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Editorial

Research generally relies on having its work published if it is to attract attention and have its results more widely discussed. We want to do our bit in this respect by using Mining Report Glückauf as a forum for the mining research institutes and, more particularly, for the mining universities. For this reason papers on university-based mining research can, as of now, be downloaded in full and free of charge via open access on the Mining Report Glückauf website. This facility, which will apply with retroactive effect to all papers of this kind published since the beginning of 2015, will, moreover, help revive the tradition of the research journals that used to be part of the Glückauf family of publications.

From 11 to 17 April Munich will again be playing host to the world’s largest trade fair for construction equipment, bauma 2016. The event is set to attract quite a number of German mining equipment suppliers, who will be showcasing their products in the open-air area and in halls B2 (mineral preparation) and C2, as well as at various trade stands. North Rhine-Westphalia will be represented on a large joint stand in hall C2, which will also have a Mining Report Glückauf desk where show-goers can pick up the latest copy of the magazine along with a special ‘bauma’ edition.

This year’s bauma is being held at a time when the mining and raw materials extraction industries are in deep crisis and this is naturally affecting the business operations of the equipment suppliers. By assessing developments in the international mining market we hope that we can give the industry some grounds for viewing the future in a more optimistic light. As is customary at this time of the year, the global subject matter of this latest issue is complemented by a review of the German coal market in 2015.

In the ore production sector the increasing transition from surface to deep mining, with underground mines now achieving the same levels of production as large-scale surface installations, is imposing a new set of demands, especially on loading and transport technology. Research aimed at improving the reliability and efficiency of operating processes below ground is currently being carried out by manufacturers and universities alike. In this connection the present edition of Mining Report Glückauf describes the investigations that have been conducted into the underlying causes of corrosion on face conveyor chains and examines the measures being employed to mitigate the effects of gas outbursts and to optimise mine pumping and dewatering.

And finally, we have to mention another university with an anniversary to celebrate. Last year Freiberg University of Mining and Technology held a series of events to commemorate its 250th birthday. This year it is the turn of the TFH Georg Agricola University of Applied Sciences in Bochum/Germany, which was first founded exactly 200 years ago.

With my best regards

Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte
Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

Editorial

The present issue marks the start of Mining Report Glückauf’s second year of publication since its re-acquisition by the German Coal Association. Looking back over 2015 it can be said that the decision to introduce thematic categories, as well as to devote a special section to ISSA Mining and place a greater focus on non coal mining themes, has proved to be the right one. This has been confirmed not only by the positive trend in subscriber numbers but also through individual comments that have come from our readership. We would of course be very pleased if more readers could let us know what they think about the makeup and content of the magazine and what they expect from the editorial team. This can best be done by visiting our website (www.mining-report.de).

The focus of this issue of Mining Report is on mining regions that have played a major role at international level for many years and others that have real potential for the future. Canada has enjoyed a long tradition as a mining nation and we shall be looking at developments in the ‘Ring of Fire’ in the Province of Ontario and discussing what kind of conditions investors and mining suppliers can expect from an involvement in this area. Russia, which has been a traditional mining market for some years, is now in the midst of an economic recession that is also affecting the mining industry and the coal sector. This situation is exacerbated by the political sanctions being imposed by the West as a consequence of Russia’s policy towards Ukraine. Yet in spite of these difficulties the Russian government remains intent on pushing ahead with an expansion of coal production.

Turkey is an important future market for the mining sector and we shall be reviewing the prospects for mining operations in that region, with the focus on coal extraction. Another mining country with real potential is Mongolia and we also include a paper outlining the latest developments in that region and the various measures of support now being provided.

No overseas project commitment is possible without secure financing. We will be discussing what kind of players are now active in the commodities financing sector and will be examining the different forms of capital that can be used for specific project phases.

And of course we will not be leaving mining technology out of the equation. Interesting developments that could well help reduce operating costs include a measurement and metering system for coal-face hydraulic fluids and new methods of ore processing.

Finally I come to the ISSA Mining section: This includes a look back at the International Mining Rescue Body Conference held in Hanover in September 2015 along with a description of one particular safety management system that could serve the international project industry very well in its efforts to meet occupational safety and environmental protection requirements.

