Domestic Mining Research Articles

Building a Circular Economy for Lithium: Addressing Global Challenges

AbstractAs countries worldwide race toward a green transition, the demand for electric vehicles is surging, and with it comes a growing need for batteries. However, the push for increased domestic mining to secure these materials raises significant concerns about environmental sustainability. Even with stringent regulations, the environmental impact of mining can be profound, posing risks such as biodiversity loss, water pollution, and broader ecological damage. Furthermore, geopolitical tensions could arise as countries whose economic interests are threatened by these initiatives may react adversely. Local communities might also resist mining projects due to concerns over environmental degradation, health risks, and disruptions to their livelihoods. Given the critical importance of metals in the ecological transition, this challenge must be approached with the same urgency and global coordination as a pandemic response. Just as the world mobilized unprecedented resources to tackle COVID‐19, a similarly robust approach is necessary to ensure the availability of critical metals for a sustainable future. This paper suggests potential pathways for academic, technological, and societal advancements within the framework of a circular economy for lithium, aiming to secure a sustainable supply of this essential resource.

Comparative Analysis of Domestic Production and Import of Hard Coal in Poland: Conclusions for Energy Policy and Competitiveness

In many energy policies, including Poland’s, environmental priorities clash with the issue of energy security. With these contradictions in mind, the main objective of the article is a comparative analysis of domestic production and imports of hard coal in Poland and the formulation of conclusions for energy policy and competitiveness. The analysis covers the years 2018–2023 and concerns three issues: the volume and directions of coal imports to Poland, the qualitative and price competitiveness of coal, and the possibility of substituting imported coal with domestic coal. The research used statistical analysis. Indicators of structure and dynamics as well as comparative analysis were also used. The analysis shows that the structure of coal importers to Poland is quite diverse and includes many geographic directions. However, until 2021, it was dominated by Russia, followed by Colombia, indicating a fairly homogeneous supply market and a continuing tendency to depend on a single importer. Analysis of qualitative competitiveness confirms the existence of balance and industrial resources whose quality parameters (sulfur content, ash content, and calorific value) are comparable to and better than those of imported coal. Polish hard coal can also compete with imported coal in terms of price. From 2021 to 2023, it was clearly cheaper than foreign coal. In the above circumstances, it is quite difficult to unequivocally assess the reasons for importing coal to Poland and to justify dependence on external suppliers. This is especially relevant since domestic mining in 2020–2023 remains stable (periodically even increasing), which does not indicate a decisive shift away from coal as an energy resource.

Cross-jurisdictional analysis and forecasting of North American nuclear fuel inventory using a standardized unit

This study fills the noted gap in comparative analyses of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) by assessing inventories from two key nuclear power regions, the USA and Canada, using a comprehensive analytical framework and standardized data from 2009 to 2021. In the USA, SNF inventory increased by 14.7 % in fuel assembly weight and 47 % in residual heavy metal content compared to Canada, in line with their use of light water reactors. Canada's SNF production is directly correlated to its nuclear power output, influenced by the lower burnup of natural uranium fuel used in CANDU reactors (R2 = 0.57; p-value < 0.05) while the USA shows insignificant correlation, likely due to a variety of reactor types and higher burnup rates (R2 = 0.008; p-value > 0.05). Further, the study identifies a strong negative correlation between uranium mine production and SNF inventory in the USA, indicating a reliance on imports amidst negligible domestic mining. In contrast, Canada also exhibits moderate negative dependency due to its position as a major uranium exporting jurisdiction. The obtained negative correlations with coal rents in both countries indicate a shift towards more nuclear energy use, impacting economic growth and energy patterns. The developed predictive models indicate a higher future SNF increase in Canada than in the USA. These findings are essential for planning the transition from temporary to permanent SNF disposal, ensuring safe long term management of radioactive waste.

