A Novel Hybrid Fuzzy Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Model for the Selection of the Most Suitable Land Reclamation Variant at Open-Pit Coal Mines

Abstract

The expansion of the open-pit exploitation of mineral raw materials, and especially the energy resources of fossil fuels, makes open-pit coal mines spatially dominant objects of large mining basins. Exploitation activities are accompanied by negative ecological impacts on the environment, which requires the integral planning, revitalization, reclamation, and rehabilitation of the disturbed area for human use in the post-exploitation period. The post-exploitation remediation and rehabilitation of open-pit mining areas and disposal sites, i.e., space disturbed by mining activities and accompanying facilities, are complex synthetic multidisciplinary multiphase engineering project tasks. In this paper, a hybrid fuzzy MCDM model (Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making) was developed for the selection of a reclamation solution for the Tamnava-West Field open-pit mine. IMF SWARA (Improved Fuzzy Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) was applied to define the weights of 12 criteria of different structures used in the evaluation of reclamation solutions. The Fuzzy ROV (Range of Value) method was applied to select the reclamation solution from a total of 11 solutions previously obtained using a process approach. The results of the hybrid IMF SWARA—Fuzzy ROV model show that forestry is the best solution for the Tamnava-West Field open-pit mine. After the results had been obtained, verification analyses of the proposed model were performed and the best stable proposed reclamation solution was determined.