Highlights

The subsidised German coal industry will cease to exist on 31.12.2018. The post-mining era will then set in, not just in the coalfields of North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland, but in many other German mining regions too, where it has already been a reality for some time. The elements and aspects of the post-mining age will mean a permanent weighing-up of ...

In order to ensure safe underground working conditions, especially in case of gas outbursts, it is essential to develop ventilation concepts for the necessary dilution of harmful gases with respect to the occurring gases, gas concentrations and general operational conditions as to cross-sectional areas and existing ventilation systems. Therefore, a concept for a hierarchical approach for the dilution of gases ...

In this paper the problem of coal and gas outburst – the coal pit’s most complex and dangerous induced geodynamic phenomenon – occurrence and development has been considered in details. Based on the theoretical and experimental researches it has been shown that this phenomenon may occur in full strength only with sufficient quantity of total potential energy available in the massif’s ...

The estimation of a deposit’s reserves depends on the geological and mineralogical characteristics as well as the market value of the product. It is also influenced by the mining and mineral processing technology applied and the respective costs generated. Ongoing challenges such as decreasing prices, lower grade ores, rising labour and equipment costs call for new approaches. This paper highlights ...

Total worldwide liability associated current and future remediation of acid mine drainage (AMD) is approximately 100,000 million US-$. Consequences of failing to predict AMD for individual operations and for the mining industry include unplanned spending on remedial measures and reputational damage. Despite these severe risks, predicting AMD properties of mine wastes is typically not an attribute that is strongly embedded ...

To evaluate the feasibility of a future underground mining operation is a complex problem in itself, with several different parameters to be accounted for and evaluated to secure investment decisions over the viability of any potential underground mining project. This procedure gets even more complicated when it comes to exploiting rare earth deposits. Various concerns are expressed regarding the environmental ...

Issue 03/2015 ENTRIA (“Disposal Options for Radioactive Residues: Interdisciplinary Analyses and Development of Evaluation Principles”, ­www.entria.de) is a joint research project carried out by twelve departments and institutes from German universities and major research institutions and one partner from Switzerland. It is financed by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Scientists representing natural sciences, civil engineering, philosophy, law, ...

Ausgabe 01_2015 The mostly applied shaft sinking method is conventional shaft sinking by drilling and blasting. Using this method, almost any shaft geometry is feasible and challenging ground conditions can be sunk through with acceptable sinking performances. Particularly mucking and hoisting operations of the sinking cycle have a relevant impact on sinking performance and offer a considerable optimization potential. Nevertheless ...