Identifying the effect of adding coconut coir on the characteristics of the top layer of pure natural buton asphalt concrete wearing course (AC-WC)

Buton Asphalt is natural asphalt originating from Buton Island (Indonesia), with the potential deposit amount reaching up to 662 million tons. This substantial domestic mining potential must be utilized for domestic road needs and to boost the country's economy. However, Buton asphalt's utilization is minimal compared with imported oil asphalt, which reached a usage rate of up to 94 % in 2022. Therefore, as a form of a solution-oriented policy, Buton asphalt is included as one of the 21 commodities in the Strategic Roadmap for Downstream Investment in Indonesia, followed by various supportive regulations for developing this Buton asphalt product. One of the leading products the government targets is natural pure Buton asphalt. This product consists of &gt;99 % bitumen content after extraction, also called Pure Buton Asphalt. The idea was to modify pure Buton asphalt with coconut coir to increase the Marshall Stability and Dynamic Stability values to make the asphalt mixture more resistant to vehicle loads and rutting. The tests were conducted to determine the optimum asphalt content (OAC) of the mixtures, Marshall's Stability comparison, and the dynamic stability test using a Wheel Tracking Machine to identify the comparison of permanent deformation. This study analyzed the Marshall characteristics and dynamic stability characteristics with variations in coconut coir content of 0.5 %, 0.75 %, and 1 % by weight of asphalt and variations in coconut coir length of 0.5 cm, 1 cm, and 1.5 cm. Based on the results of this study, the optimum asphalt content in this study is 6.76 %, where pure Buton Asphalt modified with coconut coir has an increase in Marshall's stability value and dynamic stability value compared to pure Buton asphalt without additional coconut coir

High-Speed Steel Technology Substitution in Mining Machinery – an Experimental Study

The growth of mineral extraction in countries with a developed mineral resource sector under conditions of external restrictions requires the modernization of the domestic mining machinery – an indispensable condition of which is the replacement of technologies for the production of high-speed steels and machine tools. This research was aimed at experimental studies of microstructure, phase composition and microhardness distribution in the surface layer of the R6M5 high-speed steel samples after laser cutting, cold treatment and laser tempering. It was demonstrated that after laser cutting in the surface layer of the cut there was the carbide dissolution and enrichment of the metal matrix with carbon and alloying components, resulting in an increase of residual austenite content up to 50...60 %. After the cold treatment in liquid nitrogen the content of residual austenite decreased up to 7...9 %. The laser cut surface microhardness increased up to 1000...1100 MPa. At further laser tempering the dispersion hardening processes took place, as a result the V2C carbides appeared in the steel structure amounting to 4.7 %. The microhardness increased up to 10400...10600 MPa. The study showed the possibility of using the high-speed steel laser cutting not only as a separating operation, but also as a hardening treatment. The findings contribute to the technological support for the development of domestic mining machinery in terms of replacing imported high-speed steels and machine tools.

Research on mine ventilation network solution and collaborative control technology

With the development of intelligent ventilation system in domestic coal mines, the demand for ventilation network solving software is becoming more and more intense. Aiming at the problem that the traditional ventilation network solution algorithm is difficult to meet the increasingly complex ventilation system solution needs of domestic mines, and the lack of functions of the collaborative control of ventilation equipment and facilities, this paper uses theoretical analysis combined with mine reality to study the relevant theories and algorithms in the field of ventilation network solution and collaborative control at home and abroad, and optimizes the network solution and collaborative control related algorithms such as iterative calculation of ventilation network, identification and stability analysis of angle-linked wind network, natural wind pressure calculation, local fan collaborative control, and collaborative control of damper and wind window. Provide theoretical guidance for future network solution software development.

Mapping the evolution of manganese flows and stocks in China from 2000 to 2021

Manganese is a strategic metal that has been widely applied in the steelmaking industry and the emerging energy batteries industry. China is the largest manganese importer and consumer, but the critical features of its manganese metabolisms, including its supply and demand, trade, and waste management, remain unclear. By applying dynamic material flow analysis (DMFA) method, this research investigates the evolution of China’s anthropogenic manganese flows and stocks during the period of 2000 to 2021. We found that the demand for manganese had increased almost tenfold in China from 2000 to 2021, mainly used for steelmaking, while the surging demand for manganese in energy batteries had gradually increased. However, China highly relied on importing manganese concentrates due to its limited manganese resources. The cumulative in-use manganese stocks also increased by tenfold and reached approximately 168 million tons (Mt). In addition, manganese flow from the end-of-life (EoL) final products reached 12 Mt in 2021, but few of them were recycled, implying a huge recycling potential. These findings provide valuable insights to prepare more appropriate manganese resource management policies, such as improving domestic mining technologies, enhancing manganese recycling, and diversifying the supply of manganese resources, so that the overall manganese resource efficiency can be improved.

