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Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies

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A special issue of Mining (ISSN 2673-6489).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 2 February 2026 | Viewed by 6389

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fangwei Xie

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Guest Editor

School of Mechatronic Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: underground mining; mining equipment; mine main ventilators; mechanical roof support; safety; scraper conveyor; neural networks; rock pressure; deep learning

Dr. Nikita Babyr

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Saint Petersburg Mining University, 21st Line, 2, 199106 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Interests: coal; longwall mining; mechanical roof support; hydraulic prop; mathematical modeling; rock mass; data visualization; occupational safety; ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fuel and energy sectors are currently undergoing a significant technological transition, driven by the increasing integration of advanced mineral extraction and processing technologies. These innovations are critical to ensuring the sustainable development of countries whose economic stability and growth are heavily reliant on the exploitation of mineral resources.

Despite the rapid development of renewable and unconventional energy sources, current output remains insufficient to satisfy the growing global demand for energy. As a result, conventional energy sources, particularly those based on fossil fuels and solid minerals, are expected to remain the cornerstone of global energy supply in the foreseeable future. Among these, coal is projected to retain a pivotal role due to its abundant reserves, established extraction infrastructure, and relatively high energy conversion efficiency. Experts estimate that over the next several decades, coal will remain the most dependable combustible mineral resource in terms of availability and production scalability.

In this evolving energy landscape, the mineral raw materials market is increasingly characterized by intense competition. This dynamic compels mining enterprises to adopt cost-reduction strategies to maintain economic viability. Research indicates that enhancing the intensity of mining operations and improving the performance of mining machinery and equipment are key strategies for achieving greater efficiency and competitiveness.

This Special Issue aims to present the current state of research and technological advancement in the mining sector. It will feature case studies of ongoing mining projects, as well as recent developments in mining methods and engineering solutions. Topics of interest include advanced mining technologies, computational modeling, next-generation mining equipment and materials, occupational safety innovations, and the economic optimization of mining operations. Additionally, the issue will address sustainable resource recovery approaches, environmental impact assessment methodologies, and the integration of digital technologies, such as automation, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence, into modern mining practices.

Prof. Dr. Fangwei Xie
Dr. Nikita Babyr
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Mining is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

coal
mining
solid minerals
technology
equipment
automation
innovation
safety
efficiency
sustainable development
ecology
case study
social and economic aspects

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1992 KB

Open AccessArticle

Determining the Maximum Linear Mass of a Suspended Conveyor Belt Using PySR Symbolic Regression

by Sergey Alexandrovich Gordin, Alexander Nikolaevich Ermakov, Alexander Yuryevich Zakharov and Jianfei Wang

Mining 2025, 5(4), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining5040083 - 10 Dec 2025

Abstract

Suspended conveyor belts are widely used in mining, including in systems with non-contact support such as magnetically suspended conveyors, where the maximum admissible linear mass of the loaded belt determines the required supporting forces. This paper presents a method for estimating the upper limit of the linear mass of a suspended belt for a given belt width and bulk material. Several cross-sectional configurations are analysed, and analytical expressions for the bulk cross-sectional area under limiting fill are derived. A numerical search over the troughing radius is then performed to find the radius that maximises the cross-sectional area and to select the configuration that provides the largest area. For this configuration, the extremum condition leads to a transcendental equation; so, symbolic regression with the PySR package is used to obtain an explicit approximation for the radius that maximises the area as a function of belt width and angle of repose. Substituting this expression into the standard formula for linear mass yields a closed-form estimate of the maximum admissible linear mass. Numerical examples show good agreement with the optimisation results and indicate that the formula is suitable for preliminary design of suspended and magnetically suspended belt conveyors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies)

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19 pages, 5760 KB

Open AccessArticle

Control Systems for a Coal Mine Tunnelling Machine

by Yuriy Kozhubaev, Roman Ershov, Abbas Ali, Yiming Yao and Changwen Yin

Mining 2025, 5(4), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining5040082 - 10 Dec 2025

