Mining Engineering Commons^™

The Use Of Microalgal Sourced Biodiesel To Help Underground Mines Transition To Battery Electric Vehicles, Corey A. Laamanen, Kyle Moreau, Sabrina M. Desjardins, Shannon H. Mclean, John A. Scott

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The use of fossil fuel sourced diesel underground has various associated health and environmental hazards, and additional energy demand and costs associated with necessary ventilation. One way to reduce these impacts is by utilizing a biodieselblend, which generates lower levels of harmful emissions from underground equipment and can be produced regionally, reducing the impact of transportation. Furthermore, this would help allow use of existing machinery during transition towards more widespread electrification underground. Therefore, the concept of an integrated supply and use chain within the mining industry is examined based on biodiesel from acidophilic photosynthetic microalgae cultivated using CO 2 in ...

Investigating The Effectiveness Of A Ground Support System Implemented On Block A: A Case Study Of Southern Africa Metalliferous Mine, Kamogelo Manyelo, Peter Kolapo

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the ground support systems that are planned to be implemented on Block A, which will be excavated through the Marikana fault zone. The block of ground being prepared for mining has been physically affected by the presence of the Marikana fault and is therefore geomechanically and geotechnically weaker than the normal stoping conditions on the rest of the shaft. Joint mapping conducted in Block A raiselines indicated that there is a high concentration of shallow dipping joints which are dipping in opposite directions. Such conditions present special challenges in the planned excavations ...

Application Of Entropy Method For Estimating Factor Weights In Mining-Method Selection For Development Of Novel Mining-Method Selection System, Elsa Pansilvania Andre Manjate, Mahdi Saadat, Hisatoshi Toriya, Fumiaki Inagaki, Youhei Kawamura

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Mining-method selection (MMS) is one of the most critical and complex decisionmaking processes in mine planning. Therefore, it has been a subject of several studies for many years culminating with the development of different systems. However, there is still more to be done to improve and/or create more efficient systems and deal with the complexity caused by many influencing factors. This study introduces the application of the entropy method for feature selection, i.e., select the most critical factors in MMS. The entropy method is applied to assess the relative importance of the factors influencing MMS by estimating their ...

Sources And Techniques Of Domestic Heating Within Tritia Region, Malgorzata Wysocka, Krystian Skubacz, Krzysztof Samolej

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The paper presents the balance of energy consumption for domestic heating in Opole and Silesian Voivodship (Poland), divided into various media. The report was based on an analysis of approximately 250 documents containing low-carbon economy plans for individual municipalities (gminas). The authors compared the current situation in these voivodships and their districts with the structure of the heating system in Poland as a whole, based on data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland. The data demonstrate that the use of coal-based energy media has not changed significantly over the years and around 55-60% of households with individual heating systems ...

Modelling The Throttle Effect In A Mine Drift, Rickard Hansen

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The throttle effect is a phenomenon, which may occur during a fire underground, causing unforeseen smoke spread. This paper focuses on the modelling of the throttle effect in a mine drift, using a CFD software. The aim of the paper is to investigate whether the CFD tool is able to predict and reproduce the throttle effect for fire scenarios underground. Experimental data from fire experiments in a model-scale mine drift and modelling results from a CFD model were used during the analysis. It was found that the CFD model was not able to fully reproduce the throttle effect for fire ...

Managing And Utilizing Big Data In Atmospheric Monitoring Systems For Underground Coal Mines, Juan Diaz, Zach Agioutantis, Dionissios T. Hristopulos, Steven Schafrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

Underground coal mining Atmospheric Monitoring Systems (AMS) have been implemented for real-time or near real-time monitoring and evaluation of the mine atmosphere and related parameters such as gas concentration (e.g., CH₄, CO, O₂), fan performance (e.g., power, speed), barometric pressure, ambient temperature, humidity, etc. Depending on the sampling frequency, AMS can collect and manage a tremendous amount of data, which mine operators typically consult for everyday operations as well as long-term planning and more effective management of ventilation systems. The raw data collected by AMS need considerable pre-processing and filtering before they can be used for ...

Evaluating And Enhancing Iron Removal Via Filterable Iron Precipitates Formation During Coal-Waste Bioleaching, Prasenjit Podder, Zongliang Zhang, Rick Q. Honaker, Michael L. Free, Prashant K. Sarswat

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

Iron removal via jarosite precipitate formation is a commonly used technique in various hydrometallurgical processes. Excess iron removal often becomes essential to an overall metal recovery circuit. This is particularly important to processes involving iron-bearing minerals. A technique, which involved the use of pyrite to generate acid for leaching, for iron removal is critical to enabling the process. Iron removal using CaO or similar reagents is expensive and often results in lost product. In the present study, various compounds that facilitate jarosite formation, namely Na₂SO₄, NH₄OH, KCl, and KOH, were utilized and their effect in ...