Import Dependence and Strategic War Planning – The German Iron and Steel Industry, 1933–1945

In this paper I analyse the import dependence of the German steel industry between 1933 and 1945 and its strategic implications. After the First World War, the steel industry was faced with the loss of iron ore deposits in Lorraine. Steel producers replaced these ores by increasing imports. The industry was also dependent on imported alloying metals such as nickel and chromium. Taken together, this reliance on imports made the industry strategically vulnerable. Army officers drew up plans to expand domestic mining to build up strategic reserves. However, as most German ore deposits were of poor quality, private steel companies did not increase production significantly. The Nazi government forced the expansion of domestic mining to ensure supplies in the event of a blockade. This policy led to the creation of the Reichswerke ‘Hermann Göring’. In the early years of the Second World War, domestic iron ore was successfully used when imports temporarily declined. After the occupation of France, the industry was again able to rely on ores from Lorraine, so that iron ore was no longer a limiting factor. Non-ferrous metals remained scarce, but the industry was able to use substitutes so that steel production was not significantly affected.

Sustain China's copper resources with domestic mining, trading, and recycling

Rapid urbanization and industrialization made China the world's largest refined copper producer and consumer. Insufficient copper ore reserves necessitated significant imports and scrap copper recycling. Using material flow and scenario analysis, this study examined historical copper supply and assessed future supply-demand balance. The results show that China's refined copper consumption soared from 2.3 Kt in 1949 to 14.43 Mt in 2020, with imports rising from 1.5 Kt to 11.77 Mt, resulting in a 75 % external dependence. In addition, primary copper importers were concentrated in the Americas. In 2020, China accumulated around 120 Mt of in-use stocks, enabling urban mineral resource development. Forecasted results indicate a persistent copper supply deficit. Recycling copper scrap is crucial to bridge the supply-demand gap. This study enhances understanding of copper's historical supply and consumption, providing policymakers with suggestions for sustainable copper resource management.

Study of the Overlying Strata Movement Law for Paste-Filling Longwall Fully Mechanized in Gaohe Coal Mine

Green mining plays a vital role in achieving environmentally friendly and ecologically sound mining practices. In domestic mining areas, the coal mining method is gradually transitioning from collapse mining to filling mining. Paste filling has been proven effective in controlling surface deformation, although the understanding of its underlying control mechanisms remains incomplete. This study focuses on the E1302 paste-filling working face at Shanxi Gaohe Energy Co., Ltd. and conducts a comprehensive investigation into the movement patterns of overlying strata in longwall fully mechanized mining with paste filling. Through mathematical analysis, a mechanical model for overburden movement in paste-filling faces is established, and the movement behavior of overburden is studied through numerical simulations. Field measurements are conducted to analyze the primary influencing factors of overburden movement, while surface subsidence monitoring is employed to analyze the subsidence characteristics of paste-filling faces. The research reveals that the deflection formula for the roof behind the paste-filling face follows a unitary quartic equation. The key factors influencing significant roof subsidence in filling faces include the filling step distance, filling body strength, and filling rate. Compared to traditional caving mining, filling mining exhibits reduced stress concentration, a smaller range of stress influence, and less deformation in the surrounding rock. The coefficient of gentle subsidence for the overlying rock in filling mining is approximately one-tenth of that in caving mining. The development of cracks in filling mining can be divided into three stages: initial crack propagation, crack recompaction, and stable maintenance of cracks. Notably, the progression of advanced cracks assumes a “sail-shaped” pattern, and the area of crack recompaction is located above the rear side of the excavation. Cracks behind the working face only appear in the basal roof rock layer. When the filling rate in longwall fully mechanized mining with paste filling exceeds 94%, the top plate of the filling working face remains intact but exhibits bending and sinking. The sinking of the top plate increases exponentially with the filling step distance, and approximately 80% of the filling body’s deformation occurs within 20 m after filling. Following backfilling mining, the stability period of the overlying rock is significantly shortened compared to caving mining, resulting in a relatively gentle movement without an active surface movement phase. After six months of backfilling, the overlying rock settles steadily and consistently. The subsidence coefficient for backfilling mining is 0.065, with a maximum surface subsidence of 215 mm. These findings highlight the successful control of surface subsidence. The research outcomes provide an effective theoretical foundation and research direction for predicting overburden movement and surface subsidence in paste-filling faces.

