Glück auf! Issue 06_2015

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

ISSUE 06/2015

Research Institute of Post-Mining, TFH Georg Agricola University of Applied Sciences, Bochum – Strategies, Activities and Research Priorities

In the Federal Republic of Germany the hard coal production will be phased out by the end of 2018. The abandonment of the coal mining industry triggers a crucial structural change in the former mining regions which has to be planned and shaped actively. In order to come up with the challenges, risks and chances of post-mining, the TFH Georg Agricola University of Applied Sciences, Bochum, Germany, established a new master program for post-mining which is unique in the world. In addition, the Research Institute of Post-Mining is founded. It investigates possible solutions for central issues in coping with the perpetual obligations. A major task of the Research Institute is to maintain and pass on the mining-based know-how. The establishment of the Master course and the Research Institute is specifically promoted by the RAG-Foundation, Essen, Germany. This includes the foundation of an endowed chair.

Authors: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Christian Melchers, Leiter des Forschungszentrums Nachbergbau, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Goerke-Mallet, Lehrbeauftragter am Forschungszentrum Nachbergbau, Technische Fachhochschule (TFH) Georg Agricola, Bochum

Predicting Acid Mine Drainage: Past, Present, Future

Fig. 1. AMD waters in the Rio Tinto, Spain. // Bild 1. AMD-belastetes Wasser im Rio Tinto, Spanien. Photo/Foto Lottermoser

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 into the development of mineral resources. While the research community needs to establish practical state-of-the-art AMD characterisation tools, industry has to accept and use such tools, if we are to achieve more cost-effective mine closure and reduce environmental liabilities in the long term. In future, AMD predictive tests and methodologies should rely on integrated field and laboratory tools measuring mineralogical, geochemical, textural and geometallurgical properties. Such an approach supports more effective waste management during operation and ultimately leads to less costly mine closure outcomes. The paper is based on the author´s presentation on the Aachen International Mining Symposium (AIMS) at 27th May 2015.

Author:
Prof. Dr. Bernd Lottermoser, Leiter des Institute of Mineral Resources Engineering, Rheinisch Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen

The Groundwater Raise in Lignite Mining Induced Areas in Lusetia – Actions taken to reduce the Follows Ups

Fig. 5. Iron load carried into the Spremberg reservoir. // Bild 5. Eiseneintrag in die Talsperre Spremberg. Photo / Foto: Rauhut, 2013

While mining of lignite in opencast ceased in Lausitz and Leipzig area, groundwater level raises fast. Housing areas and roads partly were erected without considering former ground water levels. In the drained soil strata, pyrite oxidized and formed vast quantities of iron hydroxide and sulphate. These substances are now carried out into nearby water courses. Investigations show some areas endangered from groundwater raise. Water quality problems occur along rivers and creeks due to inflowing iron hydroxide and sulphate. The Lausitzer and Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (LMBV), Senftenberg/Germany, developed dewatering wells as well as draining systems in order to lower water table.

Authors: Dr.-Ing. Friedrich-Carl Benthaus, Strategie und Entwicklung, Dr. rer. nat. Oliver Totsche, Wasserwirtschaftliche Grundsätze, Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche Bergbau-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (LMBV), Senftenberg

Auguste Victoria Colliery – a Reliable Partner through the Years

Auguste Victoria colliery in Marl will cease production on 31th December 2015. The town of Marl owes its origins to the mine and coal mining, along with the chemical industry, has been a major factor in the economic development of the local community and region right up to the present day. The author traces the history and technical developments of the colliery and previews the structural changes that will be needed to prepare former colliery sites, and that of Auguste Victoria in particular, for future use.

Author: Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Kroker, Leiter des Bergwerks Auguste Victoria der RAG Aktiengesellschaft, Marl

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250 Years of the Bergakademie Freiberg, the World’s Oldest Mining University

Throughout its long history, the Bergakademie Freiberg has played an important role in the mining sciences and was a major driving force in the development of the geosciences and the natural and engineering sciences. Its high-level scientific education attracted students from all over the world. Among the most famous to enrol were Alexander von Humboldt (1769 – 1859) and Georg Philipp Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772 – 1801), or Novalis as he was known. The Bergakademie Freiberg’s reputation benefited from the presence of renowned scientists who either taught or studied there, such as Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749 – 1817), Clemens Winkler (1839 – 1904), Ferdinand Reich (1799 – 1882) and Hieronymus Theodor Richter (1828 – 1898). The list also includes Julius Ludwig Weisbach (1806 – 1871), a polymath and pioneer of modern engineering in fields such as mining machines and mine surveying; Gustav Anton Zeuner (1828 – 1907), a talented organiser in introducing new scientific structures and study content to higher education; and Erich Rammler (1901 – 1986), who developed the world’s first high-temperature process for producing metallurgical coke from lignite.