Investigating Anisotropic Blast Wave Parameters Near The Explosive-Air Boundary Using Computer Simulation And Experimental Techniques With Varying Charge Geometry, Kelly Williams, Catherine E. Johnson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The prediction of blast wave overpressure using scaled distance calculations use the charge mass and radial distance variables and assumes that the blast wave is isotropic. Simulations and empirical studies demonstrate that altering the charge geometry results in a significant deviation in overpressure vs orientation. While this effect has been measured for cylinders, truncated cones, and cubes, the mechanisms driving geometric blast wave product anisotropy have not been well defined. Velocity vectors plotted from computer simulations in this study show an isotropic radial flow from the cylindrical charges, while the prismatic charges with rectangle, triangle, and five-point star cross sections ...

Gravity Field Changes During Deep Exploitation Of The Coal Longwall And Their Relation To Stress Distribution And Seismic Activity, Łukasz Kortas

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Mining operations cause volumetric deformations within the rock mass and changes in its density, to which the gravimetric method is sensitive. These changes are particularly well seen in periodic measurements of the local gravity field. The paper analyses the relationship between the movement of a longwall in a coal seam and the change in the distribution of the gravity field in time and space observed on the ground surface. Relative gravimetric measurements were carried out in six series between 2018 and 2020; before the start of coal extraction, with the progress of the longwall and after the cessation of mining ...

Study Of The Relationship Of Tidal Changes In Gravity With The Time Of Mining Tremors In The Area Of The Mining Longwall In A Coal Mine – Case Study In Uscb, Poland, Sławomir Siwek

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Deep mining of coal deposits in Upper Silesia Coal Basin in Poland over several hundred years has led to disturbances in the natural state of equilibrium. As a result of changes in stress distribution, mass distribution (changes in gravity forces) and deformation of the rock mass, seismic tremors with energy reaching up to 10E+09J are generated. In this paper, the time of mining tremors occurrence is linked with changes in the gravitational load of the rock mass caused by litosphere tides, which are considered to be one of the factors leading to occurrence of natural seismic tremors. The analysis ...

Decarbonisation – Origins And Evolution Of The Process On The European Level, Sylwia Jarosławska-Sobór

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Decarbonisation of the european economy is one of the most important megatrends that will shape economic and social development in the coming years. This paper discusses the basic concepts of decarbonisation in terms of climate change, the history of this idea development and the legal basis introduced in the European Union, including key European documents and tools influencing the process, like ETS or CO2 emission allowances. Background on decarbonisation has been presented as a European roadmap to achieve a low-carbon economy in Europe. In the article the main assumptions of the EU strategy papers like Clean Energy for All Europeans ...

Parametric Analysis Of Rib Pillar Stability In A Longitudinal Sublevel Open Stoping Operation In An Underground Copper Mine In Southern Africa, Kostas Kaklis, Zacharias Agioutantis, Munyindei Masialeti, Jerome Yendaw, Thierry Bineli Betsi

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

The pillar stability factor (PSF) is calculated in three different mining stages for a sublevel open stoping mining project located in northern Botswana. Several three-dimensional finite element models were developed by varying the stope span. Pillar strength was estimated using the Lunder and Pakalnis equation and pillar stress was obtained from the numerical models. As mining progresses, both the first and second mining stages meet the rib pillar stability factor requirement for safe extraction. Geometrical improvements are suggested in the mining layout for the third mining stage to achieve the required PSF, which is based on international practices.

Determination Of The Stress-Strain State Of Rock Mass And Zone Of Inelastic Deformation Around Underground Mine Excavation Using Modern Methods Of Numerical Modelling, Sergey A. Ignatiev, Aleksandr E. Sudarikov, Askar Zh. Imashev

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The paper reviews methods and trends of numerical modelling of geomechanical processes around underground mine excavations. The most rational method of determining the additional stresses caused by the mine excavations is chosen. Mathematical modelling was performed for excavations of various cross sections and different strength of rocks. The dimensions of the inelastic deformation zone around the mine excavations have been identified. The area of the total fracture zone around the excavation, as well as the area of the roof fracture zone are calculated. The results of the fracture zone modelling are presented both as coordinates and in a graphical form ...

