Fachartikel
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Social Engineering for Coal Mine Closures – a World Bank Report, the International Research Deficit and Reflections from a German Perspective
At the end of 2018, just before the Katowice Climate Change Conference, the World Bank published a special report entitled “Managing coal mine closure: achieving a just transition for all” (1). The stated aim of the report was to provide governments and regions confronted by extensive colliery closures, whether for…
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The German Lignite Industry in 2018
Germany’s domestic lignite output decreased by 5.0 Mt, which equals 2.9 %, from 171.3 Mt to 166.3 Mt between 2017 and 2018. 2018’s extracted lignite had a net calorific value of 51.0 Mtce. 148.2 Mt or almost 90 % of that output were used in utility power plants supplying the general public.…
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In Pole Position with VISION ZERO
Four years of VISION ZERO at BG RCI – one year of VISION ZERO in an international context. This was reason enough to ask Helmut Ehnes, the Head of Prevention at the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Raw materials and Chemical Industry (BG RCI) in Langenhagen/Germany, in autumn…
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Mine Water in the Ruhr Area – Opportunities for the Future
With the end of German hard coal mining in 2018 the dewatering of the mine working is, from a technical point of view, not necessary any more. Therefore new options arise to redesign the mine water management in the post-mining future. The mine water conception of RAG Aktiengesellschaft, Essen/Germany, includes…
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Tunnel Construction meets Underground Mining – Special Technical Challenges in Development and Planning of the Mine Water Sewer Ibbenbüren
According to political guidelines the withdrawal from the coal production in Germany took place at the end of 2018 and with this the retreat from the mine site Ibbenbüren of RAG Anthrazit Ibbenbüren GmbH is currently being carried out. In order to fulfil the purpose of eternity of the mine…
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Protecting Aquifers from Rising Mine Waters: Managing Mine Water in the Durham Coalfield (UK) and a Comparison with Methods used in Lorraine (France)
When a coalfield finally ceases production there will no longer be any operational requirement to continue with the mine pumping and dewatering operations. Switching off the pumps generally results in an increase in mine-water levels. This process can take place very quickly or may even last several years or decades.…
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Restoration of Groundwater Levels in the Rhineland Lignite Basin
When an opencast lignite mine is closed the artificially lowered groundwater essentially has to be restored to its pre-mining level as quickly as possible. This means taking account not only of the impact that mining operations have had on the water landscape but also of any local infrastructural features and…
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Flooding Operations in the Lausitz Area in 2018: an LMBV Report
For the Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (LMBV), Senftenberg/Germany, 2018 was marked by a wide range of activities focused around the planning and implementation of restoration and redevelopment measures, this work being particularly affected by the extreme dry weather, which had an impact on the remediation efforts and on the…
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Understanding of Hydrogeochemical Systems – Findings on Inflow Systems of Opencast Ore Mines and on the Recovery of Valuable Elements from -Tailings or Mine Waters
Mining is not possible without consideration of the component water. This is coupled to a variety of questions. These include, e. g., dewatering in underground and open-cast/pit mining, the post-mining flooding of open-cast/pit residual holes, the remediation of acidic post-mining lakes, general management and treatment of such acid waters (Acid Mine…
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Why Underground pumped Hydro Storage Plants despite their Broad Advantages are not built?
As the share of energy generation from intermittent renewable sources increases, energy storages become more important. Among various direct and indirect power storage technologies, pumped hydro storage power plants are known as the only proven large-scale storage technology for more than a century. Pumped hydro storage power plants have many…
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