Author: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Gerd Grabow, Freiberg

Water Authorities in Structural Transformation in the Rhenish-Westphalian Industrial Belt – a (new) Perspective with the Decline of the Mining Industry

The water authorities of the Rhenish-Westphalian industrial belt, namely the Emscher and Lippe river management associations and the Lower-Rhine catchment area authority, have been responsible for managing the water resources of the region as a public service for over 100 years. The impact of the mining industry has been such that local water resources have had to be adapted on a continuous basis and it was these measures that first made the industrial and commercial development of the region possible. The functional aspects of the waste-water disposal and purification systems and flood protection measures also played a decisive role.

Authors: Ass. d. Markscheidefachs Dipl.-Ing. Karl-Heinz Brandt, Vorstand, und Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kühn, Leiter Fachbereich Wasserwirtschaft der Linksniederrheinischen Entwässerungs-Genossenschaft (LINEG), Kamp-Lintfort, Dr.-Ing. Emanuel Grün, Mitglied des Vorstands, und Dr.-Ing. Hans-Willi Jakobs, Leiter Abt. Bergtechnik und Vermessung der Emschergenossenschaft (EG), Essen und des Lippeverbands (LV)

Density Stratification in Mine Water Bodies as a Contribution to Better Long-Term Water Management

In flooded shafts of the Ruhr-area distinct boundaries between differently mineralised water bodies have been observed at diverse locations. The influx of higher mineralised water from the rock mass and from the mine workings on the one hand and the penetrating less mineralised surface water on the other hand causes significant density differences in the water column. The formation of a stable stratification can be proven by measurements of temperature and conductivity. These measurements confirm that columns of water in flooded shafts display stratification with distinct boundaries between individual, homogeneous layers. The stable conditions are driven by convection currents which generate from the influx of higher tempered and mineralised mine water. Therefore, the observed density stratification can be considered as the result of a complex flow pattern which is governed by the mineralisation and temperature of the water in the shaft. The phenomenon of density stratification is an important criterion in the flooding of existing mine facilities after mine closure and requires further research.

Authors: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Christian Melchers, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Goerke-Mallet und Laura Henkel, M. Sc.,
Forschungszentrum Nachbergbau der Technischen Fachhochschule (TFH) Georg Agricola, Bochum,
Prof. em. Dr. rer. nat. Wilhelm G. Coldewey, Dominik Wesche, M. Sc., Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität (WWU), Münster

Water Management – a Core Task of the Wismut Remediation Programme

Water management and conventional technical water treatment are by far the most cost-intensive long-term tasks of the Wismut remediation programme. Over the medium term, there is no viable alternative to the operation of active systems to catch and treat contaminated mine waters at the Ronneburg, Schlema, Königstein, Pöhla, Seelingstädt and Helmsdorf sites. Based on the status quo this paper outlines the key issues of the Wismut GmbH water management strategy over the medium and long term. It is focused primarily on achieving protection goals for potentially impacted water bodies in the surroundings of Wismut sites and on optimising associated remediation expenditure as well as on creating the prerequisites for achieving low post-remedial care and maintenance or walk-away system status over the long term.

Authors: Dr.-Ing. Michael Paul, Dr. Jürgen Meyer, Dr. Ulf Jenk, Andrea Kassahun, Andrea Schramm, Dr. Delf Baacke, Norbert Forbrig, Thomas Metschies, Bereich Ingenieurwesen/Strahlenschutz, Wismut GmbH, Chemnitz

Coal 2015 – Acting Responsibility. Creating new Perspectives.

In November 2015 the German Hard Coal Association (GVSt) in Herne, Germany, presented its annual report titled “Coal 2015 – Acting responsibly. Creating new perspectives.” The report outlines all kinds of ways in which the coal industry is already readying itself to deal responsibly with the post-mining era. Additionally it presents the current situation of the German coal industry and discusses the national and international background conditions also including the newest working, social and tariff regulations. Moreover it includes a review of the international commodity markets and an analysis of energy and climate policy. The report can also be downloaded from the GVSt website: www.gvst.de

Authors: Prof. Dr. Franz-Josef Wodopia, Geschäftsführendes Vorstandsmitglied und Hauptgeschäftsführer,
Michael Weberink, Geschäftsführer, Gesamtverband Steinkohle e. V. (GVSt), Herne