Post-mining Management Research Articles

Examining Sustainable Transition and Post-Mining Management in the Ruhr Region and the Prospective Evaluation of Knowledge Transfer to Kosovo’s Mining Sector

Despite the long tradition of mining activities in Kosovo, there is still the a lack of policies for post-mining. Specifically, focusing on coal mining, this research analyzes the sustainable transition and post-mining management in the Ruhr Region, exploring the potential for knowledge transfer to enhance mining practices in Kosovo. The research aims to identify transferable strategies for sustainable mining transitions by examining environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Through comparative analysis, the study assesses the applicability of Ruhr’s experiences in fostering environmentally responsible mining practices in Kosovo and beyond. Similarities and possible challenges are discussed based on the environmental and socio-economic points of view. The findings contribute insights into effective post-mining strategies, facilitating knowledge transfer to regions undergoing similar transitions and thereby fostering sustainable mining practices globally.

Arahan Reklamasi Lahan Pascatambang Tanah Liat (Clay) PT X Desa Temandang Kecamatan Merakurak Kabupaten Tuban Jawa Timur

The clay mining activities carried out by PT X have resulted in an excavation pit, if there is no post-mining management that is carried out, it will decrease the productive land of the community along with native flora and fauna. This research aims to provide recommendations for post-mining reclamation direction of clay. The method used is survey and mapping method refers to Matric 17 of the Decree of The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of The Republic of Indonesia Number 1827 K/30/MEM/2018 about Reclamation Assessment Guidelines for Production Operation and the things to be analyzed are the stages of reclamation activities that have been carried out and purposive sampling method for soil sampling which will later be tested in the laboratory and then the results obtained will be matched with criteria for soil analysis results. Based on the results the land stewardship that carried out was leveling, stocking top soil, making drainage, and channel repairment. The revegetation carried out was planting of klampis, vetiver, and trembesi around the mine road. The final completion carried out is treatment up to two years of age, fertilization, and checking of reclaimed plants. The recommended clay post-mining land reclamation direction is revegetation with vetiver plants (cover crops) with spacing of (1x1) meter, eucalyptus (fast-growing plant) with spacing of (3x1) meter, and peanut (local plants) with spacing of (30x30) cm, then will be planted with a pot system.

DEBT TO EQUITY RATIO DAN CURRENT RATIO DALAM MENENTUKAN HARGA SAHAM MELALUI RETURN ON ASSET PADA PERUSAHAAN PERTAMBANGAN SUB SEKTOR BATU BARA TBK DI BEI TAHUN 2018-2021

Mining companies are companies that engage in various production activities such as general research, exploration, feasibility studies, construction, mining, management and refining, transportation and sales, as well as post-mining management. Mining companies are one of the main contributors to Indonesia's foreign exchange earnings. The purpose of this research is to analyze and determine the impact of Debt to Equity Ratio and Current Ratio on stock prices through Return on Assets in the coal mining sub-sector of the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The analysis and testing method used in this research is the Structural Equation Modeling - Partial Least Square (PLS-SEM).
 The hypothesis testing results using Smart PLS 3.0 application indicate that Debt to Equity Ratio has a postive but not significant effect on Return on Assets. Current Ratio has a negative and not significant effect on Return on Assets. Debt to Equity Ratio has a positive and significant effect on stock prices. Current Ratio has a negative and not significant effect on stock prices. Return On Assets has a positive but not significant effect on stock prices. The indirect hypothesis testing results show that Debt to Equity Ratio has a positive but not significant effect on stock prices through Return on Assets, and Current Ratio has a negative and not significant effect on stock prices through Return On Assets.

Effects of post-mining forest restoration and alternative land uses on ground-dwelling arthropods in Ghana

In an Afrotropical region experiencing massive deforestation, restoration approaches should provide sustainable solutions for recovering biodiversity. Arthropods are a sensitive taxonomic group for habitat alteration by deforestation and can be good indicators for restoration studies. Ground-dwelling arthropods provide important ecosystem functions, such as predation or organic matter decomposition, thereby contributing to ecosystem functionality. The consequences of post-mining management on arthropods in the Afrotropical region remain understudied. We carried out a comprehensive sampling of ground-dwelling arthropods in the dry and wet seasons across four land-use types in the semi-deciduous forest zone of Ghana. We then analysed whether the specific tree communities, vegetation structure and seasonal differences affected arthropod communities in the restored post-mining forest compared to the dominant alternative land-use type (agroforestry plantation), a natural reference (natural forest) or an unmanaged former mining area (gravel mine). In total, 43,364 arthropods were sampled and assigned to 78 taxonomic groups representing 14 order/sub-order, 28 beetle families, 25 spider families, 5 hunting guilds of spiders and 6 trophic groups of beetles. Overall, Araneae, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Orthoptera all had higher activity densities in the wet season. The vegetation structure of the three land-use types with trees supported a greater overall activity density of arthropods and a more diverse functional composition compared to the unmanaged gravel site. Pronounced variation between the dry and wet seasons further influenced the taxonomic and functional composition. The active forest restoration of this post-mining area is a promising approach to drive arthropod communities towards a comparable state observed in the natural forest.

