Introduction
The mining industry is responsible for much of the urbanization of previously industrialized nations globally. It brings many benefits to economies, providing enough for their consumption and more for export. New jobs, improved infrastructure such as roads and power plants, and increased taxes are just a few of the economic benefits frequently cited by supporters of a proposed mine. Therefore, mining is a strong economic force, and any problems arising in the industry should be solved in time.
The problem
Mining has taken place for years, and most accessible ore deposits are of low quality and depleting. The industry is facing a major challenge due to the decline in the availability of economically viable ore deposits (Rotzer and Schmidt, 2018). Many of the most promising untapped resources are hidden in outlying areas. This makes the construction and operation of new mines more difficult, costly, and time-consuming. When mines reach their maximum capacity, ore grades fall, and travel time to the mine face increases (Mitra, 2019). The price per ounce or ton produced skyrockets when the ore’s quality deteriorates. New mining sites are frequently discovered in remote locations with no access to utilities, such as running water or power, necessary in any mining process.
While many people do not consider the value of water, in some places, it may be more valuable than minerals extracted from the ground in other places. As a result, it is critical to develop novel water conservation strategies and identify untapped sources of supply. The same is true for mining, which frequently consumes much energy and water for cooling (Leiva González and Onederra, 2022). The problem addressed in this project is the hardships mining companies face when accessing new mines in remote areas. Moving to these areas is necessary because the old mines no longer produce quality ores as they did in the past. The goal is to find and recommend solutions for mining companies to easily access quality ore deposits in inaccessible areas. It is hypothesized that these ores are inaccessible because they are not connected to national power grids or because they do not have enough water needed for the mining process and associated activities.
Clean water is both a necessity and a valuable commodity. Some mining sites in remote locations may rely solely on local lakes and rivers for water, despite environmental regulations limiting who can use or how much water can be taken from these sources (Thomashausen, Maennling, and Mebratu-Tsegaye, 2018). For example, the Atacama Deserts of Chile and Peru and the deserts of northern Africa have some of the most promising mining regions (Hiam-Galvez, Prescott, and Hiam, 2020). Unfortunately, these areas do not have an adequate water supply. As a result, associated businesses must reduce their water consumption while seeking alternative water sources for mining and processing.
When mining occurs, water is typically obtained from private water service providers and the earth, rivers, and lakes. On the other hand, most mines are typically located in arid regions, so it stands to reason that residents and the government would object to the mining industry’s practice of pumping water from precious resources. The good news is that there are novel approaches to dealing with water system issues. Some companies have used several techniques to cater to their water needs in their mining projects, according to Ausenco. Most water-saving measures can be implemented within the mine, though a pipeline may be required to transport filtered tailings and other waste to an off-site disposal site. Transporting ocean water for mining operations is more difficult if the port is far from the mining area. According to Herrera-Leon et al. (2019), this necessitates the inclusion of ancillary infrastructure in the project’s transportation plans. As a result, the overall construction cost along the utility corridor is reduced.
Methodology
Interviews
Three interviews were conducted with three experts from different companies who had worked for over ten years in the mining industry to understand the focus problem. They were asked questions about the current state of the mining industry, challenges faced in the mining process, and solutions implemented to deal with the problems. The questions were about reducing the quality of accessible ore deposits and shifting to ores in inaccessible areas.
In a world of deeper mines, rising energy costs, and infrastructure shortages, the first interviewee claims that mining companies are still under significant pressure to reduce costs and increase efficiency. He mentioned that accessibility of power and water was the main problem of why most mines had not been used yet. The company he worked for had access to water from a nearby sea and was well connected to the national grid. They had not employed any technologies to increase access to these resources.
The interviewee was working with a new company in the mining industry that had secured a mine with a high-quality ore deposit. They took advantage of the topography and made water canals from a river to the site, although the locals were against it. They have employed artificial intelligence technology to monitor water consumption, ensuring reuse as much as possible. According to the second interviewee, accessibility to water and electricity are among the major challenges in the industry. However, with the current technology, these challenges can be solved.
The third interviewee oversaw drilling in the company he represented. He explained that mining operations could not happen without water and that over 75% of operations had to use water. While water and electricity were not a problem for the company, he believed that companies without enough access to these resources require a lot of capital to run and maintain. He mentioned the power shortage problem was lowering with electricity reaching most remote areas.
How Might We Questions
- How might we solve the problem of water inaccessibility in mines?
- How might we solve the power shortages/inaccessibility in mines?
- How might we apply AI technology to reduce water consumption and wastage?
- How might we improve your experience in mining?
Empathy Maps
Interviewees’ Journey Map
Solutions
The following solutions were derived through research by all the group members. Brainstorming, empathy maps, and visioning were the tools to bring out these creative ideas. From the empathy maps created, the respondents were concerned mines were depleting and needed to look for alternatives. While the second interviewee seemed convinced his company was ready to move to new areas, the other two placed their hope in technology. They hoped solutions would be discovered to make the transition possible. The journey map created showed several opportunities that may be capitalized on to create solutions that meet customers’ desires. For instance, solutions should be fairly costly, durable, and easily maintained. Other methods used in solution generation included brainstorming, which allowed collective reasoning, encouraged more creativity, and created a relaxed learning environment. Visioning provided a sense of purpose and direction, keeping all members focused on their arguments.