With my best regards

Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte
Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

The present issue marks the start of Mining Report Glückauf’s second year of publication since its re-acquisition by the German Coal Association. Looking back over 2015 it can be said that the decision to introduce thematic categories, as well as to devote a special section to ISSA Mining and place a greater focus on non coal mining themes, has proved to be the right one. This has been confirmed not only by the positive trend in subscriber numbers but also through individual comments …

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With my best regards // Mit freundlichem Glückauf
Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte
Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

Editorial

In the first issue of the year I said that the post-mining theme would feature much more prominently than before. I shall now be delivering on this promise. The search for suitable papers quickly showed that this particular topic is simply too diverse for all its aspects to be covered at a single stroke. For this reason the latest edition of Mining Report Glückauf will initially devote itself to water management and will attempt to do this by examining the problem from different perspectives, at different locations and from the viewpoint of different branches of the mining industry. Themes such as how to handle former mining sites and develop alternative-use concepts, and how to manage surface subsidence during the post-mining era, will be covered in future issues.

The multidimensional nature of the post-mining theme includes the news that in 2012 the University of Applied Sciences Georg Agricola joined with the RAG Foundation in establishing an endowed professorship for ‘Geotechnical engineering and post-mining’ and then more recently, on 22 October 2015, opened the Research Centre Post-Mining on the University campus, the only institution of its kind anywhere in the world. This Centre will bundle the expertise that is needed to be able to shape and manage the consequences of the mining industry in a technical, economic and sustainable way.

This know-how includes an awareness of the environmental impact of the mineral substances that are present in colliery waste water and mine tailings. The internationally accepted term for this is ‘acid mine drainage’. A number of papers will focus on this theme and on other issues based on examples taken from water management projects in the Ruhr coalfield, former uranium mining sites in Saxony and Thuringia, and those parts of the Lausatia region that have been affected by opencast lignite mining.

The final contribution is a review of this year’s Annual Report by the German Coal Association. This too examines the problems of the post-mining era, focusing in this case on the range of tasks facing the RAG coal company following the closure of its colliery operations.

These technical papers are preceded by two retrospective reports. The first concerns Auguste Victoria colliery in Marl, which RAG is due to close at the end of 2015 as part of the company’s mine-planning response to the agreed withdrawal of mining subsidies. This provides an appropriate opportunity to look back at the eventful history of the colliery and to assess its importance for the town and surrounding region. The second relates to the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, which celebrates its 250th anniversary this year. Reason enough to review the history of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg – the oldest university of mining and metallurgy in the world.

With my best regards

Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte
Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

In the first issue of the year I said that the post-mining theme would feature much more prominently than before. I shall now be delivering on this promise. For this reason the latest edition of Mining Report Glückauf will initially devote itself to water management and will attempt to do this by examining the problem from different perspectives, at different locations and from the viewpoint of different branches of the mining industry.

With my best regards // Mit freundlichem GlückaufDipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte
Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

Editorial

In this present edition of Mining Report Glückauf I shall pick up on a number of topics, some of which also featured at various conferences and symposia held over the summer. At this point I should like in particular to mention two conferences that Germany has hosted this year. The first of these was the Aachen International Mining Symposium (AIMS) at the end of May, which for the last time was held under the direction of Professor Per Nicolai Martens. Thanks in no small measure to the efforts of Prof. Martens over many years these events have now acquired a high international standing. And this is one of a number of reasons why the German mining community owes him a debt of gratitude. In handing over the reins of the Mining Engineering Department at RWTH Aachen University to his successor, Prof. Bernd Lottermoser, he has also entrusted the future of the AIMS to his care. The second event that I wish to highlight is the Annual Conference of the Society of Mining Professors (SOMP), which this year drew mining academics from all over the world to the venue in Saxony to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Freiberg Academy of Mining. The fact that this conference is being held in Germany in the first place can be taken as evidence of the global recognition of the mining skills and expertise that we have developed here. It is against this background that the themes selected for this edition have to be seen. Occupational safety and process efficiency are key areas of activity for every sector, not just the mining industry. The paper under the heading of ISSA Mining illustrates that both these factors have to work hand in hand if economic success is to be achieved. Cross-linking coal face systems with a high level of automation helps improve efficiency and industrial safety just as much as measures aimed at a self-sustaining mine control technology. In underground hard rock mining the use of modern rail transport installations makes for increased productivity and constitutes a cost-effective alternative to other types of haulage systems. Individual technical improvements, such as re-designed sprockets for chain scraper conveyors, help to reduce material wear and lower maintenance costs. We have also included an article that looks back at the 93-year history of FABERG, the mining standards committee, which is to cease operating at the end of 2015. Security of supply is a theme that also features in this issue. In this context, a coal-industry perspective of the 2014 Energy Study produced by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) is supplemented by an article that examines the criteria for the exploration and extraction of the rare earth elements that are so crucial for today’s new technologies. With my best regards
Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