Rapid Selection Of Moving Wagons In The Sequence Of Video Frames Based On The Method Of Calculating The Optical Flow, Bahodir Muminov Prof.

Bulletin of TUIT: Management and Communication Technologies

With the advent of digital video cameras, it has become possible to process measurement data using a computer, which has led to a wide range of new tasks in digital signal processing. Examples of such tasks are perimeter observation and detection of a moving object, recognition of a moving object, and identification of an object. Research and development of algorithms for processing video data, as a rule, requires a time-consuming computational experiment on model and real data of a large volume. Therefore, it is important to correctly organize the computational process when modifying and testing algorithms.

Thin Safety Margin: The Sefor Super-Prompt-Critical Transient Experiments, Ozark Mountains, Arkansas 1970–1971, Jerry Havens, Collis Geren

Arkansas Scholarly Editions

Thin Safety Margin charts the history of SEFOR, a twenty-megawatt reactor that operated for three years in the rural Ozark Mountains of Arkansas as part of an internationally sponsored program designed to demonstrate the Doppler effect in plutonium-oxide-fueled fast reactors. Authors Jerry Havens and Collis Geren draw upon this history to assess the accidental explosion risk inherent in using fast reactors to reduce the energy industry’s carbon dioxide emissions.

If a sufficiently powerful fast-neutron explosion were to cause the containment of a reactor such as SEFOR’s to fail, the reactor’s radiotoxic plutonium fuel could vaporize and escape ...

Socio-Ecological Analysis Of Artisanal Gold Mining In West Africa: A Case Study Of Ghana, Richard Takyi, Rasha Hassan, Badr El Mahrad, Richard Adade

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The surge in artisanal gold mining (AGM) activities and the associated environmental impact in Ghana have elicited several stakeholders' attempts to curb the problem. However, due to little understanding of the underlying issues, these efforts have been ineffective. This study aims to use a socio-ecological framework to analyze drivers of AGM activities, the environmental pressures, the state change, their impact on human welfare, and the management response as measures (DAPSI(W)R(M)) to the problem. Evaluate AGM's impact on Ghana's ability to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Data were collected from relevant literature on ...

Growth Of Invasive Plant Species Communities As A Substantial Issue In Post-Mining Land Development, Paweł Olszewski

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This article concerns the issue of the appearance and growth of invasive plant species in land degraded by hard coal mining and the repercussions of this process, particularly in the context of land reclamation. These species, such as Canadian goldenrod or Japanese knotweed, which nearly always form extensive and monocultural patches of vegetation, contribute to the displacement of both native species and those introduced as part of biological restoration. In 2015, the Central Mining Institute in Katowice prepared a land development concept for a part of the area of the former KWK Paryż mine in Dąbrowa Górnicza (Upper Silesian Industrial ...

Microscopic Diffusion Characteristics Of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonates On The Surface Of Anthracite: The Influence Of Different Attachment Sites Of Benzene Ring In The Backbone, Xuanlai Chen, Guochao Yan, Xianglin Yang, Guang Xu, Shuai Wei

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In order to explore the effect of the attachment site of the benzene ring in the backbone of the surfactant on its diffusion characteristics on the surface of anthracite, the molecular dynamics simulation method was used, and the four isomers (m-C16, m = 2,4,6,8; m represents the attachment site of the benzene ring in the backbone) of sodium hexadecyl benzene sulfonate (SHS) were selected. Binary models of surfactant/anthracite, surfactant/graphene modified by oxygen-containing functional groups, and a ternary model of water/surfactant/anthracite were constructed. By analyzing a series of properties such as interaction energy, contact surface ...

The Factors Impacting The Incorporation Of The Sustainable Development Goals Into Raw Materials Engineering Curricula, Dimitris Damigos, George Valakas, Anna Gaki, Katerina Adam

Journal of Sustainable Mining

It is widely recognised and acknowledged that the mining industry, if properly operating and managed, has the potential to positively contribute to “The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. In this direction, the Raw Materials (RM) engineering education possesses a crucial role, given the need to instil in tomorrow’s mining engineers the sustainability principles. This paper explores the educational needs of the Greek RM sector and the factors constituting the RM whole value chain SDGs-education-innovation eco-system. The research follows a two-stage focus group approach. First, the perceptions, opinions and beliefs of invited stakeholders were explored in the context of semi-structured ...

