Mechanism,prevention,and control of mining-induced dynamic disasters in underground metal mines in China:Challenges and solutions

Metal mineral resources play an indispensable role in the development of the national economy.Dynamic disasters in underground metal mines seriously threaten mining safety,which are major scientific and technological problems to be solved urgently.In this article,the occurrence status and grand challenges of some typical dynamic disasters involving roof falling,spalling,collapse,large deformation,rockburst,surface subsidence,and water inrush in metal mines in China are systematically presented,the characteristics of mining-induced dynamic disasters are analyzed,the examples of dynamic disasters occurring in some metal mines in China are summarized,the occurrence mechanism,monitoring and early warning methods,and prevention and control techniques of these disasters are highlighted,and some new opinions,suggestions,and solutions are proposed simultaneously.Moreover,some shortcomings in current disaster research are pointed out,and the direction of efforts to improve the prevention and control level of dynamic disasters in China’s metal mines in the future is prospected.The integration of forward-looking key innovative theories and technologies in the abovementioned aspects will greatly enhance the cognitive level of disaster prevention and mitigation in China’s metal mining industry and achieve a significant shift from passive disaster relief to active disaster prevention.

Prediction and prevention of rockburst in metal mines--A case study of Sanshandao gold mine

Rockburst is a kind of artificial earthquake induced by human activities,such as mining excavations.The mechanism of rockburst induced by mining disturbance is revealed in terms of energy in this context.For understanding the rockburst mechanism,two necessary conditions for the occurrence of rockburst are presented:(1)the rock mass has the capability to store huge amount of energy and possesses a strong bumping-prone characteristic when damaged;and(2)the geological conditions in the mining area have favorable geo-stress environments that can form high-stress concentration area and accumulate huge energy.These two conditions are also the basic criteria for prediction of rockburst.In view of energy analysis,it is observed that artificial and natural earthquakes have similar regularities in many aspects,such as the relationship between the energy value and burst magnitude.By using the relationship between energy and magnitude of natural earthquake,rockburst is predicted by disturbance energy analysis.A practical example is illustrated using the above-mentioned theorem and technique to predict rockburst in a gold mine in China.Finally,the prevention and control techniques of rockburst are also provided based on the knowledge of the rockburst mechanism.

Technology strategies to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality for China's metal mines

Greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions related to human activities have significantly caused climate change since the Industrial Revolution.China aims to achieve its carbon emission peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060.Accordingly,this paper reviews and discusses technical strategies to achieve the“dual carbon”targets in China’s metal mines.First,global carbon emissions and emission intensities from metal mining industries are analyzed.The metal mining status and carbon emissions in China are then examined.Furthermore,advanced technologies for carbon mitigation and carbon sequestration in metal mines are reviewed.Finally,a technical roadmap for achieving carbon neutrality in China’s metal mines is proposed.Findings show that some international mining giants have already achieved their carbon reduction targets and planned to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.Moreover,improving mining efficiency by developing advanced technologies and replacing fossil fuel with renewable energy are two key approaches in reducing GHG emissions.Green mines can significantly benefit from the carbon neutrality process for metal mines through the carbon absorption of reclamation vegetations.Geothermal energy extraction from operating and abandoned metal mines is a promising technology for providing clean energy and contributing to the carbon neutrality target of China’s metal mines.Carbon sequestration in mine backfills and tailings through mineral carbonation has the potential to permanently and safely store carbon dioxide,which can eventually make the metal mining industry carbon neutral or even carbon negative.

Monitoring, Warning, and Control of Rockburst in Deep Metal Mines

This paper reviews the recent achievements made by our team in the mitigation of rockburst risk. It includes the development of neural network modeling on rockburst risk assessment for deep gold mines in South Af- rica, an intelligent microseismicity monitoring system and sensors, an understanding of the rockburst evolution process using laboratory and in situ tests and monitoring, the establishment of a quantitative warning method for the location and intensities of different types of rockburst, and the development of measures for the dynamic control of rockburst. The mitigation of rockburst at the Hongtoushan copper mine is presented as an illustrative example.