Occupational safety and process efficiency are key areas of activity for every sector, not just the mining industry. The paper under the heading of ISSA Mining illustrates that both these factors have to work hand in hand if economic success is to be achieved. Cross-linking coal face systems with a high level of automation helps improve efficiency and industrial safety just as much as measures aimed at a self-sustaining mine control technology. In underground hard rock mining the use of modern rail transport installations makes for increased productivity and constitutes a cost-effective alternative to other types of haulage systems. Individual technical improvements, such as re-designed sprockets for chain scraper conveyors, help to reduce material wear and lower maintenance costs. We have also included an article that looks back at the 93-year history of FABERG, the mining standards committee, which is to cease operating at the end of 2015. Security of supply is a theme that also features in this issue. In this context, a coal-industry perspective of the 2014 Energy Study produced by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) is supplemented by an article that examines the criteria for the exploration and extraction of the rare earth elements that are so crucial for today’s new technologies. Mit freundlichem Glückauf,
Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

Editorial

This latest edition of Mining Report Glückauf will again seek to look beyond the horizon line of previous papers and following on from the special theme of final repository mining that appeared in the June edition will now focus on overseas mining activities. Innovation is the buzz­word when it comes to developing the potential of Canada‘s mineral resources. Difficult conditions in the north of the country, mining depths of more than 2,500 m and tougher legislation on the environmental impact of mining operations all provide starting points for the market entry of German companies. And there are also opportunities for German suppliers in southern Africa, where there are huge reserves of mineral resources spanning the entire value-added chain. However we should not ignore the problems that may arise when seeking to establish business ventures in this region. These range from a lack of infrastructure to the tough competition that will come from established providers from other countries. What kind of strategy should German companies adopt when operating in a mining sector that is in a worldwide slump? Australia is now inviting attention from prospective market players, who will have to be aware of country-specific and legal realities as well as market circumstances. Before embarking on any mining venture it is essential to assess the intrinsic value of the project, and the ‚theory of constraints‘ is a good place to start. Of course focusing on economic and legal matters does not mean having to neglect the technical side of things. Daniel Schäfer reports on a value stream analysis that he carried out at Zinkgruvan mine in Sweden as part of his final dissertation paper at RWTH Aachen University. In 2014 the VRB (Federation of Mining and Mineral Resources) awarded him the Helmuth-Burckhardt prize for his examination performance. We also wish to be quick in paying our own tribute to these award winners by publishing their work in Mining Report Glückauf. This latest issue is rounded off with a description of developments in the field of deep-ocean mining and a review of German lignite in 2014. The report on the lignite sector, like that for the coal industry (Issue 2/2015), has been an established part of the editorial make-up of Mining Report Glückauf for many years. The ongoing debate on whether Germany should cease coal-fired electricity generation along with, or even before, the phasing-out of nuclear power only shows the short-sighted approach that has been taken when assessing the security of our energy supplies. Reports on the importance of coal will therefore continue to provide further arguments why this fuel will be indispensable for the economic development of our country for many years to come. With my best regards
Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

Innovation is the buzz­word when it comes to developing the potential of Canada‘s mineral resources. Difficult conditions in the north of the country, mining depths of more than 2,500 m and tougher legislation on the environmental impact of mining operations all provide starting points for the market entry of German companies. And there are also opportunities for German suppliers in southern Africa, where there are huge reserves of mineral resources spanning the entire value-added chain. However we should not ignore the problems that may arise when seeking to establish business ventures in this region. These range from a lack of infrastructure to the tough competition that will come from established providers from other countries. What kind of strategy should German companies adopt when operating in a mining sector that is in a worldwide slump? Australia is now inviting attention from prospective market players, who will have to be aware of country-specific and legal realities as well as market circumstances. With my best regards, Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf

Editorial

North Rhine-Westphalia is mining country

The withdrawal from coal mining and the phasing out of nuclear energy is a watershed for mining and energy production in North Rhine-Westphalia and in Germany as a whole – yet this double withdrawal does not spell the end for the energy sector or for the innovative capacity of this region. Though the exit from nuclear energy will certainly cause problems in some areas, the restructuring process taking place as part of the energy transition will create real opportunities for Germany’s number-one ‘energy state’. Global demand for energy, and more particularly for intelligent and efficient energy production technologies, continues to grow. And it is mining that provides the basis for the energy industry and the expansion and redevelopment of the infrastructure that goes with it.