Exploring The Deformation Mechanics Of Coal Ribs Using The Distinct Element Modeling Approach, Maurice Sunkpal, Taghi Sherizadeh

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding coal rib geomechanics is essential for improving rib stability and eliminating fatality and injury trends due to rib failures. There are presently no standardized rib control practices available in most countries. In light of this observed dearth, this investigation aims to improve understanding of rib failure mechanisms using the distinct element modeling (DEM) technique. DEM is chosen because of its superior advantage to explicitly represent discontinuities and their constitutive behaviors, besides that of the intact rock matrix. To analyze the rib stability, a numerical monitoring protocol is implemented to monitor the deformation characteristics of the coal rock mass as ...

Flow Characterization In Mine Ventilation Fan Blade Design Using Cfd, Anwar Endris Hassen

Journal of Sustainable Mining

In axial ventilation fans, the generation of a uniform flow velocity is desirable for better efficiency. To that end, different fan blade types have been developed to achieve better flow uniformity. This article aimed to characterize the flow distribution and its uniformity in four blade designs, namely constant chord, tapered blade, skewed blade, and tapered skewed blade, using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The study employs an iterative study where key study decisions are made as the study progresses. The study began with the selection of a blade profile for the study. A comparative study between the NACA seven-digit and four-digit ...

Data Management System For A Semiautonomous Shuttle Car For Underground Room And Pillar Coal Mines, Vasilis Androulakis, Steven Schafrik, Joseph Sottile, Zacharias Agioutantis

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, autonomous solutions in the multidisciplinary field of mining engineering have been an extremely popular applied research topic. This is a result of the increasing demands of society on mineral resources along with the accelerating exploitation of the currently economically viable resources, which lead the mining sector to turn to deeper, more-difficult-to-mine orebodies. An appropriate data management system comprises a crucial aspect of the designing and the engineering of a system that involves autonomous or semiautonomous vehicles. The vast volume of data collected from onboard sensors, as well as from a potential IoT network dispersed around a smart ...

Geoindicators For Assessing Illegal Gold Mining Environmental Impacts In Choco, Colombia, Jennifer Angel-Amaya

English Language Institute

In Choco artisanal gold mining has been made for centuries. However, since 2009, with the rise in gold prices, alluvial mining has been mechanized causing social and environmental devastation.

Colombia´s T-622 (2016) ruling calls for the restoration of affected areas. Geoindicators could be used to assess the environmental impacts prior restoration.

Evaluating Mine Design Alternatives For Social Risks Using Discrete Choice Analysis, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Sisi Que, Atta Ur Rehman

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As with other engineering design tasks, mine design involves setting design objectives and constraints (the feasible solution space) and finding the optimal design alternative. Mine engineers often struggle to incorporate the preferences of local community members into their evaluation of mine design alternatives because the mining literature lacks tools to quantify such risks during mine planning. This paper presents an approach to evaluate community acceptance (i.e., community preferences for the alternatives) using discrete choice models and decision-based design during mine planning. Using discrete choice models and a rigorous framework, engineers can estimate the cost of social risks as a ...

Findings Report: Virtual Workshop On ‘Resilient Supply Of Critical Minerals’, Marek Locmelis, Angela D. Lueking, Michael S. Moats, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Lana Z. Alagha, Mark W. Fitch, Alanna Krolikowski, Shelby Clark

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Executive Summary
On August 2-3, 2021, the Thomas J. O’Keefe Institute for Sustainable Supply of Strategic Minerals at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) hosted the NSF-funded virtual workshop ‘Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals’. The workshop was convened via Zoom and attracted 158 registrants, including 108 registrants from academia (61 students), 30 registrants from government agencies, and 20 registrants from the private sector. Four topical sessions were covered:

A. Mineral Exploration and Source Diversification.
B. Supply Chain and Policy Issues.
C. Improving Mineral Recycling and Reprocessing Technologies.
D. Technological Alternatives to Critical Minerals.

Each topical session was composed of two keynote lectures and followed by a breakout session that was designed to identify promising pathways towards increasing critical supply chain resilience in the United States. During each breakout session, participants were asked to address five questions:

Q1. What are the roadblocks that affect the resilient supply of critical minerals?
Q2. What are the most pressing research needs?
Q3. What opportunities can lead to the fastest and biggest impact?
Q4. What skills training is required to meet future workforce demands?
Q5. What other questions should be asked, but are commonly overlooked?

