Mining Industries (Part One)
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Mineral wealth is of great importance as there are a large number
of industries based on it. There are also huge reserves of mineral resources,
which constitute the cornerstone of any future investments and projects in this
sector. It includes the ores and
minerals existing on the surface or in underground, which are extracted from
quarries or mines through various extraction and mining operations.
Mining is defined as the extraction of economically feasible
mineral ores by various mining methods and transferring them to processing and
concentration units, and exploiting them.
Mining
Industries Associated with Mineral Wealth
Extractive Industries: Industries that depend on extracting raw materials and minerals
from the ground, like crushers, quarries and mines.
Converting Industries: Industries that rely on converting raw materials resulting from
the extractive industries to produce new shapes and sizes as per manufacturer
designs using different methods: chemical, physical or engineering. These industries are cement, glass, ceramics,
iron, Concrete, etc.
The extractive industries: involve several mining methods:
First: Surface Mining:
Surface Mining features easy mining, lower costs, flexibility, and easier
production control. It’s used to extract the materials near the surface of the
earth, and it’s common in the UAE such as crushers, quarries in some emirates.
The following image shows one of the surface mining sites.
Surface mining can be divided into
the following types:
Open Pits:
The upper layer - the rocks covering the ore - is removed until the
ore is reached, and this is done by making graded faces in the mine, and then blasting
the materials using surface mining methods. Iron ores, some copper and gold
ores, and most industrial mineral ores such as phosphates and bauxite are examples
of materials can be produced using this type.
Quarry:
In this type the materials are directly extracted or by removing
the top layer and then exploiting them. Dimension stone like Granite is an example
for this kind of mines where the materials are cut, polished and prepared for selling.
Placer Mining:
It’s used to mine clay deposits containing precious metals found
under the surfaces of rivers and streams.
Second:
Underground Mining:
Underground mining is used to extract raw materials found in the
depths. This type is suitable for materials contain high minerals
concentration. But the production is
low; and it’s cost is higher than surface mining where tunnels are being dug
and wells are drilled to reach the mineral deposits and carry out continuous
maintenance work inside the mines.
Examples of these mines are coal, copper, and gold mines as illustrated
in the following picture:
In surface mining operations, the operations are classified into
three main processes:
1.Quarry
Operations: It includes a number of sub-activities as follows:
Blasting: where holes
are made in the mountains and blown up to obtain rocks of different sizes.
Rocks Extraction: rocks are
extracted by using excavators and bulldozers.
Haulage of Rocks: the extracted
rocks are transported then to the crushing units or sold for use in the
construction of breakwaters, islands and beaches.
2. Crusher Operations: Crusher is accomplished by crushing the extracted rocks using
several types of machines (crushers); where rocks of
large sizes are crushed to
lower sizes in several stages to obtain different sizes for use in other
manufacturing processes.
3. Screening Operations: At this stage, the crushed rocks are screened using screens to
obtain different sizes and shapes of materials for use in the manufacture of
cement, tiles and bricks, ready mix concrete, asphalt, etc...
Environmental Impacts Associated to Mining Industries
There are many negative environmental impacts associated with
surface mining operations, including: air pollution with fugitive dust and gases
emitted by equipment and machinery, ground vibrations caused by mining
operations, noise and visual pollution, soil and water pollution, blocking of
the valleys, waste accumulation, and negative impacts on the ecosystem in
general.
As the
environmental impacts are multiple, legislations and technical requirements
must be mandated to monitor the work of quarries and mines, the following
recommendations are suggested to be implemented to monitor the environmental
impacts:
1. Setting laws
and regulations governing the work of quarries and mines.
2. Utilizing modern
technologies to curb the fugitive dust from the production, storage and loading
operations like filters and water
sprinklers, and covering production units.
3. Developing
mining plans by selecting best materials for production to avoid waste
production.
4. Developing
an environmental management plan that includes recommended environmental
measures
and rehabilitation plan to mitigate the
negative environmental impact and offset the damaged vegetation
and ecosystems.
6. Training workforce
to follow health and safety and environmental guidelines.
6. Encouraging
the principles of rationalizing energy and water consumption and the importance
of
implementing energy efficiency systems in
the workplace.
7. Monitoring
environmental compliance regularly by using the Internet and developing electronic
applications for this purpose.
8. Use of
technological solutions to raise the efficiency of control and inspection
operations like geographic
information systems and remote sensing by drones.
References
-
Dabi Sanaa, M. Zahraoui, M. El Wartiti, M. Jebrak, F. Z. Nahraoui, and D.
Fadli, (2011), Environment Mining and sustainable Development, Present
Environment Mining and sustainable Development, Vol.5, No.2.
-
Geology
and Environmental Impact Statement, Published by: The Institute of
Geologists of Ireland, Geology Department,
University College Dublin (2002).
Yousef Jawabreh
Mining
Advisor