The European Commission has been striving to initiate an EU-wide coal phase-out since the end of 2017 in the form of the initiative “Coal Regions in Transition”. The aim of the activities is to provide structural support to the EU’s coal regions during their move – the “transition” – away from coal. The initiative also represents a pioneering project on ...
Read More »Fachartikel 2021
Application of Modern Geo- and Environmental Monitoring Methods for the Sustainable Management of Geological Resources
The sustainable management of geological resources presents a challenge for environmental and geomonitoring actions with all the diverse tasks and assignments involved, such as water management and the monitoring of environmental changes. Today’s geo- and environmental monitoring processes involve the observation of many different factors and use satellite-supported optical remote detection with multispectral or hyperspectral sensors and radar remote sensing. ...
Read More »Risk Management of Abandoned Mines: 2020 and 2019 – Between Requirement Analysis and Expert Reports on the Impact Relevancy of Abandoned Mines
In 2011, the NRW mining authority initiated the systematic analysis and evaluation of surface fracture relevant shafts within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia’s area of responsibility as part of risk management regarding potential hazards of abandoned mines. The measures that have been taken subsequently aim to, amongst others, prevent physical injuries or substantial damage to property through surface fracturing. As ...
Read More »Mining Residues, Reprocessing and Related Projects at the BGR
Residues from the mining industry can be separated into waste rock, tailings and stockpiles. These different materials are usually stored separately from one another within the mine site. Where this has not been done – which is sometimes the case in older mines – the subsequent sorting and processing operation will most probably be very expensive, which often makes further ...
Read More »The Hidden Potential of Contaminated Sites: Reprocessing Tailings for Use as a Secondary Source of Raw Materials
As part of the Eco Mining Concepts project, a German-Chilean network for more sustainable mining, the German-Chilean Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Chile) organised a webinar on the topic of “The Hidden Potential of Contaminated Sites: Reprocessing Tailings for Use as a Secondary Source of Raw Materials”. The event featured presentations on Chile’s potential in this field, current challenges ...
Read More »recomine – Sustainable Recycling of Contaminated Mine Waste with a Combination of Environmental Technology, Resource Technology and Digitalization
Abandoned contaminated mining sites such as heaps or slag usually cause major environmental problems, which are or have been rehabilitated in Germany by the government with a large amount of taxes. However, they usually also contain significant amounts of urgently needed strategic raw materials and consist mainly of mineral components that can be used in the ceramics or construction materials ...
Read More »Mineralogical and Micro-Mechanical Characterization of Slags – Investigated on the Example of a MnSiFe Slag from Electric Arc Furnace
Recently, the recycling of metallurgical residues, e. g., electric arc furnace slag, has gained increasing importance. The potential of metallurgical slags often lies, in addition to the metallic value content, among other things in their use as aggregates for the construction industry, e. g., cement industry. The development of this potential requires a systematic mineralogical and micromechanical and physical characterization of the ...
Read More »Mining Area Agreement (BBFV) RUHR – Study Regarding the Effectiveness of a New Form of Cooperation
The mining industry of the past has left long-lasting tracks in the territorial structure of the Ruhr area. Dealing responsibly with the area’s mining heritage in terms of sustainable regional developments is a major challenge. In 2014, the 17 pertinent municipalities and districts, together with the state government of North-Rhine Westphalia, RAG Aktiengesellschaft and the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR), concluded ...
Read More »Open-Pit Mine Backfilling with External Soil Material
North-Rhine Westphalia is among the federal states that are richest in raw materials. In numerous operations, quartz gravel, quartz sand, clay and bedrock are won, provided, they are subject to the guidelines of the Federal Mining Act (BBergG) and supervised by the District Council Arnsberg, Department for Mining and Energy in North-Rhine Westphalia (mining authority of North-Rhine Westphalia), located in ...
Read More »Digitalisation, Automation, Interoperability – Standardisation at International Level
Digitalisation, automation, interoperability – three buzzwords that are frequently used, but that often run into a dead end at the point of interoperability. The industrial sector wants to see this changed by the elimination of the barriers to interoperability. The vision of complete standardisation in digitalisation and automation is wishful thinking that will most likely never come true. Nevertheless, creating ...
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