Acid Mine Drainage and Heavy Metal Pollution from Solid Waste in the Tongling Mines, China

Based on investigation of the characteristics of solid waste of two different mines, the Fenghuangshan copper mine and the Xinqiao pyrite mine in Tongling, Anhui province in central-east China, the possibility and the differences of acid mine drainage （AMD） of the railings and the waste rocks are discussed, and the modes of occurrence of heavy metal elements in the mine solid waste are also studied. The Fenghuangshan copper mine hardly produces AMD, whereas the Xinqiao pyrite mine does and there are also differences in the modes of occurrence of heavy metal elements in the railings. For the former, toxic heavy metals such as Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, As and Hg exist mostly in the slag mode, as compared to the latter, where the deoxidization mode has a much higher content, indicating that large amounts minerals in the waste rocks have begun to oxidize at the earth surface. AMD is proved to promote the migration and spread of the heavy metals in mining waste rocks and lead to environmental pollution of the surroundings of the mine area.

Movement scope of strata based on fuzzy BP neural network in underground metal mines

A prediction method of strata movement in underground metal mines is put forward, in which fuzzy BP neural network is applied. The results show that there is a strong nonlinear relation between the selected factors and strata movement angle, the anticipant and the actual output results are very similar. It is proved that the numerical value of movement angle is correlated with the selected factors in theory. The scope of strata and surface movement due to mining can be predicted. This research provides a thought to study the movement scope of strata due to mining.

Countermeasures for Remediation of Soil Pollution in Metal Mines

Firstly,the causes and existence state of soil pollution in metal mines were discussed.Secondly,the remediation technology of heavy metal contaminated soil was introduced.Thirdly,the remediation strategies for soil pollution in metal mines were analyzed.Finally,the problems and development direction of soil pollution remediation and control in metal mines were discussed.

Charging for the waste dumping of open-pit metal mines

Based on the externality theory and the environmental value theory, the hypothesis of charging for waste dumping of open-pit metal mines was put forth. The charging methods were designed according to the characteristics of waste dumping of openpit metal mines, including charging based on the dumping amount of the total waste, multi-charging factors, exceeding standard punishment charging, and so on. The main charging parameter is based on the dumping area rather than the total amount of waste dumping. The charging model of waste dumping of open-pit mines was formulated, and the charging rate was divided into two parts, i.e., the standard charging rate and the differential charging rate. The standard charging rate was derived using the equilibrium dynamic model, whereas the differential one was obtained by establishing the fuzzy synthesized evaluation model.

Microbial Community with Potential for Metal Release Isolated from Palca Mine Tailings Pond in Peru

The improvement of microbial characterization has increased the comprehension of microbial population and their ability in the microbiological metal dissolution. Bioleaching processes have been expanded to use microorganisms for the recovery of metals from ores and wastes. This study introduces Palca mine tailings pond in Peru which turned into acid mine drainage (AMD). AMD is a source of microbial communities whose microorganisms may support the aqueous extractive metallurgy for metal recovery. Four samples of AMD were collected from different locations and the elemental characterization showed concentrations of metals, such as Cu, Zn, Al, Mn, and Fe. The pH of the samples showed variation between 1.9 - 6.8. Twenty-one microorganisms were isolated and selected according the cell morphology. 16s rRNA gene sequences identified five species of which three belong to the bacterial kingdom and two to the Fungi kingdom. Two of the bacterial species were ferrous ion oxidizing bacteria, identified as Acidithiobacillus ferriphilus and Acidithiobacillus ferridurans;and the other one a ferric ion reducing bacteria identified as Acidiphilium acidophilum. The fungi species identified were Rhodotorula sinensis and Exophiala xenobiotica, a filamentous fungus isolated for the first time from an AMD.

Bayes discriminant analysis method to identify risky of complicated goaf in mines and its application

A Bayes discriminant analysis method to identify the risky of complicated goaf in mines was presented. Nine factors influencing the stability of goaf risky, including uniaxial compressive strength of rock, elastic modulus of rock, rock quality designation （RQD）, area ratio of pillar, ratio of width to height of pillar, depth of ore body, volume of goaf, dip of ore body and area of goal, were selected as discriminant indexes in the stability analysis of goal. The actual data of 40 goals were used as training samples to establish a discriminant analysis model to identify the stability of goaf. The results show that this discriminant analysis model has high precision and misdiscriminant ratio is 0.025 in re-substitution process. The instability identification of a metal mine was distinguished by using this model and the identification result is identical with that of practical situation.