Nuclear energy has been used for generating electricity for more than 60 years, and yet the question of how to dispose of its highly radioactive waste remains largely unresolved. In Germany the former Konrad iron ore mine at Salzgitter in Lower Saxony is currently being converted for use as a final repository for low to medium-level radioactive material.The Morsleben radioactive-waste storage facility (ERAM), which was established in an old salt mine, dates back to the GDR days and is now to be closed down and permanently sealed, while the Asse research mine was also developed at a former salt mining site. Investigations are currently under way at the Asse II shaft site to plan a retrieval system for the radioactive waste that was deposited there for research purposes. No decision has yet been taken on the future of the Gorleben facility. Nevertheless, here too mining engineering is at the forefront of the project.

In the light of this new task to identify, explore and prepare a suitable location for the permanent disposal of highly radioactive material, and one that can accommodate all types of host rock, Germany now finds that it has a fresh challenge on its hands – and this is where service companies and mining suppliers all over North Rhine-Westphalia could well have an important contribution to make. The techniques required for such projects have been developed and tested over hundreds of years and under all kinds of conditions and this expertise has now been pooled by the Mining Network that is part of the EnergieAgentur.NRW centre of excellence. Germany has an advantage over many other European countries when it comes to planning and building permanent disposal sites for highly radioactive waste in that it can draw on a significant body of experience that has been acquired and exploited over many years by an active mining industry.

The innovative potential and commitment of companies in North Rhine-Westphalia is clearly reflected in the efforts that have been made to expand the know-how needed to meet the broad-ranging radiation protection requirements that apply to the design and operation of nuclear waste repositories.

We are especially grateful to DMT GmbH & Co. KG for providing the guest editorial for this edition of Glückauf. And we hope that this latest publication will have plenty of information to interest our readers and perhaps some stimulating new business ideas too.

Dr. Eckehard Büscher
EnergieAgentur NRW
Head of Mining and Energy Networks
Leiter Netzwerke Bergbau- und Energiewirtschaft
www.energieagentur.nrw.de/bergbau

The withdrawal from coal mining and the phasing out of nuclear energy is a watershed for mining and energy production in North Rhine-Westphalia and in Germany as a whole – yet this double withdrawal does not spell the end for the energy sector or for the innovative capacity of this region. Though the exit from nuclear energy will certainly cause problems in some areas, the restructuring process taking place as part of the energy transition will create real opportunities for Germany’s number-one ‘energy state’. Global demand for energy, and more particularly for intelligent and efficient energy production technologies, continues to grow. And it is mining that provides the basis for the energy industry and the expansion and redevelopment of the infrastructure that goes with it.

Mit freundlichem Glückauf,

Dr. Eckehard Büscher, EnergieAgentur NRW

Editorial

Each year the Clausthal University of Technology opens the conference season with the first in a series of internationally acclaimed events organised by Germany‘s mining universities. This year‘s programme started with the Drilling and Blasting Colloquium on 23 and 24 January. I have selected two papers from the conference for publication in the current edition of Mining Report Glückauf, whose special theme this time is ‚drilling and shotfiring‘. The first paper presents the latest developments and future trends in small-bore drilling for shotholes and rockbolting, while the second deals with the drivage of a deep-level face start-up road at the RAG-operated Prosper-Haniel colliery. The same theme is also taken up in a paper on the construction of two high-pressure water barriers at Ibbenbüren mine (RAG Anthrazit Ibbenbüren GmbH). The 19th Drilling and Blasting Colloquium was special in other respects in that it marked the last occasion when the co-founder, Prof. Dr Heinz Walter Wild, would be making a presentation at the event. At this point it should also be mentioned that Prof. Wild lectured in ‚blasting techniques‘ at the Clausthal University of Technology Mining Department from 1974 to 1995 and so was probably responsible for helping more than a few of our readers start their professional career. As well as presenting the latest developments in mining technology Mining Report Glückauf will in the future also be reporting on subjects that are not directly associated with the mining industry but do have close links with it. One such topic is the use of coal for electricity generation and the balanced approach to industry-related CO2 emissions. Although the EU has specified a minimum 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, fossil fuels will still be needed for energy production in Europe, and for other industrial processes, for many years to come. And Carbon Capture and Storage/Carbon Capture and Utilisation technology (CCS/CCU) could well prove hugely important in this area. The European Commission‘s latest proposal, which is entitled ‚Horizon 2020‘, supports developments aimed at disposing of CO2 emissions via the methanol path. The current edition contains three papers that deal with this theme: the first presents the activities of the Government of North Rhine-Westphalia in this area, the second examines CCS/CCU technology from a German and European perspective and the third discusses the efforts that are being made in China, the world‘s largest coal producer, towards more efficient coal utilisation. The technical papers in the April edition of Mining Report Glückauf traditionally round off with a report on developments in the German coal market over the previous year. I am pleased to say that this is one tradition we intend to keep. With my best regards
Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

Mining is and will remain an important international industry. The major globally-positioned mining companies are in need of trained personnel, as even the world‘s main mining regions suffer from a skills shortage in this area. This creates wonderful career opportunities for German-trained engineers and technicians. This is why we think it is very important to take a global view of what is happening in the mining sector beyond our shores and to look at the developments under way elsewhere in the world. This will work both ways, as our readers in other countries will also gain an insight into the realities of the German mining industry.