Water, sewage, and recycling closed-loop systems
If a mining site wants to make the best use of available water, the amount used in wastewater treatment systems must be adjusted. Thanks to AI-powered treatment systems, mining companies can save water, reduce the number of tailings stored, and reduce the amount of effluent by recycling process water to align with UN goals (Boretti and Rosa, 2019). Intelligent water and wastewater operations can cut water use and operating costs by up to 30% (Roy et al., 2019). Optimizing membrane downtime and recovery so that water can be used twice is an excellent method for increasing mining efficiency. AI could help make this a reality by fine-tuning filtration, membrane recovery, and cleaning routines.
Installing a water treatment unit is one of the most common ways to use available water better. According to Crini and Lichtfouse (2019), numerous highly efficient wastewater treatment methods are available, including chemical and sludge treatment methods. However, the response will differ depending on the nature of the treatment required for the specific venture at hand. Membrane technology and heat treatments are two common methods for dealing with salt-based contaminants (Obotey-Ezugbe and Rathilal, 2020). Other methods for removing organic contaminants from the environment include bioreactors and polymer extraction. Wastewater treatment plants are where dirty water is purified before being reused. Furthermore, they make it less difficult and risky to comply with environmental regulations governing wastewater discharges (Hiam-Galvez, Prescott, and Hiam, 2020). Ensuring that automated chemical dosing is properly configured for optimal performance if and when used in the water and wastewater treatment processes is critical. To mitigate the impact of unplanned downtime, operators should develop a maintenance and reliability strategy.
Research, Development, and Innovation
Artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things sensors powered by analytics have the potential to improve existing infrastructure significantly. However, it may take some time to see progress. Before using real-time AI-enabled solutions to address the issue, operators must first collect data to identify the root causes of inefficiency. AI could help water, and sewage treatment plants use less energy, saving money and making water and sewage reuse easier (Rojek and Studzinski, 2019). Plant operators can manage water consumption across all assets by analyzing past data and implementing an AI system at the mine site. Like other AI-driven technologies, the more data it collects and analyzes, the better its performance.
Drill Boreholes
Drilling boreholes is another option for water in the exploitation of minerals in remote areas. This is a viable solution for projects in rich mines, where a company will likely spend a lot of time making profits. For processes requiring a lot of water, storage tanks will have to be built and water stored. However, this expensive solution should be applied to valuable minerals only. The cost of drilling boreholes can rise to $20,000-$50,000. Unfortunately, once the ore is depleted is left behind, and the company may never use it again.
Become Independent Power Producers
Companies can opt to produce their power as independent power producers (IPPs). If a construction site is not wired into the municipal or national grid, it must generate its electricity. Consideration should be given to renewable energy sources and other potentially profitable options that use less carbon (Sonter et al., 2020). The solutions created must consider the project’s water and energy requirements. By doing this, they do not have to rely on national or municipal power grids to run. Miners would benefit from guaranteed fuel consumption rates because they would use less energy. When using an IPP solution, there is no need to be concerned about meeting the plant’s energy needs or any of the other numerous challenges that arise during construction and operation. Combining an IPP strategy with a renewable energy source may be particularly beneficial for certain projects. That would be contingent on several factors, including the project’s location and anticipated duration (LoM) (Marais et al., 2018). If the LoM is longer than ten years, combining an IPP system with solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation is usually a good choice. In other words, the initial cost of installing a PV system is more than compensated for by the lower operational costs. Because of the declining cost of solar photovoltaic electricity, mining companies now have more financial leeway to experiment with it. While PV systems are becoming more popular, many mining companies have yet to figure out how to combine them with reliable, low-cost baseload power from a thermal power plant.
External Energy Sources
Companies should look for new ways to reduce waste, peak energy requirements, and environmental impacts. For example, rather than using pumps to transfer materials throughout the facility, the plant layout should take advantage of the terrain’s natural slope and gravity. One of the most significant cost savings benefits of in-pit crushing and conveying is the reduction in the need for trucks. This is especially true for open pit mines located at a higher altitude or a greater distance from the processing plant. As the overland conveyor belt begins its descent from the mine to the plant, gravity takes control and can be used to power other machinery.
A portion of the mineral processing facility can be located further downstream to reduce electricity production costs. The increased strain on the transportation system may not be worth the potential long-term savings compared to the cost of building and maintaining power plants. Although electricity will always be required at the extraction site, the reduced demand may present an opportunity to utilize renewable energy sources better.
Conclusion
Inadequate water and power have prevented the exploitation of rich mines that would bring many benefits. This is alarming as accessible mines are depleting, and ores quality is declining. Fortunately, several solutions could enable companies to exploit mineral deposits in remote areas. These solutions are based on technology, including reducing consumption and waste and using AI in water-handling operations. On the power side, solutions include becoming IPPs and finding alternative sources of energy on the renewable side. While it might take some time to achieve a significant result, accessing valuable minerals from all areas and different environments will be worth it.
Reference List
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