Risk assessment of heavy metal contaminated soil in the vicinity of a lead/zinc mine

Heavy metal contamination of soils through anthropogenic activities is a widespread and serious problem confronting scientists and regulators throughout the world. In this study we investigated the distribution, chemical species and availability of lead, zinc, cadmium and copper in nine surface（0 to 20 cm） soils from near an abandoned lead/zinc mine tailings located in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. Total heavy metal contents ranged from 5271 to 16369 mg/kg for Pb, 387 to 1221 mg/kg for Zn, 3.0 to 9.3 mg/kg for Cd and 65 to 206 mg/kg for Cu. In general, all heavy metals exceeded China National Standards for Soil Environmental Quality of Heavy Metals by a factor of 3-65 times. Comparison of the heavy metal concentrations（Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu） with clay content revealed a strongly significant relationship while significant relationship（ P 〈 0.001 ） was also obtained between Cd ＋ Zn and Pb ＋ Cu. Solid phase speciation of the soils using Tessier procedure showed that the heavy metals were distributed in the order： residual 〉〉 organically complexed-Fe-Mn oxides occluded 〉 carbonate bound 〉 exchangeable 〉 water soluble. In the organic matter fraction, the ratio of Pb（29.1% ） to its total concentration in the soils was higher than those of Zn（4.70% ）, Cd（3.16% ） and Cu（9.50% ）. The percentages of the water soluble and the exchangeable fractions of Pb（1.80% ） and Cd（2.74% ） were markedly greater than those of Zn（0.10% ） and Cu（0.15% ）, suggesting that Pb and Cd are relatively more mobile and hence more toxic in the contaminated soils. Strongly significant relationships between H20-Pb, H20-Zn and H20-Cu, strong positive correlations between H20-Pb, H20-Zn, H20-Cu and organic matter in soil were found. The content of H20-Pb, H20-Zn, H20-Cu was negatively correlated with pH values. The similar negative relationships between pH values and exchangeable heavy metals were also recorded. It is suggested that increasing soil pH or liming the soil could decrease bioavailability of heavy metals in the soil.

Evaluation of the potential risks of heavy metal contamination in rice paddy soils around an abandoned Hg mine area in Southwest China

To assess the potential ecological and health risks of trace elements(Hg,Cd,As,Mn,Sb,Pb,Cu,Ni,Cr,and Zn),a total of 138 soil samples from rice paddies were collected during the rice harvest season in the Wanshan mining area,Guizhou Province,Southwest China.Factors of the pollution load index(PLI),geo-accumulation index(I-Geo),enrichment factor(EF),and risk index(RI)were determined.High concentrations of Hg,Sb,As,Zn,Cd,Cu,and Mn were observed in the soils.The PLI,I-Geo,and EF results all showed high levels of contamination by Hg and Sb and moderate levels of contamination by As,Pb,Zn,Cu,Cd,and Mn.There was no significant contamination from Ni and Cr.The RI was very high,with Hg as the dominant pollutant,as expected,indicating that the historical large-scale Hg mining,as well as artisanal mining,has had a significant impact on the Wanshan area.Moreover,coal combustion,manganese factories,and the use of agrochemicals by the local population could also have an impact on the soil through the introduction of heavy metal loads.To address the current state of contamination,pollutant remediation and the regulation control of the anthropogenic activities in Wanshan are urgently needed.

Challenges and new insights for exploitation of deep underground metal mineral resources

Long-term and continuous large-scale exploitation has increasingly exhausted shallow metal mineral resources,and deep mining has become inevitable.The current global status of deep mining of metal mineral resources was presented,a series of engineering challenges faced by deep mining were systematically analyzed,and some progress and future innovation focus in key engineering technologies,such as the prediction and prevention of rockburst,cooling techniques,rock support techniques,deep hoisting techniques,and several nontraditional deep mining techniques,were highlighted.Meanwhile,new insights into development strategies of deep mining technology were proposed.The integration of these forward-looking key innovative technologies will form the overall framework of an innovative technology system for the deep mining of metal minerals.This technology system will help to achieve safe,efficient,and green exploitation of deep underground metal mineral resources and ensure the sustainable development of the metal mining industry.

