EU-funded project evidences the value of ‘green mining’
Many everyday consumer products depend on minerals extracted from the ground and with 30 million jobs in the EU depending on their supply, much European prosperity rests on this. Additionally, with ever increasing demand for these products, the mining industry now finds that it has to go deeper into the ground to maintain the necessary supply of raw materials. Deep mining of the future will require new innovations, and whilst this presents a challenge, it also creates an opportunity to develop new technologies and processes. A deep-mining approach balancing safety, efficiency & sustainability Mining is sometimes perceived as being a dirty, highly unsustainable industry of the past. Against this backdrop, the I²MINE project bringing together European scientists and engineers was established. According to the Project Manager, Dr. Horst Hejny, ‘The overall objective of the project was the development of innovative technologies and methods for sustainable mining at greater depths.’ Looking at the entire mining cycle, the project sought to demonstrate the concept of an integrated deep mine (at depths greater than 1 500 m) which is ‘invisible, safe and with zero impact’. ‘We have been addressing the sustainability of mining operations by increasing energy efficiency, reducing waste and starting the approach of an ‘invisible’ mine that operates underground to the extent possible. Ideally, only the final product will come out of the ground,’ Dr. Hejny elaborated. A central focus of the project was on intelligent ‘selective exploitation’, for example by developing new sensor techniques for material recognition and boundary layer detection and sorting. Another area of innovation was in the field of extraction. ‘We developed a new cutting head for continuously cutting hard rock of more than 250 MPa compressive strengths. This new device would allow for continuous operation where nowadays only drilling and blasting would be feasible,’ Dr. Hejny commented. Combined with improved mass flow management, efficiency was further increased with the development of an ore pre-sorting device which could operate directly at, or very close to, the face. ‘This is a significant step to improve sustainability of mining operation through keeping waste rock directly underground and use it for backfill,’ as Dr Hejny stated. The underground operation also extended to the treatment of emissions, to the degree possible, further reducing the environmental impact. Another component of the project was to maximise the use of autonomous machinery, for example by using underground collision avoidance transportation systems. However, the project found that this was not possible in all operations and so also factored in increased worker safety. The project included the development of a spraying robot that created concrete liners, resulting in increased safety and efficiency. As Dr Hejny summarised; ‘These devices are a step forward in the direction of both automation and autonomy in mining.' Securing Europe’s supply of raw materials and contributing to the green economy As to what difference I²MINE, or complimentary projects such as SMIFU (Smart Mine of the Future), make to the lives of European citizens, Dr. Hejny responded by saying; ‘The public will benefit by a higher security of raw materials provision and thus maintaining our living standards.’ Securing supply will enable Europe to more effectively plan for the future, reducing dependency on imports, as well as increasing the competitiveness of the extraction industry and its allied technologies. The objectives of the I²MINE project also contribute to the wider drive for a green economy; an increasing priority within the EU as it features within the Europe 2020 Strategy, the Seventh Environment Action Programme and Horizon 2020 to name but a few. With the eco-innovation market valued at around €1 trillion per annum, and expected to triple by 2030, this represents a major opportunity. As the I²MINE project demonstrated a balance of technological, social, environmental and economic requirements, Dr Hejny concluded; ‘The most important next step is to implement the results of I²MINE into practice and this has already started.’ For more information please see: I²MINE project website
Countries
Sweden