With my best regards

Andreas-Peter Sitte Chiefeditor Mining Report

Editorial

Glückauf Magazine, which was started by the Association for Mining Interests (Vbl), was first published on 1 January 1865 as a supplement to the Essener Zeitung. The Vbl soon set up its own publishing house for the magazine. The Glückauf publishing company produced the magazine for many years thereafter and developed it into an organ of the coal mining industry. Sadly the German coal industry has been contracting for a number of decades and the list of subscribers and advertisers supporting the journal has continuously declined as a result. The ensuing financial problems saw Glückauf first being taken over by VGE-Verlag in 2006 and then by Verlag Ernst & Sohn in 2013. Over the next months it became apparent that the magazine, now being published under the name Mining Report Glückauf, once again would have to be put under new management if it was to have a sustainable and viable future. This situation, and the fact that the GVSt (German Coal Association) – with which the Vbl had merged a few years earlier – had long been editorially involved in producing the magazine, ultimately persuaded the Coal Association that it should take back the running of the journal. Glückauf Magazine has therefore, in many ways, come back home. In view of the difficult environment in which the mining industry now has to operate we at GVSt are naturally only too aware of the fact that we have taken on something of a challenge. Our aim is to be a partner to the German coal industry until it finally ceases production at the end of 2018. At the same time we intend to give Mining Report Glückauf a future beyond 2018 by bringing on board fresh new themes, such as activities in the post-mining era, the development of former mining sites, coal utilisation and so on. Each edition will seek to focus on specific subject areas and will be published in English and in German throughout. As before, special editions of Mining Report Glückauf will also be brought out in Chinese and in Russian for distribution in those countries. Occupational health and safety is a particularly important topic for us. This theme will occupy a segment of its own and in this regard we shall be working closely with ISSA Mining, which is the mining section of the International Social Security Association (ISSA). Mining Report Glückauf will therefore be an organ both of the GVSt and of ISSA Mining. Technology, energy supply and raw materials will continue to play a key role regardless of the planned cessation of domestic coal production. We are living in interesting times, as the ongoing debate on the implementation of the energy transition shows, and in technology terms the German mining industry has gained a head start on the rest of the world. This has to be protected, not least for the good of our supplier sector where the companies involved have built up a leading position on the world market. What is more, the German mining industry has become a centre of expertise and plays an active role in the field of international consultancy. Germany has always been a mining country and it will remain so. Lignite, potash, rock salt, oil, gas, earth and stone are all extracted here, and ore mining has now been resumed again. With this fact often being overlooked we can see that this sector is in need of even greater news coverage than ever. As before, the magazine will continue to put greater focus on R&D activities and on the advances being made in this area. Without the groundwork that is done at our mining universities in Aachen, Bochum, Clausthal and Freiberg the mining industry could never have achieved the level of technical development we have seen. And we will still need technical progress of this kind if we are to advance further. All this is connected to the theme of education and training. Mining is and will remain an important international industry. The major globally-positioned mining companies are in need of trained personnel, as even the world‘s main mining regions suffer from a skills shortage in this area. This creates wonderful career opportunities for German-trained engineers and technicians. This is why we think it is very important to take a global view of what is happening in the mining sector beyond our shores and to look at the developments under way elsewhere in the world. This will work both ways, as our readers in other countries will also gain an insight into the realities of the German mining industry. With my best regards
Dipl.-Ing. Andreas-Peter Sitte Chief Editor Mining Report Glückauf, Herne

Mining is and will remain an important international industry. The major globally-positioned mining companies are in need of trained personnel, as even the world‘s main mining regions suffer from a skills shortage in this area. This creates wonderful career opportunities for German-trained engineers and technicians. This is why we think it is very important to take a global view of what is happening in the mining sector beyond our shores and to look at the developments under way elsewhere in the world. This will work both ways, as our readers in other countries will also gain an insight into the realities of the German mining industry.

With my best regards

Andreas-Peter Sitte Chiefeditor Mining Report