Versorgung mit kritischen Rohstoffen: Für eine nachhaltige europäische Strategie

Following the triumph of post-fossil technologies, the demand for critical raw materials in the form of rare metals will increase dramatically in the coming years. From the perspective of Europe, dependence on these raw materials poses a host of new risks. The European Union (EU) is under pressure to respond to this challenge with a coherent strategy. This article identifies areas for European action and assesses their strategic potential. Measures to diversify procurement sources and promote raw material recycling are indispensable. Building up reserves of raw materials can be a sensible complementary option for the short term. In contrast, massive state support for domestic mining activities would be associated with high risks and the danger of despecialization.

Numerical simulation research on bolt supports’ mechanical properties deformation in high-stress roadway

With the rapid development of domestic mining industry, it is necessary to consider the safety of the mine when mining. In order to improve the high stress environment and the frequent failure of bolts caused by the increase of excavation depth, in this experiment, FLAC3D is creatively proposed to establish the calculation model of bolt support roadway, analyze the basic geological environment and surrounding rock structure of the research area, and conduct the numerical simulation of the mechanical characteristics of bolt support deformation (BSD) in the high stress roadway (HSR). The basic geological environment and surrounding rock structure of the study area are analyzed, and FLAC3D is adopted for establishing a calculation model of the bolt-supported roadway, which can be used to simulate the axial and lateral forces of the bolt, and then determine the boundary conditions. It is found that the supporting bolt in the roadway needs to bear not only axial tension, but also transverse shear and bending. Based on the Winkler foundation beam principle, a calculation model of the bolt’s lateral bending force in the soft rock roadway is established, the lateral force characteristics of the bolt support are analyzed, the concept of “anchoring composite bearing body” is proposed, and the force characteristics of the bearing body are calculated. The research results show that in the HSR, the bolt mainly bears the combined forces of tensile and lateral bending; among them, the bolt’s axial force remains basically unchanged at the tail part near the pallet, and the bolt’s axial force at the end part deep into the rock mass decreases rapidly. The bending moment of the bolt is “wave-shaped” distributed along the length of the rod body in the positive direction and negative direction of the axis, and the comprehensive action of the axial tension and transverse bending of the bolt increases when the stress concentration increases. A smaller roadway radius will lead to longer bolts, denser arrangement and higher support strength.

ЕКОЛОГІЧНІ АСПЕКТИ ДОБУВАННЯ УРАНУ СПОСОБОМПІДЗЕМНОГОСВЕРДЛОВИННОГОВИЛУГОВУВАННЯ(НАПРИКЛАДІМИХАЙЛІВСЬКОГОПОЛІГЕННОГОРОДОВИЩА)

Nuclear energy is an important component of Ukraine's national security. Providing this industry with its own raw materials is one of the priority, long-term tasks of the state. One of the ways to successfully solve this task is to create a favorable investment climate for the involvement of private business entities in the development of the domestic mining industry. In Ukraine, numerous uranium deposits have been explored, which are characterized by relatively small reserves, which is why until recently they were not considered promising for development by the state mining company Eastern Mining and Processing Plant (Zhovti Vody). These deposits are not profitable for development by traditional methods – mining or quarrying, but they can be worked out by the method of underground well leaching. In addition to lower capital costs, this method is also characterized by the fact that it is accompanied by a lower environmental load. The article highlights some aspects of the generalized results of the impact on the environment of the new activity analysis, which involves the creation of a private enterprise for research and industrial development and subsequent extraction of uranium at the Mykhailivka deposit in the Kazankivskyi district of the Mykolaiv region, which relate to the choice of technology evaluation for the extraction of minerals by the method of underground well leaching. The projected enterprise will consist of several temporary mining sites and a stationary industrial site of the processing complex, as well as engineering and transport infrastructure facilities. After working out the deposit, land reclamation and their return to land users and subsoil rehabilitation will be carried out, which will ensure their restoration to the pre-project state. On the territory that may be affected by the construction and operation of the planned enterprise, full-scale field and laboratory geo-ecological investigations were conducted and their results were described.

