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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (7 September 2022) | Viewed by 22119

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andreas Ciroth

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Guest Editor

GreenDelta GmbH, 14057 Berlin, Germany
Interests: life cycle assessment; sustainability; data quality; environmental modeling

Ms. Claudia Di Noi

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Co-Guest Editor

GreenDelta GmbH, 14057 Berlin, Germany
Interests: sustainability; LCA; environment; life cycle thinking; society and environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For thousands of years, resources obtained from mining have been essential for a functioning and prospering human economy, and today, they still are. Mining provides jobs, and potential welfare, to benefit regions and economies. On the other side, mining activities have shaped and modified landscapes, causing environmental and social impacts, up to a total devastation of natural, local environments.

Recent years have seen tremendous, manifold efforts to make mining more sustainable, sometimes even with a stated goal of achieving a “sustainable mining”, a combination of sustainability and mining activities, which may appear as an oxymoron, a combination of two aspects that do not consistently fit together—at least, this combination may be very challenging.

Sustainability, therefore, will launch a Special Issue on environmental sustainability in mining. Dr. Andreas Ciroth and Claudia Di Noi serve as Guest Editors.

The Special Issue focuses on three points:

The ways to determine the environmental and sustainability impact of mining, in a fair, sufficiently comprehensive, and efficient way;
The ways to make mining more sustainable, with emphasis on environmental impacts, illustrated with practical cases or theory;
The ways, and good and not so good practices, to communicate information about environmental and other sustainability impacts, of mining activities, to local communities, and other stakeholders.

Contributions are welcome!

Dr. Andreas Ciroth
Guest Editor

Ms. Claudia Di Noi
Co-Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

life cycle
measuring sustainability
mining activities
communication

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 3554 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Territorial Mining Scenarios for Sustainable Land-Planning: A Risk-Based Comparison on the Example of Gold Mining in French Guiana

by Ottone Scammacca, Rasool Mehdizadeh and Yann Gunzburger

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10476; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710476 - 23 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2014

Abstract

Mining can be the source and target of opportunities and threats of different natures exceeding the mine site perimeter, affecting the socio-ecological system and leading to social conflicts and entrepreneurial risks for mining companies. Hence, a mining project is a matter of land planning rather than a simple industrial object. Nevertheless, current mandatory risk and impact assessment methods are often performed on one project at a time, neglecting the coexistence of different mining activities and the socio-ecological vulnerability of the territory where mining takes place. This paper proposes an original risk-based approach to develop and compare different territorial mining scenarios (TMSs) to support land-planning strategies in mining territories, tested on the French Guiana gold mining sector. Five TMSs combining different mine types (e.g., legal artisanal, medium, large-scale mining, illegal mining) were developed for the same total amount of gold production at the watershed level. For each TMS, both accidental and ordinary risk scenarios were assessed through a GIS-based approach considering watershed socio-ecological vulnerability. Risks were finally weighted according to different stakeholders’ perception, and the TMSs were compared based on their global risk scores. Despite the multiple challenges highlighted, this paper highlights the feasibility of a methodological framework to support mining planning at the territory level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Mining)

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31 pages, 3373 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Selection of Open-Pit Mining and Technical System’s Sustainable Development Strategies Based on MCDM

by Aleksandr Rakhmangulov, Konstantin Burmistrov and Nikita Osintsev

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 8003; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14138003 - 30 Jun 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2624

Abstract

Mining of the extensive, steeply dipping ore deposit takes several decades. An open-pit mining method is more often used in the early years of such a mining enterprise (ME). The management of the enterprise is faced with the problem of changing the mining method as the depth of the quarry increases. Untimely solution of this issue or the choice of the wrong strategy for the development of ME leads to a decrease in profitability, and the emergence of environmental and social difficulties. We studied the functioning of one hundred and seven MEs from different countries and substantiated four main sustainable development strategies for ME and its main system—the open-pit mining and technical system (MTS): adjustment of the current stage of mining indicators, transition to a new stage of mining, transition to a combined open–underground mining, and mine closure. The result of our research is an original methodology for selecting a strategy for MTS sustainable development. Our methodology is based on a new system of parameters and indicators for evaluating the sustainability of the opening-up of an opencast system (OOS). This assessment system includes twenty-three indicators that characterize the technical, technological, economic, social, and environmental factors of sustainable development. We propose to select a strategy for MTS sustainable development using combined fuzzy AHP-MARCOS multicriteria decision method (MCDM). The result of our case study for the Malyi Kuibas ore deposit was the choice of a mine closure strategy. The reliability of the obtained result is confirmed by a multilateral sensitivity assessment using nine other known MCDMs, while changing the criteria weights and composition of strategies. The results of the study prove the need for a timely decision to change the MTS development strategy as the depth of production increases. In addition, we have shown the effectiveness of the selection methodology based on the multicriteria assessment of the OOS sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Mining)

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22 pages, 7376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Land-Use Changes and Socioeconomic Conditions of Communities along the Carajás Railroad in Eastern Amazonia

by Laís de Andrade Cristo, Marco Aurélio Santos and Valente José Matlaba

Sustainability 2022, 14(9), 5132; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14095132 - 24 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1582