The Impact of Indonesia's Mining Industry Regulation on the Protection of Indigenous Peoples

The government has established various policies regarding mining in Indonesia. Still, an important question that needs to be asked is whether these policies have provided benefits, justice, and balance for indigenous and tribal peoples. This study aims to analyze the impact of Indonesian mining regulations on the protection of indigenous peoples. This is a normative legal research effort. The literature review gathers information from document analysis, which is analyzed qualitatively. Data analysis is descriptive-analytic in nature. The study results show that the impact of mining regulations still needs to reflect the recognition and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. There is a need to improve mining management legislation and systems. Standardization of reclamation and post-mining management is required to provide implementation guidelines that meet the needs of the community. It has no negative impact on the community surrounding the mine. Licensing is one policy that can be used to implement standardization, which means keeping an eye on how the land is managed after mining, how waste is handled, and how policies are made to encourage mining and conservation activities that are good for the environment.

The feasibility of converting ex-coal mining void into aquaculture in North Kalimantan

Ex-coal mining void has changed landscape shape, physical-chemical, and soil biological properties. As a form of post-mining management, the company must restore damaged land and increase its benefits for the surrounding community, one of which is as a freshwater aquaculture area. This study was conducted in a 50.26 ha void in the concession area of the coal mining company PT. Mitrabara Adiperdana (MAP) in Malinau Regency, North Kalimantan. The method used is by examining the physical quality of the environment in the laboratory using the quality standards in Indonesian Government Regulation (PP) No. 82 of 2001 and No. 22 of 2021. A study was also conducted on the assessment of community acceptance. The study found that freshwater aquaculture for pangasius (<em>Pangasius</em> sp.), snakehead (<em>Channa striata</em>), and tilapia (<em>Oreochromis</em> sp.) is appropriate to apply on location with several notes: reducing the concentration of suspended solids; reducing the content of phosphate and ammonia, and reducing the concentration of lead (Pb). Regarding these issues, two methods can be used: technology of turbine and nanobubble and natural-based solution through wetland ecosystem and void basin rehabilitation. At the same time, education and promotion of the surrounding community can be applied by involving communities during the piloting and demonstration plot process.

Impact of past mining on public safety: seismicity in area of flooded abandoned coal Gardanne mine, France

This paper focuses on the impact of past mining on public safety. It emphasizes the need to understand the induced seismic hazard and consequently improve the post-mining management procedures and legislations, as many mining sites are located in proximity to populated areas. Due to many challenges and complexity of the post-mining environments, induced seismic hazard nowadays remains largely unknown. However, the return experience of several post-mining sites in recent decades have shown us that the mine flooding and/or degradation of mining works can lead to the stress perturbations, inducing the seismicity and the reactivation of the surrounding geological faults. Hence, it is important to advance the seismic monitoring and research of seismicity in flooded post-mining districts. As the number of mine closures worldwide is rising, it can be expected that flooding induced reactivation of the surrounding faults becomes a more often observed phenomenon. We present in this paper the experience of the abandoned flooded coal mine of Gardanne in France, which has been experiencing post-mining seismicity problems since its closure in 2010. We show the results of a recent study of seismic multiplets and clustering of seismic events, as well as their spatio-temporal activity compared to meteorological conditions. These results provide us new insights as well as lead to raising new questions on seismic sources and triggering mechanisms.

Stability analysis of a closed underground hard rock metal mine using Finite Element Method

