scholarly journals Geophysical Prospecting for Groundwater Resources in Phosphate Deposits (Morocco)

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 842
Author(s):  
Fatim-Zahra Ihbach ◽  
Azzouz Kchikach ◽  
Mohammed Jaffal ◽  
Driss El Azzab ◽  
Oussama Khadiri Yazami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Sounding ◽  
Mining Design ◽  
Phosphate Deposits

The Moroccan phosphate deposits are the largest in the world. Phosphatic layers are extracted in open-pit mines mainly in the sedimentary basins of Gantour and Ouled Abdoun in Central Morocco. The purpose of this study was to prospect and evaluate the water potential of aquifers incorporated in the phosphatic series using the following geophysical methods: Magnetic resonance sounding (MRS), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), time-domain electromagnetics (TDEM), and frequency-domain electromagnetics (FDEM). The objective was, on the one hand, to contribute to the success of the drinking water supply program in rural areas around mining sites, and on the other hand, to delimit flooded layers in the phosphatic series to predict the necessary mining design for their extraction. The use of geophysical methods made it possible to stratigraphically locate the most important aquifers of the phosphatic series. Their hydraulic parameters can be evaluated using the MRS method while the mapping of their recharge areas is possible through FDEM surveys. The results obtained in two selected experimental zones in the mining sites of Youssoufia and Khouribga are discussed in this paper. The application of the implemented approach to large phosphate mines is in progress in partnership with the mining industry.

Coal mining-disturbed land reclamation laws

2020 ◽  
pp. 15-26
Author(s):  
T. V. Galanina ◽  
M. I. Baumgarten ◽  
T. G. Koroleva
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Open Pit Mining ◽  
Disturbed Land ◽  
Critical Problems ◽  
Production Output

Large-scale mining disturbs wide areas of land. The development program for the mining industry, with an expected considerable increase in production output, aggravates the problem with even vaster territories exposed to the adverse anthropogenic impact. Recovery of mining-induced ecosystems in the mineral-extracting regions becomes the top priority objective. There are many restoration mechanisms, and they should be used in integration and be highly technologically intensive as the environmental impact is many-sided. This involves pollution of water, generation of much waste and soil disturbance which is the most typical of open pit mining. Scale disturbance of land, withdrawal of farming land, land pollution and littering are critical problems to the solved in the first place. One of the way outs is highquality reclamation. This article reviews the effective rules and regulations on reclamation. The mechanism is proposed for the legal control of disturbed land reclamation on a regional and federal level. Highly technologically intensive recovery of mining-induced landscape will be backed up by the natural environment restoration strategy proposed in the Disturbed Land Reclamation Concept.

scholarly journals A GIS Software Module for Environmental Impact Assessment of the Open Pit Mining Projects for Small Mining Operators in Kazakhstan

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6971
Author(s):  
Mikhail Zarubin ◽  
Larissa Statsenko ◽  
Pavel Spiridonov ◽  
Venera Zarubina ◽  
Noune Melkoumian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Open Pit Mining ◽  
Software Module ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Open Pit Mines ◽  
Gis Software

This research article presents a software module for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of open pit mines. The EIA software module has been developed based on the comprehensive examination of both country-specific (namely, Kazakhstan) and current international regulatory frameworks, legislation and EIA methodologies. EIA frameworks and methods have been critically evaluated, and mathematical models have been developed and implemented in the GIS software module ‘3D Quarry’. The proposed methodology and software module allows for optimised EIA calculations of open pit mines, aiming to minimise the negative impacts on the environment. The study presents an original methodology laid out as a basis for a software module for environmental impact assessment on atmosphere, water basins, soil and subsoil, tailored to the context of mining operations in Kazakhstan. The proposed software module offers an alternative to commercial off-the-shelf software packages currently used in the mining industry and is suitable for small mining operators in post-Soviet countries. It is anticipated that applications of the proposed software module will enable the transition to sustainable development in the Kazakh mining industry.

scholarly journals Multi-Criteria Analysis for the Selection of the Optimal Mining Design Solution—A Case Study on Quarry “Tambura”