Abstract

Studies on communities along railroads are relevant because of the impacts of operations on their socioeconomic and environmental conditions. The objective of this paper was to examine 32 communities affected by the Carajas railroad between 2010 and 2017. The socioeconomic and environmental dimensions involved an examination of 17 indicators and a qualitative analysis of Google Earth images, respectively. We applied appropriate statistical tests for data analysis. The results showed that urban communities have better socioeconomic conditions (higher incomes and less poverty) than rural ones; and that those in Maranhão are in a less sustainable situation (poor socioeconomic indicators and significant changes in land cover). The communities near the railroad showed higher variation in socio-environmental conditions. We conclude that socioeconomic and satellite images data analysis can help increase the resilience and sustainability of communities in risk situations. The latter include people with few financial resources, poor housing conditions, and living in areas with significant land cover changes because they provide fundamental data and information that can guide action through the formulation and execution of public policies or decision-making by other agents, such as private companies. Therefore, policymakers, managers, and other stakeholders should focus on community-scale deficiencies, especially in identified priority communities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Mining)

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18 pages, 3229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Underground Mining Hazard Assessment, Management, Environmental Monitoring, and Policy Control in Pakistan

by Hammad Tariq Janjuhah, Muhammad Ishfaque, Muhammad Ifzal Mehmood, George Kontakiotis, Syed Muzyan Shahzad and Stergios D. Zarkogiannis

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13505; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132413505 - 07 Dec 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5622

Abstract

This study focused on the significance of underground mining in Pakistan, resulting in the employment of operational staff to undertake the primary tasks of this sector, such as explosions, rock excavation, mineral research, mining-supporting walls, and mine compactivity. Occupational accidents and illnesses arise due to the activities mentioned above because the working circumstances are not optimal. The decision-matrix risk-assessment (DMRA) approach, in which incidents are evaluated according to their severity and probability, was also utilized to improve working conditions, including public health and environment protection. To assess the risks and to select which actions should continue in the same manner, we highlighted hazards that need control measures and, as the last option, those that must be stopped. By taking into account the results of the study, corrective actions were proposed that can help avoid the occurrence of the presented accidents through applying occupational safety and health regulations issued by the Department of Minerals and Mines, which is a governmental entity responsible for both the issuing and the compliance to those regulations. The current study also outlined the requirements that must be reported under mining-related laws. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Mining)

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13 pages, 289 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing Peruvian University Students’ Preferences for Labor Conditions in Mining Site

by Shuto Mikami, Yutaka Ito and Hernan Gabriel Oyola Gonzales

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9648; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179648 - 27 Aug 2021

Viewed by 2059

Abstract

The mining industry is one of the biggest industries and has a strong impact in Peru. Despite the mining industry’s importance, it faces labor shortages and environmental risks. For these situations, mining students are important sources of workers not only as labor forces but also as skilled workers who can contribute to solving the environmental issues of mining companies. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to assess Peruvian university mining students’ preferences for labor conditions in mining sites using a discrete choice experiment in order to promote efficient improvements in labor conditions in mining sites that contribute to stable employment and address environmental concerns. The number of respondents was 222 in two Peruvian universities, including males and females aged 16–35 years. The analysis’s findings indicate that labor conditions at mining sites can be optimized by adjusting them to specific individual characteristics of potential mining workers, resulting in a more efficient working environment for companies and workers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Mining)

Review

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65 pages, 29983 KiB

Open AccessReview

Sustainable Management of Thickened Tailings in Chile and Peru: A Review of Practical Experience and Socio-Environmental Acceptance

by Carlos Cacciuttolo Vargas and Alex Marinovic Pulido

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10901; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710901 - 31 Aug 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5394

Abstract

The “Thickened Tailings Disposal” (TTD) technology produces a high density mine waste that allows for the storage of this material without the need to manage large slurry tailings storage facilities (TSFs) and large dams. TTD has been applied considering site specific conditions of Chile and Peru, such as extreme climatic conditions, seismic risks, water scarcity, community demands, and environmental constraints. This review highlights the contribution of several experiences in Chile and Peru, which have chosen TTD technology for reduction of negative environmental impacts, mainly focusing on the following issues: (i) increase of tailings water recovery, (ii) reduction of TSFs footprint (impacted areas), (iii) decrease the risk of physical instability, avoiding the construction of high dams, and (iv) decrease of TSFs seepages. Finally, the article describes the advantages (benefits) and disadvantages (aspects to improve) of TTD, where nowadays a high degree of dewatering of tailings is seen as a safe option, considering the occurrence of some TSF dam failures recently worldwide, which has resulted in severe environmental pollution. A better environmental perception about TTD of authorities and communities, considering that this technology allows to satisfy the needs of stable and safe TSFs, make the TTD be more acceptable, popular and one of the best available technologies (BATs) for operations with mine tailings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Mining)

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18 pages, 7520 KiB

Open AccessReview

Coal Mining Surface Damage Characteristics and Restoration Technology

by Jiachi Ren, Xiangtao Kang, Meng Tang, Lu Gao, Jinguo Hu and Cunliu Zhou

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9745; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14159745 - 08 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1411

Abstract

With the continuous improvement of mining technology and equipment in China’s coal mines, the number of working faces with high-intensity mining is increasing, and the area of surface damage continues to increase compared with previous years. In order to ensure safe production and protect the overall environment of the mining area, the damage characteristics of overlying rock and the transmission mechanism of surface damage in coal mining were analyzed, the forms of surface damage and their negative external influences were evaluated, the current situation of surface damage prevention and restoration technology was investigated, and the feasibility of surface damage economic utilization was considered. According to the above theoretical analysis and the current situation of China’s industry, this paper discusses the prevention and restoration of surface damage in China, and puts forward the following idea of mine governance: “utilization first, prevention and restoration later; natural restoration is the main approach, and artificial restoration is auxiliary; artificial restoration and natural restoration should be combined”, which provides a governance concept for mine surface damage management. This study on the negative external influence of rock and surface damage and its prevention and restoration technology is of great significance for mine safety and environmental protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Mining)

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