Active deep hard rock metal mines with long mining history come with inherent problems of stability and mining induced issues. These hard rock mines once closed, still pose even greater environmental risks and stability concerns. The issues of post-mining impact on environment are usually undervalued and disregarded. It is very essential to give utmost importance to these mines by following standard mine closure methods and remediations using post-mining management plans for long-term monitoring and risk assessments associated with the mine for the safety of life and structures above. The area identified for the study is Kolar Gold Fields mine located in Karnataka, India. The mine was completely closed in 2000. The underground mine has been posing post-mining induced seismicity even today. Due to the complexity of the underground mine and the inaccessibility to the mine post closure, the Finite Element Method of approach has been used. The approach is developed to simulate a model similar to actual field conditions, subjecting them to the seismic loads, varying the parameters which play a significant role, assessing the entire Kolar Gold Fields mines for vulnerable zones subjected to post-mining induced effects and finally making it possible to evaluate the stability conditions of the deep hard rock underground metal mine. The simulations were carried out for the three cases with varying the peak ground acceleration (PGA) for a low PGA of 0.06g, for an intermediate PGA of 0.1g and high value of 0.2g. It can be inferred that as the acceleration is increased from 0.06g to 0.22g, there is a corresponding increase in ground acceleration observed at the ground surface for each case. The maximum acceleration for PGA of 0.06g is 0.071g, for PGA of 0.10g, it is 0.170g and for PGA of 0.22g it is 0.266g. The results were validated with the field observations (data of seismicity from installed seismic monitoring systems). The Finite Element Method of approach has aided in quick assessment of stability of the underground closed mine.

The model of mining environment restoration regulation based on Sustainable Development Goals

This article aimed to discuss mining environment restoration regulations. The government has established a number of policies concerning reclamation and post-mining. However, the critical question is whether these policies can ensure the rehabilitation of the mining environment in accordance with sustainable development goals, given the numerous unreclaimed and abandoned mining pits that have resulted in several fatalities. The purpose of this study is to examine reclamation and post-mining management standards in order to reduce the environmental damage caused by mining activities. This normative legal study gathered data from documents examined qualitatively. The data analysis is descriptive-analytic in nature. The study's findings indicate that environmental law enforcement in the mining sector continues to face significant challenges. There is a need to enhance legislation and systems governing mining management. Standardization of reclamation and post-mining management is necessary to offer rules for implementation that suit the needs of the community. It has no adverse effect on the community surrounding the mining location. Licensing is one policy that can apply to implement standardization. Supervising land management following mining, management of waste, and developing policies promote environmentally friendly mining and conservation activities.

Indigenous forest livelihoods and bauxite mining: A case-study from northern Australia

Bauxite mining operations are increasingly sited on Indigenous-owned land, particularly in tropical areas, including northern Australia. The environmental impacts of bauxite mining are significant. Native vegetation, including commercially valuable forests, is cleared and typically windrowed and burnt. For many Indigenous Australians, mining of their land creates much concern about biocultural, community health and livelihood impacts from the loss of access to traditional lands and resources, and the ability to ‘care for country’. Improved pre-mining utilisation of forest resources and effective mine rehabilitation can mitigate some of these impacts and it is important to Indigenous communities that they are engaged in these processes. But Indigenous peoples' expectations are rarely considered or adequately addressed in site clearing activities or mine completion criteria, and there is limited guidance on how their expected outcomes can be monitored and evaluated for mine closure and relinquishment. This paper reports on a case-study of the Western Cape York Peninsula bauxite mining region in northern Australia. The paper reviews mine rehabilitation in the case-study region, including related Indigenous forest livelihoods initiatives, presents local Indigenous peoples' expectations for pre- and post-mining forest and landscape management as an integrated mining-community forestry ‘vision’, and discusses implications for mine completion criteria, mine closure and relinquishment. The findings highlight the need for Indigenous peoples' full and transparent free, prior and informed consent participation in all aspects of mine closure planning, and for further research to trial the development and assessment of mine completion criteria linked to local biocultural landscape restoration and Indigenous livelihoods. The findings can inform mining policymakers, regulators and industry professionals on the design, implementation and monitoring of mine completion criteria and associated pre- and post-mining management that will improve environmental outcomes and socio-cultural benefits for Indigenous communities impacted by mining.

Post-Mining\u2014a Holistic Approach

The European climate and energy framework for 2030 is highlighting the reduction of man-made CO2 by increasing the use of renewable energy to mitigate climate change. In this spirit, Germany has decided to erase the coal use as an energy source by 2038 completely. Inevitably, this strategy promises a feasible, responsible, and sustainable post-mining management, because 200 years of coal mining have created numerous challenges necessary to tend to once the mining ends. Thus, the Research Institute for Post-Mining (FZN) at the TH Georg Agricola University in Bochum, Germany, has developed a holistic approach to meet these post-mining challenges including further expertise present at our university. Here, the four strategic research pillars are (1) technical geoecology and hydrogeology to avoid and mitigate risks underground, (2) geomonitoring to evaluate and protect the surface, (3) industrial heritage preservation and engineering to secure and reuse brownfields such as mine sites, and (4) economic transformation planning of mining regions to enable a prosper future for generations to come. In all efforts, we aim to achieve the fundamental goals of the UN to deal with the resources of our planet responsibly and sustainably. Furthermore, we are synergizing increasingly with national and international networks in the interest of social, economic, and environmental stakeholders.