Exploring scale in social licence to operate: European perspectives

This article explores the issue of scale in the social licence to operate (SLO) which, to date, is understudied. The community-company relationship is the original, and still predominant, conceptualization of the term with the less tangible society-industry relationship still not typically in focus. Although the literature distinguishes between community and societal scales, there is no research on why the distinction is important, how the two scales are integrated or whether they interact with and influence one another. Exploring scale in SLO is important for theoretical clarification of the concept, for better empirical understanding of the role mining plays in host localities and the broader society and for the potential to incentivize industry toward more responsible and sustainable practices. Europe's multi-layered governance structure combined with its push for more domestic mining activities provides an ideal crucible for debates of scale to play out. To investigate the community and societal scales in the European context within a single study, three main research questions guide the work: how do orientations toward SLO differ at the community and societal scales; how do these orientations influence the acceptance of mining at both scales; and how do these orientations interact and influence one another? Through quantitative analyses, we found that site level factors tend to be important predictors for local communities and more distant society, but broader societal benefits and costs are not important predictors at the local community scale, and are only significant at the societal scale in combination with local factors.

Defense production of the mining and metallurgical complex of the late imperial economy of Russia (on the example of the functioning of the Bryansk plant society)

Based on the analysis, most of the documents previously not entered into a wide scientific circulation of documents from the leading profile archives of Russia, the history of the defense production of the mining and metallurgical complex of the late improper economy of Russia was reconstructed, on the example of the formation and development of a large domestic mining and metallurgical society &ndash; the Bryansk plant. The article covers the activities of the Bryansk society to fulfill the orders of domestic defense departments, its progressive technical device is described, the specific features of attracting foreign investment funds are disclosed (primarily from the French company &laquo;Societe Generale&raquo;) for its production needs, as well as a number of other important scenes were analyzed. In the final conclusion, there is a noticeable role of the mining and metallurgical Association of the Bryansk factory in providing the army and the fleet with new defense products.

Uncovering the features of nickel flows in China

Nickel is a critical metal due to its importance in social development with major applications in both low- and high-tech aspects. Several studies have focused on nickel production and consumption in China, but the end uses, international trade, and recycling perspectives remain unknown. This study aims to quantify China's annual nickel flows from 2000 to 2019 by applying dynamic material flow analysis. Results show that a large amount of nickel, including 1.65 mega-tons (Mt) in minerals from domestic mining, 12 Mt in various imported products, had been consumed in China from 2000 to 2019, with 2.65 Mt exported to other countries. However, only 0.84 Mt of nickel was recycled, while 4 Mt of nickel was lost in several life stages. The surge of nickel consumption during this period was mainly caused by the rise of stainless-steel industry. Such a consumption trend will continue in the stainless-steel sector and electric vehicles sector, leading to high reliance on import and corresponding carbon emission. Several recommendations are raised from policy, technology, and capacity-building perspectives so that nickel industry can achieve sustainable development.

A Supply and Use Model for Estimating the Contribution of Costs to Energy Prices

This paper develops a supply and uses a model to estimate the direct and indirect contribution of costs to the formation of energy prices. The model is implemented into the Greek economy based on data from the supply and use tables. The findings of the analysis indicate that the main component of energy prices are profits, mainly distributed to the energy sector itself, and imports, which mostly concern Mining and quarrying products and Coke and refined petroleum products imported from non-EU countries. As far as the contribution of the energy sector to the price formation of the other industries of the Greek economy is concerned, it is found that the energy sector mainly contributes to the price formation of industrial sectors. The results imply that the containment of energy prices should be principally based on an income policy that would limit excessive profits within the energy sector and an import substitution policy towards the exploitation of domestic mining and quarrying products as well as coke and refined petroleum products.