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3200
Author(s):  
Branimir Farkaš ◽  
Ana Hrastov
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Multiple Criteria Decision Making ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Design Solution ◽  
Mine Design ◽  
Promethee Ii ◽  
Mining Design ◽  
Quarry Mine ◽  
Selection Of

Mining design is usually evaluated with different multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods when it comes to large open pit or underground ore mines, but it is not used on quarry sites. Since Croatia is mostly mining stone, the implementation of such methods in decision making of the quarry mine design is imperative but left out. In this paper, the PROMETHEE II and AHP decision-making methods are implemented on the quarry site to find out the best final quarry design contour. By implementing the MCDM methods, the best quarry model was chosen based on 22 different criteria parameters out of three final quarry designs. The chosen model is not only financially sound but also has the least environmental impact.

scholarly journals Modern Solution for Fast and Accurate Inventorization of Open-Pit Mines by the Active Remote Sensing Technique—Case Study of Mikoszów Granite Mine (Lower Silesia, SW Poland)

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 6853
Author(s):  
Jaroslaw Wajs ◽  
Paweł Trybała ◽  
Justyna Górniak-Zimroz ◽  
Joanna Krupa-Kurzynowska ◽  
Damian Kasza
Keyword(s):  
Computer Software ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Buffer Zones ◽  
Sw Poland ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cloud Of Points ◽  
Lower Silesia

Mining industry faces new technological and economic challenges which need to be overcome in order to raise it to a new technological level in accordance with the ideas of Industry 4.0. Mining companies are searching for new possibilities of optimizing and automating processes, as well as for using digital technology and modern computer software to aid technological processes. Every stage of deposit management requires mining engineers, geologists, surveyors, and environment protection specialists who are involved in acquiring, storing, processing, and sharing data related to the parameters describing the deposit, its exploitation and the environment. These data include inter alia: geometries of the deposit, of the excavations, of the overburden and of the mined mineral, borders of the support pillars and of the buffer zones, mining advancements with respect to the set borders, effects of mining activities on the ground surface, documentation of landslide hazards and of the impact of mining operations on the selected elements of the environment. Therefore, over the life cycle of a deposit, modern digital technological solutions should be implemented in order to automate the processes of acquiring, sharing, processing and analyzing data related to deposit management. In accordance with this idea, the article describes the results of a measurement experiment performed in the Mikoszów open-pit granite mine (Lower Silesia, SW Poland) with the use of mobile LiDAR systems. The technology combines active sensors with automatic and global navigation system synchronized on a mobile platform in order to generate an accurate and precise geospatial 3D cloud of points.

scholarly journals Youth Development in Albania

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Armanda Keqi ◽  
Bora Kokalari ◽  
Sabina Beqiri
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
The State ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Legal Immigration

Young generations are those who make lives livelier and happier, who design the future and make the change, the ones with full hope and enthusiasm to go further and make the impossible possible. As every country of Europe, Asia or America, Albania as well is surrounded by a very fruitful young ladies and gentlemen's. This paper aims to analyse the changes of the youth development in Albania during the transition period. The young development in Albania has faced many problems, such as the difference between the levels of development of the youths that live in the other cities of Albania with the ones of the capital. Rural areas and small towns are closed where a portion of youth in minor are totally dependent from family, and they are exactly that with their weak hands are inclined to do the heavy work to keep their family one more day alive. Youth at the opening of the borders, generally tended to leave towards legal immigration either as tourist or in illegal opportunities addressing major countries like Britain, Greece, Italy, Belgium etc. Albania needs to make arrangements which will be financed by businessmen, private universities in cooperation with the state to offer young people opportunities to work together and to be closer to each other and to show their skills in conversation competitions. At the same time the state has other open universities in backward areas which will provide young entrepreneurs' with more opportunities for young people to graduate and to serve different areas. Meanwhile, there is needed a strategy to separate the fields in which there is a need to have more expert in the field which is required to work also which would come more to help the country's economy with the addition of experts. Albania is a country blessed where high mountains finish in seas, where groundwater resources are numerous, and with a conductive climate to produce almost all kinds of fruits and where vegetation is very diverse. If the youth will be directed towards learning of foreign languages and in recognition of their territories, traditions and customs, thus, we would make a big step because tourism market is precisely the kind of market where young people will find themselves more comfortable than ever, where the labour force will be insufficient paid and where the demand for products would be required as the number of tourists would be great and just the requirements would change in terms of application areas during the summer as it would be for beaches and seasonal fruits, while during the winter for skiing and mountain tourism.