Chemical and mineralogical properties of post-mining sites in two gold mining concessions in Ghana

Mining companies adopt different post-mining management practices to rehabilitate mined sites to enhance environmental management and sustainability. The study assessed the chemical and mineralogical properties of some post-mining land management options from two gold mines in the Western Region of Ghana. Samples of waste rock (WR), mine tailings (MTs), mine soils and un-mined soils were analysed for soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable cations, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (Ntotal), concentrations of some heavy metals (HMs) and mineralogy by ICP-AES and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results revealed pH values of 4.2-4.6 in un-mined soils and 4.6-5.4 in mine soils. The MTs and WR were alkaline due to CaCO3 (4.8-5.8 g kg-1). Virtually all the samples contained kaolinite, muscovite and quartz. The MTs contained ankerite, bobierrite, clinoclase and greenalite, which were not present in the WR. These minerals were most probably neo-formed out of the chemical constituents of the tailings and contamination during the disposal. Mine soils from three-year-old reclaimed mine site planted with oil palm had substantial SOC and Ntotal contents among all the post-mining sites which also reflected slightly on the CEC status. This showed the influence of soil management practices such as mulching, cover cropping with Pueraria phaseoloides, erosion control and fertiliser application. The HMs contents in the mine tailings occurred in the order of Pb > As > Cd and revealed relatively higher contents in the abandoned MTs compared to reclaimed ones but they were all in the range of those in uncontaminated soils elsewhere.

Removal of Acidity and Metals from Acid Mine Drainage-Impacted Water using Industrial Byproducts

One of the biggest environmental impacts of mining is the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD). In the absence of proper post-mining management practices, AMD pollution can cause massive environmental damage. Current AMD management practices often fail to meet the expectations of cost, efficiency, and sustainability. The objective of this study was to utilize the metal-binding and acid-neutralizing capacity of an industrial by-product that is otherwise landfilled, namely drinking-water treatment residuals (WTRs), to treat AMD-water, thus offering a green remediation alternative. AMD-water was collected from Tab-Simco coal mine in Carbondale, Illinois. It was highly acidic (pH 2.27), and contaminated with metals, metalloids and sulfate at very high concentrations. A filter media, prepared using locally-generated aluminum (Al) and calcium (Ca)-based WTRs, was used to increase pH and to remove metals and [Formula: see text] from AMD-water. Laboratory-batch sorption studies at various WTRs (Al and Ca):AMD-water ratios were performed to optimize the filter media. WTRs:sand ratio of 1:6 provided optimal permeability, and 1:1 Al-WTRs:Ca-WTRs ratio was the optimal sorbent mix for removal of the metals of concern. A scaled-up study using a 55-gallon WTRs and sand-based filter was designed and tested. The results showed that the filter media removed more than 99% of the initial Fe (137 mg/L), Al (80 mg/L), Zn (11 mg/L), Pb (7 mg/L), As (4 mg/L), Mn (33 mg/L), and 44% of the initial [Formula: see text] (2481 mg/L) from Tab-Simco AMD-water. pH increased from 2.27 to 7.8. Desorption experiments showed that the metals were irreversibly bound to the WTRs and were not released back to the water.

Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage-Impacted Water

The formation of acid mine drainage (AMD), a highly acidic and metal-rich solution, is the biggest environmental concern associated with coal and mineral mining. Once produced, AMD can severely impact the surrounding ecosystem due to its acidity, metal toxicity, sedimentation and other deleterious properties. Hence, implementations of effective post-mining management practices are necessary to control AMD pollution. Due to the existence of a number of federal and state regulations, it is necessary for private and government agencies to come up with various AMD treatment and/or control technologies. This review describes some of the widely used AMD remediation technologies in terms of their general working principles, advantages and shortcomings. AMD treatment technologies can be divided into two major categories, namely prevention and remediation. Prevention techniques mainly focus on inhibiting AMD formation reactions by controlling the source. Remediation techniques focus on the treatment of already produced AMD before their discharge into water bodies. Remediation technologies can be further divided into two broad categories: active and passive. Due to high cost and intensive labor requirements for maintenance of active treatment technologies, passive treatments are widely used all over the world. Besides the conventional passive treatment technologies such as constructed wetlands, anaerobic sulfate-reducing bioreactors, anoxic limestone drains, open limestone channels, limestone leach beds and slag leach beds, this paper also describes emerging passive treatment technologies such as phytoremediation. More intensive research is needed to develop an efficient and cost-effective AMD treatment technology, which can sustain persistent and long-term AMD load.

