The development and implementation of environmentally sustainable technologies has become a prominent topic of research in both academic and industrial context. As the impact of climate changes become more and more noticeable and society's views shifts towards the preservation of the environment, many segments of the industry have started to adapt their operations to become more Eco-friendly. And in the mining industry that is no different: being a segment that consumes large amounts of energy, big mining companies have started to invest huge sums of money in research and development of strategies that may help them change their energy matrix, historically dependent on fossil fuels, to a greener one. Among the many challenges, one is currently on my focus: ore transportation in large open pit mines.
Although many different methodologies are used to transport ore in open pit mines, one is commonly observed: the use of diesel-powered haul trucks. Diesel trucks are often a mainstream choice due to their characteristics: the low cost of the fuel, their large capacity, good autonomy, (relatively) cheap maintenance and powerful engines for traversing steep inclinations even when fully loaded. But as the demands change, alternatives must be evaluated to replace trucks powered by fossil fuels and a worldwide tendency is to migrate towards electricity-powered trucks. However, those often come across a number of hurdles: they have lower autonomy, capacity and power than their diesel counterparts, although I am aware that in the last few years there has been huge developments in that sense, with hydrogen powered electric trucks coming right around the corner.
So, with that in mind, which currently existing lines of research you would recommend checking? I am currently looking for more disruptive technologies (not the commonly used conveyor belts and the like) that would help the mining industry solve this new puzzle. Anything that would help point me in the right direction (papers, researchers, start-ups, companies etc) would be very appreciated.
Consider contacting the authors of the following:
- 1. Overview of Mining and its Impacts - Environmental Law Alliance
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.elaw.org/files/mining-eia-guidebook/Chapter1.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjGyczxsazmAhWnwqYKHauSD_0QFjAMegQIAxAE&usg=AOvVaw1WEgn1byjQjSPba_GYugYz
- Revaluing mine waste rock for carbon capture and ... - Taylor & Francis Online
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17480930902843102&ved=2ahUKEwjGyczxsazmAhWnwqYKHauSD_0QFjANegQIBRAD&usg=AOvVaw3Rj_EYo92gAV4OVib2W9H0
I think that the types of open-pit transport scheme are quite standard:
Automotive (diesel, hybrid, electric)
Railway (electric)
Conveyor (belt, rope-belt, belt-chain)
Hydrotransport.
Good results are obtained not by changing the type of transport, but by changing the technology of mining and dumping.
Thanks for your input, Aryan Shahabian! Indeed, I had been reading on Carbon Capture technologies, and while the necessary infrastructure still make it prohibitive to implement specifically on haulage equipment (usually involves a plant of no small proportions), it is still an interesting alternative to compensate for emissions, specially on mines where the nature of the by-product makes it more feasible, as covered in the paper you recommended.
Indeed Denis Petrov, but that is exactly the point: which changes can be made to current haulage technologies in order to reduce the emissions of GHG? it is often a conundrum, since we lack (as of this point, at least) ways to reduce the emissions while keeping equivalent levels of production. Current green technologies end up facing technical limitations (as I exemplified on Diesel x Electric trucks) that makes it hard to implement on a number of instances. The challenge is to either improve currently existing technologies or develop new and disruptive ones to surpass those obstacles, hence the reason of my question.
Thanks for your input!
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