Evaluating Satellite Capability in Supporting Traditional Air Quality Monitoring for the Finnish Ministry of the Environment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Virta ◽  
Anu-Maija Sundström ◽  
Iolanda Ialongo ◽  
Johanna Tamminen
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Quality Monitoring ◽  
Air Quality Monitoring ◽  
Ozone Monitoring Instrument ◽  
Random Measurement Error ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
Monitoring Instrument

<p>We present the results of two projects completed for the Finnish Ministry of the Environment that assessed the capability of satellites in supporting traditional in situ air quality (AQ) measurements. These projects analysed the correlation of co-located NO<sub>2</sub> measurements from the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI, measuring in molec./cm<sup>2</sup>) and traditional air quality stations (measuring in µg/m<sup>3</sup>) in Finland and Europe in 2018 and 2019, and used the results to estimate annual mean ground-level NO<sub>2</sub> concentrations in Finland’s 14 different AQ monitoring regions.</p><p>We find that the correlation is dependent on the location of the AQ station, with city stations having a higher correlation than rural background stations. This is expected, as the variability of NO<sub>2</sub> levels in Finnish rural areas is usually within TROPOMI’s random measurement error. We also find that the estimated annual mean regional ground level NO<sub>2</sub> concentrations compare well to the in situ measurements, as the associated uncertainties provide reliable upper estimates for ground level concentrations. These estimates were used to establish that annual NO<sub>2</sub> concentrations were below the EU limit in two AQ monitoring regions with no active ground stations.</p><p>We also analyse TROPOMI’s and the Ozone Monitoring Instrument’s (OMI) ability to study the spatial distribution of NO<sub>2</sub> over Finland using gridded maps. Oversampled TROPOMI measurements are able to distinguish relatively small sources such as roads, airports and refineries, and the difference in concentrations between weekdays and weekends. TROPOMI is also able to detect emissions from different sources of NO<sub>2</sub> such as cities, mining sites and industrial areas. Long time series measurements from OMI show decreasing NO<sub>2</sub> levels over Finland between 2005 and 2018.</p><p>The studies were conducted on behalf of the Finnish Ministry of the Environment, and showcase how satellite measurements can be used to supplement traditional air quality measurements in areas with poor ground station coverage. Launched in 2017, TROPOMI is currently the highest-resolution air quality sensing satellite, and its societal uses are only beginning to be realised. Future Sentinel missions, especially the geosynchronous Sentinel-4, will further extend satellite air quality monitoring capabilities and enable continuous daytime observations in cloud-free conditions.</p>

Modeling and analysis of a quality traceability framework for phosphate extraction process: evidence from Morocco

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hind Lafquih ◽  
Saad Lissane Elhaq ◽  
Issam Krimi ◽  
Mouna Berquedich
Keyword(s):  
Process Model ◽  
System Modeling ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Model Quality ◽  
Open Pit Mines ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Traceability System

