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Highlights

Targeting a Low-Carbon Economy Using China as an Example: The Pros & Cons of a Shift from Coal to Renewables

Climate neutrality is a global goal that requires the high integration and use of renewable energies to ensure such a transition. In this regard, China in particular, as the largest mining country in the world, is at the forefront of renewable energy production, both through hard coal and rare earths. The great potential faces crucial negative aspects: The production of ...

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Innovation on Suspended Monorail Locomotives for Underground Coal Mine Applications – a Project Overview

Suspended monorail locomotives are an important mining equipment for the transport of personnel and material in underground coal mines in Europe. A wide variety of diesel-driven or battery-electric locomotives are available. The EU-funded research projects BUSDUCT and HEET II conceptualized two alternative methods of electric power supply for suspended monorail locomotives. The BUSDUCT project envisions a suspended monorail locomotive that ...

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Suspend Coal Phase-Out – Keep Existing Plants in Operation and Reactivate Available Capacities, Give Transition More Time

While there are no fundamental doubts about the direction of the energy transition in Germany – much less the goal of achieving sustainability – the changes in the general circumstances dictating energy policy that have occurred in 2022 give rise to sound arguments in favour of suspending the coal phase-out agreed in Germany. Current law requires the completion of the ...

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Heat and Moisture Related Ventilation Problems for Dust Extraction Efficiency during Underground Roadheading Operations

Ventilation measurements and data from several days of underground monitoring were used to record the actual status of the mine climate and ventilation circuit at a rock salt mine. This provided the basis for identifying a number of critical parameters, including the problem of dust collection around boom-type heading machines. This information was then used to determine where potential improvements ...

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Continuous Respirable Dust Monitoring with Localization

The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) mandates the use of continuous personal dust monitors (PDM) in underground mines to verify compliance with mandatory respirable dust standards. Regulation 30 CFR §70.100 establishes a limit of 1.5 mg/m3 averaged over an eight hour working shift. Miners who work in dusty conditions are required to wear the PDM for several shifts ...

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Raw Material, Environmental and Climate Protection Issues Relating to the Coal Phase-Out

On 28th June 2022, representatives from various spheres of influence such as ministries, companies, universities and law firms gathered for a virtual, interdisciplinary conference on the topic of the coal phase-out. It served to shed light on the current situation and to discuss it critically. After the welcoming address by Prof. Walter Frenz (Department of Mining, Environmental and European Law, ...

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Digital Media in Mining Education

Digital technologies are taking over university teaching and changing the ways in which academic knowledge is disseminated. At the Institute of Mineral Resources Engineering (MRE) of RWTH Aachen University, Aachen/Germany, the transfer of knowledge and principles of professional practice in mining is enriched by using innovative, digital communication media. 1  Digitalisation of mining education Currently, universities are exploring, trying and ...

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Corona Pandemic and Teaching in Mining

With the beginning of the corona pandemic, contacts were restricted and events were banned. The teaching had to adapt. Online lectures replaced face-to-face events. The Institute for Mining and Special Civil Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg/Germany, was able to implement corresponding courses immediately and also found regulations for internships and excursions. Discrepancy between the imperatives of science and the ...

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Mine Water Rebound in the Former Hard Coal Mining Area of the Ruhr District – Hydrogeochemical Monitoring for a Sustainable, Ecological and Economical Feasible Post-Mining Approach

Mine water rebound including mine water management and water treatment are key perpetual tasks for the operating mine company RAG Aktiengesellschaft, Essen/Germany, and associated foundation RAG-Stiftung, Essen/Germany, since hard coal mining in the Ruhr District ceased at the end of 2018. The scientific support of the mine water rebound process includes a robust risk management and associated hydrogeochemical monitoring to ...

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Sustainable Raw Materials Production

Is the current Federal Mining Act sufficient to guarantee sustainable raw materials production – or does it need reforming to achieve this? The agreement signed by the parties that make up Germany’s “traffic-light coalition” seeks to align the Act more towards safeguarding sustainable raw materials extraction and maintaining environmental standards – while at the same time making things easier for ...

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