Abstract
The restoration of continuous surface lignite mines entering the closure phase is a long-term, complex and multidisciplinary project. During the evaluation of alternative restoration technologies, various environmental, technical, economic and social parameters are investigated. In this framework, for the selection of the lower risk restoration alternative, the analysis of the associated risks should be incorporated into the decision-making process. This work provides an overview of practical risk management problems and solutions in mining restoration projects. Moreover, it introduces a multi-criteria methodology for the improvement of the decision-making process in the evaluation of restoration alternatives and the selection of the optimal one, considering a continuous surface mining project. The proposed method is a combination of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for the quantification of risk factors and the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) for the ranking of restoration alternatives based on a low risk approach. The results of the case study indicate that the proposed approach can be utilized as a low cost and easy-to-apply tool, appropriate for coal mining operators, managers and stakeholders involved in the planning and implementation of post-mining land restoration activities. Furthermore, the suggested methodology could be adopted to support the risk management needs in the restoration stage of complex surface mining projects.
Highlights
Surface lignite mines exploited using a continuous mining method are typically large-scale excavation sites of high significance for primary energy production
The aim of this paper is to propose a new approach to the research field of planning the land reclamation of surface mines by (a) demonstrating the decision-making problems and risks related to the selection of an appropriate post-mining restoration technology/method and (b) suggesting a low risk methodology based on multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques, aiming to better understand and control the risks in surface mining restoration projects
The suggested methodology focuses on the application of MCDM methods and techniques [44], highlighting their utility as a tool for supporting decision making, regarding the evaluation of post mining restoration projects
Summary
Surface lignite mines exploited using a continuous mining method are typically large-scale excavation sites of high significance for primary energy production. In many countries, such as Germany [1], the Czech Republic [2], India [5], UK [39], the US [40] and Greece [41], the restoration of mining sites and industrial areas is a regulatory requirement In this frame, the restoration of continuous surface lignite mines requires a multidisciplinary approach and properly planned activities of returning the mined-out lands to a form of acceptable environmental condition and productivity [5], along with beneficial returns to society and the economy. Empirical evidence and literature deals with various restoration approaches, three representative technologies can be, in principle, figured out: (a) technical restoration [2,42], (b) natural restoration driven by interactions between various bio-ecological and non-biotic factors [1] and (c) combined restoration consisting of partial human intervention developed in parallel to the natural restoration processes [2,4,6]
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