The Use of Spatial Data in Granite Deposit Life Cycle Assessment

This paper discusses the possibilities of using spatial data coming from geographic information systems – systems which acquire, store and process spatial data – to assess selected stages in the life cycle of a granite deposit, i.e. deposit exploration, development and post-mining management. The unit processes occurring in the particular stages in the life of a granite quarry were described on the basis of the literature on the subject. For each of the processes the categories of mining impacts on the particular environmental and human components were specified. Spatial data acquired from many sources (indicated in the paper) were used in the analyses. Analytical results are presented for only for the selected stages in the life of the granite deposit. The result maps show, among other things, the impact of the mining activities on three groups of objects: environmental objects, social objects and technical objects and indicate the objects located in a debris scatter danger zone around the places where blasting works are carried out, and in a ground seismic vibration hazard zone. Moreover, it is shown that using basic data acquired from geological documentation one can create a terrain model with wireframe models of stratigraphic layers in the deposit and on this basis built a deposit block model and then use it in further deposit life cycle assessment to acquire data, such as the overburden volume, the resource volume and the output volume. An example of the application of the geoprocessing tools in excavation post-mining management planning to highlight environmental qualities and enhance the attractiveness of the area for its future user is presented.

Local and landscape factors affecting communities of plants and diurnal Lepidoptera in black coal spoil heaps: Implications for restoration management

Post-mining sites have been repeatedly shown as crucial refuges for endangered temperate biodiversity, as they supplement vanishing non-productive and/or early successional habitats. Their effective restoration is thus a key task of applied ecology and should be based on robust evidence. Here, we present a landscape-scale study of black coal spoil heaps in the Kladno mining region, Czech Republic. Surveying vascular plants and diurnal Lepidoptera (butterflies and day-active moths), we analyzed the impact of numerous physical, local habitat, land-use, and surrounding landscape factors on the composition, species richness, and conservation value of the communities established at 11 spoil heaps. We recorded 54 species of butterflies, 37 species of moths, and 203 plant species, including 16 nationally endangered and/or regionally extinct species, which confirmed the high conservation value of postindustrial sites, even in severely industrialized regions. Several factors depending on post-mining management, topography and habitat heterogeneity were revealed as those most important for the conservation value of both plants and invertebrates communities, whereas the surrounding landscape had no effect on the communities. The species richness and the conservation value of the spoil heaps were both mainly related to the initial stages of succession and disturbances supporting these conditions, and to the heterogeneity of the habitats and the topography. On the contrary, biodiversity was suppressed when covered with fertile topsoil, as is often applied in the technical reclamation practice. Following our results, habitat heterogeneity should be created during the spoil heaping and subsequently supported by restoration management, especially by non-intensive disturbances.

Development of thermodynamically-based models for simulation of hydrogeochemical processes coupled to channel flow processes in abandoned underground mines

Abstract Accurate modeling of changing geochemistry in mine water can be an important tool in post-mining site management. The Pollutant Sources and Sinks in Underground Mines (POSSUM) model and Pollutant Loadings Above Average Pyrite Influenced Geochemistry POSSUM (PLAYING POSSUM) model were developed using object-oriented programming techniques to simulate changing geochemistry in abandoned underground mines over time. The conceptual model was created to avoid significant simplifying assumptions that decrease the accuracy and defensibility of model solutions. POSSUM and PLAYING POSSUM solve for changes in flow rate and depth of flow using a finite difference hydrodynamics model then, subsequently, solve for geochemical changes at distinct points along the flow path. Geochemical changes are modeled based on a suite of 28 kinetically controlled mineral weathering reactions. Additional geochemical transformations due to reversible sorption, dissolution and precipitation of acid generating salts and mineral precipitation are also simulated using simplified expressions. Contaminant transport is simulated using a novel application of the Random-Walk method. By simulating hydrogeochemical changes with a physically and thermodynamically controlled model, the ‘state of the art’ in post-mining management can be advanced.

Use of multi-criteria decision-aids for risk zoning and management of large area subjected to mining-induced hazards

The end of iron-mining operations in France's Lorraine region has raised the problem of post-mining management. Collapses and subsidence have recently occurred in this region, which focused on the necessity to develop a specific methodology for risk zoning. The proposed methodology is based on the multi-criteria decision-aid approach called ‘ELECTRE TRI’, with aim to assign zones at risk into predefined classes. It allows experts opinions, qualitative and quantitative criteria and uncertainties to be taken into account.