PurposeAccording to United Nations reports, the worldwide population is expected to reach around 9.6 billion by 2050. This forecasting emphasizes the role of phosphate-based fertilizers for developing sustainable agriculture and ensures the demand all over the planet. From this perspective, phosphate companies are racing to improve their industrial performance and guarantee the quality, reliability and integrity of information efficiently. The purpose of this paper is to propose a traceability system framework that ensures product quality tracing and real-time operations monitoring for open-pit mines.Design/methodology/approachThe authors develop a hybrid approach that integrates Business Process Model and Notation techniques with System Modeling Language to formalize several use cases and scenarios to model quality traceability processes related to open-pit mines. This framework also embeds an optimization module based on mathematical modeling approaches to optimize stockpiles’ movement and respect the distinction between different qualities.FindingsThis paper explains a successful implementation of a quality traceability tool for an African mining company. The research team was able to understand and scale down the problem faced by the managers. Further, the study is focused on improving quality tracing over time and automatizing the current compliance processes related to the mine extraction activities. The proposed tool is proved highly effective in reducing the time of tracing quality claims by 46% compared with the manual procedure. Second, the implementation of this tool reduced fuel costs by 34% and CO2 emissions by 10%.Originality/valueThe originality of the contributions lies in four aspects: (1) adapting quality traceability concept for the mining industry; (2) assessing the current trends of traceability systems considering the mining industry context; (3) hybridizing business processes re-engineering, quality system and optimization modeling; and (4) using a real case study of a phosphate company to evaluate the framework.

scholarly journals Potential shallow aquifers characterization through an integrated geophysical method: multivariate approach by means of k-means algorithms

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Bernardinetti ◽  
Stefano Maraio ◽  
Pier Paolo Gennaro Bruno ◽  
Valentina Cicala ◽  
Serena Minucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Quaternary Period ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Alluvial Deposits ◽  
Wave Refraction ◽  
Bivariate Data ◽  
Shallow Basin

The need to obtain a detailed hydrogeological characterization of the subsurface and its interpretation for the groundwater resources management, often requires to apply several and complementary geophysical methods. The goal of the approach in this paper is to provide a unique model of the aquifer by synthesizing and optimizing the information provided by several geophysical methods. This approach greatly reduces the degree of uncertainty and subjectivity of the interpretation by exploiting the different physical and mechanic characteristics of the aquifer. The studied area, into the municipality of Laterina (Arezzo, Italy), is a shallow basin filled by lacustrine and alluvial deposits (Pleistocene and Olocene epochs, Quaternary period), with alternated silt, sand with variable content of gravel and clay where the bottom is represented by arenaceous-pelitic rocks (Mt. Cervarola Unit, Tuscan Domain, Miocene epoch). This shallow basin constitutes the unconfined superficial aquifer to be exploited in the nearly future. To improve the geological model obtained from a detailed geological survey we performed electrical resistivity and P wave refraction tomographies along the same line in order to obtain different, independent and integrable data sets. For the seismic data also the reflected events have been processed, a remarkable contribution to draw the geologic setting. Through the k-means algorithm, we perform a cluster analysis for the bivariate data set to individuate relationships between the two sets of variables. This algorithm allows to individuate clusters with the aim of minimizing the dissimilarity within each cluster and maximizing it among different clusters of the bivariate data set. The optimal number of clusters “K”, corresponding to the individuated geophysical facies, depends to the multivariate data set distribution and in this work is estimated with the Silhouettes. The result is an integrated tomography that shows a finite number of homogeneous geophysical facies, which therefore permits to distinguish and interpret the porous aquifer in a quantitative and objective way.

scholarly journals Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Mining from Exploration to Reclamation: A Review

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebeom Park ◽  
Yosoon Choi
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Ground Subsidence ◽  
Research Trend ◽  
Environment Analysis ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Exploration Exploitation

Over the past decade, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been used in the mining industry for various applications from mineral exploration to mine reclamation. This study aims to review academic papers on the applications of UAVs in mining by classifying the mining process into three phases: exploration, exploitation, and reclamation. Systematic reviews were performed to summarize the results of 65 articles (June 2010 to May 2020) and outline the research trend for applying UAVs in mining. This study found that UAVs are used at mining sites for geological and structural analysis via remote sensing, aerial geophysical survey, topographic surveying, rock slope analysis, working environment analysis, underground surveying, and monitoring of soil, water, ecological restoration, and ground subsidence. This study contributes to the classification of current UAV applications during the mining process as well as the identification of prevalent UAV types, data acquired by sensors, scales of targeted areas, and styles of flying control for the applications of UAVs in mining.

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