Combined Chemical and Mineralogical Evidence for Heavy Metal Binding in Mining- and Smelting-Affected Alluvial Soils

The binding of metallic contaminants （Pb, Cd, and Zn） and As on soil constituents was studied on four highly contaxninated alluvial soil profiles from the mining/smelting district of Pribram （Czech Republic） using a combination of mineralogical and chemical methods. Sequential extraction analysis （SEA） was supplemented by mineralogical investigation of both bulk samples and heavy mineral fractions using X-ray diffraction analysis （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer （SEM/EDS）. The mineralogy of Fe and Mn oxides was studied by voltammetry of microparticles （VMP） and diffuse reflectance spectrometry （DRS）. Zinc and Pb were predominantly bound in the reducible fraction attributed to Fe oxides and Mn oxides （mainly birnessite, Na4Mn14O27.9H2O）, which were detected in soils by XRD and SEM/EDS. In contrast, Cd was the most mobile contaminant and was predominantly present in the exchangeable fraction. Arsenic was bound to the residual and reducible fractions （corresponding to Fe oxides or to unidentified Fe-Pb arsenates）. SEM/EDS observations indicate the predominant affinity of Pb for Mn oxides, and to a lesser extent, for Fe oxides. Thus, a more suitable SEA procedure should be used for these mining-affected soils to distinguish between the contaminant fraction bound to Mn oxides and Fe oxides.

Ecological risk assessment and early warning of heavy metal cumulation in the soils near the Luanchuan molybdenum polymetallic mine concentration area,Henan Province,central China

The Luanchuan molybdenum polymetallic mine concentration area is rich in mineral resources and has a long history of mining.The environmental impact of long-term mining activities cannot be ignored.It is of great significance to study the ecological risk and the accumulation trends of heavy metals in the soil of mining areas for scientific prevention and control of heavy metal pollution.Taking the Taowanbeigou River Basin in the mine concentration area as the research object,the ecological pollution risk and cumulative effect of heavy metals in the soil of the basin were studied by using the comprehensive pollution index method,potential ecological risk assessment method and geoaccumulation index method.On this basis,the cumulative exceeding years of specific heavy metals were predicted by using the early warning model.The comprehensive potential ecological risk of heavy metals in the soil near the Luanchuan mine concentration area is moderate,and the single element Cd is the main ecological risk factor,with a contribution rate of 53.6%.The overall cumulative degrees of Cu and Pb in the soil are“none-moderate”,Zn and Cd are moderate,Mo has reached an extremely strong cumulative level,Hg,As and Cr risks are not obvious,and the overall cumulative risks order is Mo>Cd>Zn>Cu>Pb>Hg.According to the current accumulation rate and taking the risk screening values for soil contamination of agricultural land as the reference standard,the locations over standard rates of Cu,Zn and Cd will exceed 78%in 90years,and the over standard rate of Pb will reach approximately 57%in 200 years.The cumulative exceeding standard periods of As,Cr and Hg are generally long,which basically indicates that these elements do not pose a significant potential threat to the ecological environment.Mining activities will accelerate the accumulation of heavy metals in soil.With the continuous development of mining activities,the potential pollution risk of heavy metals in the soil of mining areas will also increase.

An intelligent system for calculating the scale of rational,enlarged production of an underground non-ferrous metal mine

The enlarged production scale of underground non-ferrous metal mines is affected by many uncertain factors difficult to describe mathematically with any level of accuracy.The problem can be solved by a synthesis of artificial intelligence.Based on the analysis of the major factors affecting the scale of enlarged production,we first interpreted in detail the design principles and structure of the intelligent system.Secondly,we introduced an ANN subsystem.In order to ensure technological and scale efficien- cies of the training samples for ANN,we filtrated the samples with a DEA method.Finally,we trained the intelligent system,which was proved to be very efficient.

