CMA

57 Introduction – ‘Green Mining’ The ‘mining industry’ is always facing a challenging scenario for its operations. Improving productivity at each activity level helps to boost the process and to constantly work to enhance the whole value chain, which includes overcoming natural factors such as utilising low grades thus decreasing ore grades, utilising deeper deposits, and harder rock mass, combined with an increasing environmental and social awareness, in total adding to ‘Green Mining’ concept. Innovation plays a crucial role by providing suitable solutions to handle many difficulties, ensuring the continuity and sustainability of the mining activity. It has always been a debate whether mining is indeed an ‘innovative industry’ or not. It is often perceived as a conservative sector, where innovation takes only a secondary position. On the other hand, many argue that mining is more likely to be comparable with high-tech industries, considering that it utilizes vanguard technologies in its processes, such as automated or remote controlled machinery, and advanced monitoring systems for the collection and analysis of large amounts of data. It can be said that mining is passing through the first stages of a deep changeover from the hand of digital transformation. It is changing in the process that how mining is done, passing from human-run operations to automatic or semi-automatic remote-controlled operations. Nowadays, the world is changing faster than ever before. New technologies are developed every day, impacting the way people live. The phrase “we live in a different world than the one where our parents grew up” does not completely cover the reality of the past few decades. For example, in current days, most people would not conceive their lives without their smartphones, laptops and other IT tools. Nevertheless, in the case of the mining industry, it is possible to identify certain trends that can be of help to outline this future scenario of green mining. First and most evident, it is the major technological shift occurring across all industries: the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution, or simply Industry 4.0, as the transition to the digital era. Then, social, and environmental concerns are already compelling mining to look for safer, more efficient, and sustainable ways of conducting the business. Reduction of energy and water consumption, lower emissions, and waste generation are all factors that will be in the core of the “Green mining concept”. In parallel with the technological wave brought by the IT application in mining field, a series of other trends have been gaining relevance for the green mining over recent years, which majorly focuses on • Safety and environmental concerns • Cost reduction • Enhancement of efficiency, and • Productivity in the operation, or a mix of these motives etc. Technology innovation in Mining field for Green Mining Technological innovation in mining can be defined as implementation of new idea, methodology, designing, or product, as well as its development or use. This innovation should lead to improved productivity and better environment, ultimately achieving goal of ‘green mining’. Green Mining is the effective clean energy transition that gives the mining sector the opportunity to ramp up its ‘Action’ and ‘Improving’ its operations through improved practices. The innovation in the mining industry is defined as the relation between innovation and various productivity parameters and operating efficiency improvements. Concepts of Technology Innovations in Mining Operations Technological improvement/innovations usually have direct impact on the productivity, allowing higher production rates from input resources, or alternatively it reduces the manpower required by the automation of processes. On the other hand, technological innovation also helps in finding ways to improve safety, lower costs, improve profitability, reducing CO2 emissions, increase production, improve mineral recovery, boost efficiencies & environmental parameters. They adopt preventive maintenance procedures to increase equipment availability and extend machine life. The application of these new technologies continues to have a positive impact on mining operations around the world. Following are few innovative approaches, which helps in improving above mentioned key parameters of mining