Research on Mining Maximum Subsidence Prediction Based on Genetic Algorithm Combined with XGBoost Model

The extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) ensemble learning algorithm excels in solving complex nonlinear relational problems. In order to accurately predict the surface subsidence caused by mining, this work introduces the genetic algorithm (GA) and XGBoost integrated algorithm model for mining subsidence prediction and uses the Python language to develop the GA-XGBoost combined model. The hyperparameter vector of XGBoost is optimized by a genetic algorithm to improve the prediction accuracy and reliability of the XGBoost model. Using some domestic mining subsidence data sets to conduct a model prediction evaluation, the results show that the R2 (coefficient of determination) of the prediction results of the GA-XGBoost model is 0.941, the RMSE (root mean square error) is 0.369, and the MAE (mean absolute error) is 0.308. Then, compared with classic ensemble learning models such as XGBoost, random deep forest, and gradient boost, the GA-XGBoost model has higher prediction accuracy and performance than a single machine learning model.

Оценка надежности функционирования главной водоотливной установки кимберлитового рудника

One of the reasons for the breakthrough of the pit bowl, and, accordingly, the flooding of the kimberlite mine Mir could be the deterioration of the drainage system from the mine. The slowdown in the process of pumping mine water from the Mir mine to the daytime surface is explained by the fact that the actual total productivity of its two main drainage installations was not designed to pump out the water inflow, which is much higher than normal. After the emergency that resulted in the death of people, and subsequently the conservation of the mine for an indefinite period, a detailed study of ways to improve the reliability of the operation of the main drainage installations of operating kimberlite mines became one of the areas of scientific research of PJSC ALROSA (PJSC). To date, the most flooded domestic kimberlite mine is the Udachny mine. The pumping equipment of its main dewatering plant is characterized by a rather low operational reliability. The article is devoted to assessing the reliability of the operation of the main drainage plant in the Udachny kimberlite mine for the period 2016–2021. It is established that the time spent by the pumping equipment of the main drainage plant for pumping out normal and maximum water inflows increased by 2 and 2.5 times, respectively, in this period, which negatively affected the reliability of its operation in terms of compliance with the safety requirements. To ensure long-term reliable and efficient operation of the main dewatering plant of the Udachny mine, it is required to lay another injection pipeline staves, as well as to drill catchment mine workings near the quarry, in the areas where the main volume of quarry water is formed.

Marketing Activities of Extractive Industry Enterprises in Ukraine in Overcoming the Consequences of the Corona Crisis

The study evaluated the state of international activities of extractive industry enterprises of Ukraine in the conditions of overcoming the consequences of corona crisis. The system of indicators to assess the effectiveness of their marketing activities in conditions caused by the pandemic coronavirus COVID-19 was developed. The evaluation system proposed in the study includes the analysis of indicators of production volume of the main types of extractive industry products, the dynamics of kaolin mining volumes in Ukraine and the dynamics of sales volumes of extractive industry products by Ukrainian enterprises on international markets. Also the structure of sales volumes of extractive industry products by Ukrainian enterprises on international markets was determined. An important stage of the proposed research methodology is the assessment of indicators of convergence of international markets in the conditions of overcoming the consequences of corona crisis. In the process of the study a comprehensive assessment of the convergence of Ukrainian enterprises of extractive industry in the conditions of overcoming the consequences of corona crisis was carried out. The approach is based on the application of ranks summation method for rating international markets by the system of dynamic indicators. The results of the study made it possible to determine the marketing attractiveness of markets of Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Bangladesh, Hong Kong China, Pakistan for the activities of domestic enterprises of extractive industry at them, and assess their convergence. The last stage of the research was an expert assessment of convergence indicators of international markets in the conditions of overcoming the consequences of the coronocrisis. As a result of such assessment four international convergent markets were identified - Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, which demonstrate favorable conditions for doing business at them, and which indicates the existence of convergent conditions for domestic mining companies to sell the commodity group "2507 Kaolin and other kaolin clays" at the markets".