas. This “bridge” is formed by the technological convergence of information, cognitive, and biochemical technologies with traditional geotechnology, which should radically change the role of the resource sector in the economy and society of the 21st century. The transition from Mining 3.0 to 4.0 cannot be considered complete. However, at the same time, the foundation is already being laid for the transition to Mining 5.0, inspired, on the one hand, by an unprecedented gain in productivity, labor safety, and predictability of commodity markets, on the other hand, by the upcoming onset of Industry 5.0. This review provides a multilateral observation of the conditions, processes, and features of the current transition to Mining 4.0 and the upcoming transformation on the Mining 5.0 platform, highlighting its core and prospects for replacing humans with collaborated robots and artificial intelligence. In addition, the main limitations of the transition to Mining 5.0 are discussed, the overcoming of which is associated with the development of green mining and ESG (environment, social, and governance) investment. Full article

TRIM4Post-Mining is a H2020/RFCS-funded project that brings together a consortium of European experts from industry and academia to develop an integrated information modelling system. This is designed to support decision making and planning during the transition from coal exploitation to a revitalized post-mining landscape, enabling infrastructure development for agricultural and industrial utilization, and contributing to the recovery of energy and materials from coal mining dumps. The smart system will be founded upon a high-resolution spatiotemporal database, utilizing state-of-the-art multi-scale and multi-sensor monitoring technologies that characterize dynamic processes in coal waste dumps related to timely, dependent deformation and geochemical processes. It will integrate efficient methods for operational and post-mining monitoring, comprehensive spatiotemporal data analytics, feature extraction, and predictive modelling; this will allow for the identification of potential contamination areas and the forecasting of geotechnical risks and ground conditions. For the interactive exploration of alternative land-use planning scenarios—in terms of residual risks, technical feasibility, environmental and social impact, and affordability—up-to-date data and models will be embedded in an interactive planning system based on Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technology, forming a TRIM—a Transition Information Modelling System. This contribution presents the conceptual approach and main constituents, and describes the state-of-the-art and detailed anticipated methodological approach for each of the constituents. This is supported by the presentation of the first results and a discussion of future work. An anticipated second contribution will focus on the main findings, technology readiness and a discussion of future work. Full article

Wastelands of the mining industry are among the largest of disturbed areas that demand revitalization. To reduce environmental impact and to better manage these geo-resources, the formation of sustainable plant and soil complexes and the restoration of self-recovery soil function are critical points. The successful return of vegetative cover at post-mining sites requires eliminating the deficiency of organic matter. For this, we assessed the usability of non-traditional ameliorants to provide a better understanding of benefits from mutual dependencies of environmental resources. To prevent losses and to close resource cycles, we studied the applicability of wastewater sludge from the pulp and paper (SPP) industry as an amendment to counteract soil degradation and rehabilitate human-disturbed lands. Waste rock limestone, beresite, and phosphogypsum substrates of post-mining sites were used in vitro for the application of sludge and peat mixture and consequent grass seeding. The formed vegetative cover was analyzed to compare the germination and biomass growth on reconstructed soils. We assessed the efficiency of ameliorant combinations by two approaches: (1) the traditional technique of cutting-off plant material to measure the obtained plant biomass, and (2) digital image analysis for RGB-processed photographs of the vegetative cover (r² = 0.75–0.95). The effect of SPP on plant cover biomass and grass height showed similar results: land rehabilitation with the formation of a 20 cm soil layer on mine waste dumps was environmentally suitable with an SPP:soil ratio of 1:3. However, excessive application (ratio 1:1 of SPP to the soil) negatively affected seed germination and plant vegetation. Full article

This paper presents an advanced risk management methodology which supports the planning of the revitalization process of post-mining heaps. More specifically, it supports decision-makers in the selection of the most advantageous revitalization actions with respect to the defined criteria embracing risk and cost–benefit parameters as well as different qualitative factors. This methodology was elaborated with a view to software implementation and is a good example of ICT adoption in emerging domains of application. The question is how to organize the revitalization decision process and support it with a software tool. The methodology and tool are based on three pillars: risk, cost–benefit, and qualitative criteria assessments of the considered revitalization actions in order to select the target for the implementation of the given heap. This paper presents the methodology implemented in the software as well as its validation on an extensive example. The steps described in the example allow the decision-maker to identify a target revitalization alternative. The conclusions focus on the solution’s feasibility and the software implementation and extensions. Full article

Conservation, rehabilitation and post-valuation of the facilities of old mining districts is considered a valid strategy to revitalize these areas. In this study, the northeastern sector of the Linares-La Carolina mining district was analyzed, integrating geological information with mining to assess its value. The characteristics of the three most emblematic veins (consisting of galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, quartz, ankerite and calcite) were analyzed, namely El Guindo, Federico and El Sinapismo. In this study, each mining exploitation was evaluated according to their geological context. Currently, old mining operations can only be visited from drainage galleries or from some exploration galleries. However, some of the old mining shafts could be adapted for visitation. On the surface, the remains of the most important extraction shafts and part of the associated facilities are still visible. One can also visit old tailings dumps with a high contents of heavy metals associated with ore concentration plants. The contaminating potential of these wastes is being monitored thanks to control piezometers and sensors installed at different depths within the tailings ponds, which assist in controlling evolution in the latter years. Different localities of special interest from geological, mining and mineralogical points of view are indicated. Therefore, the guided tour described in this work is attractive for tourism and educational purposes. Full article

This study analyzes the issue of mining brownfields (sites abandoned after the extraction of minerals) in terms of their secondary use after revitalization as potential new sites of mining tourism. In the first part of the paper, we deal with the theoretical basis of the study, the conceptualization of mining brownfields, possibilities for their revitalization, and their sustainability for mining tourism. In the second part, we analyze mining brownfields as devastated mining sites using a questionnaire survey conducted among students of geotourism and geography at three Slovak universities in Košice, Banská Bystrica, and Prešov. The result of our several years of field research was a database of mining brownfields in Slovakia. According to our findings and the latest theoretical and methodological literature about other types of brownfields, we compiled a comprehensive definition of mining brownfields. The questionnaire survey confirmed that mining brownfields are interesting destinations for (mining) tourism with long-term sustainability. The equipment of the services did not directly determine the number of visitors, who did not perceive the risk and danger of visiting mining brownfields. Full article