Several issues that limit critical mineral supply chain resilience in the United States were identified and discussed in all breakout sessions, including:

1. Insufficient understanding of domestic critical minerals resources. To address this issue, workshop participants highlighted the need for (i) more geologic research to identify new and evaluate existing resources; and (ii) a qualitative and quantitative assessment of critical minerals that may be recovered as by/co-products from existing production streams.
2. Technical limitations of current mineral processing and recycling technologies. To address this issue, workshop participants highlighted the need for (i) innovative mineral processing technologies, including more environmentally friendly chemicals/solvents, and (ii) automated recycling technologies for appliances and e-waste. Participants also highlighted the need for a centralized and simplified way to ...

Application Of Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry To Monitor Surface Deformations Of The Trans-European Transport Network (Ten-T) – A Case Study Of The Motorways Crossing Areas Of Mining Operations In The Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland, Adam Smoliński, Mariusz Stawinoga, Tomasz Pindel

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Underground hard coal mining causes surface deformations. When the mining operations are conducted beneath linear objects, such as motorways, there is a risk of deformations of the axis of the road and its horizontal and vertical alignment (additional bends and vertical curvatures, longitudinal inclinations, deformations of crosssections). In the areas subjected to mining operations, mining plants conduct geodetic monitoring. Due to their labour intensity and costs, geodetic measurements are usually made only a few times a year. The article discusses the possibility of applying Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to monitor the subsidence of the vertical alignment of motorways caused ...

Adapting Open Pit Mine Design Fundamentals To Leverage The Advantages Of Autonomous Haulage Systems, Race Owens

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

It is common practice, and even legally required in many jurisdictions, to design two-lane haul roads in open pit mines to three and a half times the widest dimension of the haul trucks operating on the road. In open pit gold mines with high strip ratios, the road width has a significant impact on the economics of a design. It is possible to minimize the flattening of the highwall if the road width is reduced, assuming the width used is not needed to flatten the slopes for geotechnical purposes. With the use of autonomous haulage and pull-outs, it may be ...

Remote Sensing-Based Statistical Approach For Defining Drained Lake Basins In A Continuous Permafrost Region, North Slope Of Alaska, Helena Bergstedt, Benjamin M. Jones, Kenneth M Hinkel, Louise Farquharson, Benjamin V. Gaglioti, Andrew D. Parsekian, Mikhail Kanevskiy, Noriaki Ohara, Amy L. Breen, Rodrigo C. Rangel, Guido Grosse, Ingmar Nitze

Michigan Tech Publications

Lake formation and drainage are pervasive phenomena in permafrost regions. Drained lake basins (DLBs) are often the most common landforms in lowland permafrost regions in the Arctic (50% to 75% of the landscape). However, detailed assessments of DLB distribution and abundance are limited. In this study, we present a novel and scalable remote sensing-based approach to identifying DLBs in lowland permafrost regions, using the North Slope of Alaska as a case study. We validated this first North Slope-wide DLB data product against several previously published sub-regional scale datasets and manually classified points. The study area covered >71,000 km2, including ...

The Contribution Of Mining Sector To Sustainable Development In Saudi Arabia, Mourad Zmami, Ousama Ben-Salha, Sultan O. Almarshad, Houyem Chekki

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The mining sector development is among the priorities of the Saudi Vision 2030. There is currently a lot of interest in the role of the mining sector in Saudi Arabia. This research contributes to this debate by empirically assessing the effects of mining on sustainable development in Saudi Arabia during the period 1980-2018. Unlike many previous studies, the three sustainable development dimensions, namely economic, social, and environmental, are jointly considered. The cointegration analysis, based on the ARDL, Gregory-Hansen, and combined cointegration tests, confirms the existence of long-run relationships between mining and all sustainable development dimensions. Furthermore, the findings lend substantial ...

Environmental, Health And Safety Intricacies Of Artisanal Mining In The Gold-Rich Landscapes Of Karamoja, North-Eastern Uganda, Eria Serwajja, Paul Isolo Mukwaya

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Artisanal small-scale gold mining presents opportunities for Uganda’s rural poor. However, it also poses serious environmental, health and safety challenges. A suite of data collection methods including interviews, focus groups discussions, water and soils sampling were used to examine the perceptions of miners on the status, prevalence and extent of mercury use in artisanal gold mining, mercury transit routes and toxicity levels of soils and water in Karamoja sub-region. It also explores the health, safety and environmental implications of artisanal small-scale gold mining in the sub-region. The findings show that trade and access to mercury is widespread; although trade ...