Multidisciplinary design optimization on production scale of underground metal mine

In order to ensure overall optimization of the underground metal mine production scale, multidisciplinary design optimization model of production scale which covers the subsystem objective function of income of production, safety and environmental impact in the underground metal mine was established by using multidisciplinary design optimization method. The coupling effects from various disciplines were fully considered, and adaptive mutative scale chaos immunization optimization algorithm was adopted to solve multidisciplinary design optimization model of underground metal mine production scale. Practical results show that multidisciplinary design optimization on production scale of an underground lead and zinc mine reflect the actual operating conditions more realistically, the production scale is about 1.25 Mt/a (Lead and zinc metal content of 160 000 t/a), the economic life is approximately 14 a, corresponding coefficient of production profits can be increased to 15.13%, safety factor can be increased to 5.4% and environmental impact coefficient can be reduced by 9.52%.

Differences between total amount of heavy metals and their occurrence form contents in the wastelands of a molybdenum mine area

In a single sample plot,the total amount of heavy metals in the soil could not necessarily reflect the contents of their effective states.This must be considered when attempting to determine the degree of soil heavy-metal pollution in an area.In the present study,the soil around the molybdenum mining area in Huludao,China,was surveyed and sampled to evaluate soil heavy-metal pollution using the Nemerow multifactor pollution index method.The Tessier continuous extraction method was used to analyze the distribution of heavy-metal forms'and their content changes in the soil of this area.Thus,the bioactivity of heavy metals in the soil,the absorption of heavy metals by plants,and the distribution of heavy metals in plants were explored to provide data supporting the use of phytoremediation technology to treat the heavy-metal pollution in the molybdenum mining area and develop ecological restoration strategies for the area's wastelands.The pollution index results indicate that heavy-metal pollution in the soil around the tailings pond is severe,mainly due to Pb and Zn heavy metals.Heavy-metal pollution in the surrounding land is mainly due to Cd and Zn.Content analysis of the heavy-metal forms/states in soils shows that exchangeable forms,which are most effective and toxic to plants,of the following metals are highest in the following areas:Cd,Cu,and Zn in the mountains around the stope;Zn,Mo,and Cu in the cultivated land around the dump;and Cd,Zn,and Mo in the cultivated land around the tailings pond.The pollution index analysis provides a basic overview of soil heavy-metal pollution across the entire mining area.However,content analysis of heavy-metal forms/states better reflects the relationship between the availability of heavy metals in the soil and the effectiveness of plants.Thus,the latter analysis can help ensure that phytoremediation strategies are adequately targeted,science-based,and effective.

Effect of combined pollution by heavy metals on soil enzymatic activities in areas polluted by tailings from Pb-Zn-Ag mine

Some enzymatic activities were determined in the areas polluted by tailings from Tiantai Pb-Zn-Ag Mine in Zhejiang Province of China. The results indicated the soil enzymatic activities decreased significantly with increase of concentrations of heavy metals or the distance away from mining tailing center, especially dehydrogenase and urease activities. Multivariate regression analysis between heavy metal contents and soil enzymatic activities indicated that single dehydrogenase activity was very significantly correlated to combined effect of soil heavy metals in mine area. Moreover, single urease, protease and acid phosphatase activities were significantly related to the combined effect of heavy metals. The results suggest it is feasible to use soil enzymatic activities to indicate the pollution situation by combined heavy metals in the soil of mine area.

Heavy metal(loid) pollution in mine wastes of a Carlin-type gold mine in southwestern Guizhou, China and its environmental impacts

Mercury pollution resulting from artisanal gold mining is a serious environmental problem in many developing countries. In this study, we analyzed heavy metal(loid) contamination in mine wastes from a Carlin-type gold mine in southwestern Guizhou, China. Highly elevated levels of As, Hg, Tl, Sb, and Cd—up to 5844, 28,29, 581 and 3.0 mg/kg, respectively—were observed in the mine wastes, but no significant accumulation of Cr, Ni, Cu,Zn, and Pb was found. The smelting process of gold ores had significant impacts on the enrichment of As, Tl, and Hg in the mine wastes. Due to the significant metal(loid)pollution in this gold mine, the ecological risks are classified as ‘‘very high.'' Hg and As are the major pollutants with a relative contribution of 55.9 % and 24.2 % to the risk index, respectively. Phytoremediation could be used to reduce heavy metal contamination and recycle the gold simultaneously. Hg–As–Tl pollution should be considered in gold extraction at Carlin-type gold mines.