Abstract

The mining industry places high priority on occupational safety, process quality and operational efficiency. Roadheaders are widely deployed in coal mines to support fully automated excavation, reducing workers’ physical strain and improving overall safety. This article examines an automatic control system for a roadheader cutting head designed to increase mining efficiency, reduce energy consumption and maintain stable performance under varying coal and rock conditions. The system integrates advanced control algorithms with geological strength index (GSI) analysis and asynchronous motor control strategies. GSI-based adaptive speed control conserves energy and increases cutting efficiency compared to manual control. By reducing dynamic load fluctuations, transitions between different cutting zones become smoother, which decreases equipment wear. The proposed control system incorporates speed feedback loops that use a proportional–integral (PI) controller with field-oriented control (FOC), as well as super-twisted sliding mode control (STSMC) with FOC. FOC with STSMC improves roadheader productivity by applying advanced control strategies, adaptive speed regulation and precise geological strength analysis. It is also better able to handle disturbances and sudden loads thanks to STSMC’s nonlinear control robustness. The result is safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective mining that can be implemented across a wide range of underground mining scenarios. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies)

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22 pages, 2899 KB

Open AccessArticle

Method for Monitoring the Condition of Steel Wire Ropes Based on the Analysis of Changes in the Linear Dimensions of Their Cross-Sections

by Aleksandr Kulchitskiy and Mikhail Nikolaev

Mining 2025, 5(4), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining5040079 - 22 Nov 2025

Viewed by 270

Abstract

Reliable detection of defects in steel wire ropes is pivotal to ensuring safety and maintaining operational reliability of hoisting and lifting systems in mining and other industries. This study proposes an automated monitoring method based on analyzing the cross-sectional size profile extracted from high-quality visual images. Each image undergoes preprocessing—adaptive binarization, noise suppression, and edge extraction—followed by formation of a one-dimensional thickness profile along the rope’s longitudinal axis. Aggregate statistical descriptors (mean, standard deviation, extrema, and shape descriptors) computed from this profile are supplied to a CatBoost gradient boosting classifier. The model achieves an F1-score exceeding 0.93 across diagnostic categories (intact, bend, kink, break), with particularly high accuracy for critical damage such as wire breaks. Compared with conventional image CNN classifiers, the proposed approach offers higher interpretability, lower computational complexity, and robustness to noise and visual artifacts. The results substantiate the method’s efficacy for real-time automated condition monitoring of mining equipment and its suitability for integration into industrial machine-vision systems. The results substantiate the method’s efficacy for real-time automated condition monitoring of mining equipment and its suitability for integration into industrial machine-vision systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies)

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18 pages, 26641 KB

Open AccessArticle

Online XRF Analysis of Elements in Minerals on a Conveyor Belt

by Aleksander Sokolov, Vitalijs Kuzmovs, Ulises Miranda Ordóñez and Vladimir Gostilo

Mining 2025, 5(4), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining5040077 - 11 Nov 2025

Viewed by 478

Abstract

The determination of the elemental composition of minerals at mining enterprises is important at all stages of mineral processing. An evaluation of metrological characteristics achieved through the online analysis of lump, ore, charge feed, cake and slag materials on a conveyor belt is presented. Each implementation of the online XRF analysis at mining enterprises was preceded by laboratory studies, the development of measurement methods and the calibration of a specific XRF analyzer using standard reference samples for a specific concentration range of the monitored elements. In this work, typical application areas for monitoring the concentration of elements in rocks on conveyor belts are presented, as well as those solutions that made it possible to achieve the required measurement accuracy with an X-ray fluorescence analyzer in an online mode. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies)

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19 pages, 1223 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Multi-Objective Model for Economic and Carbon Emission Optimisation in Sublevel Stoping Operations

by G. M. Wali Ullah, Micah Nehring, Mehmet Kizil and Peter Knights

Mining 2025, 5(4), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining5040076 - 10 Nov 2025

Viewed by 320

Abstract

The mining industry faces the critical challenge of balancing economic profitability with environmental responsibility. Traditional mine planning models often prioritise financial gains, particularly Net Present Value (NPV), while placing less emphasis on environmental impacts, such as carbon emissions. This research presents a comprehensive multi-objective optimisation model for production scheduling in sublevel stoping operations. The model simultaneously aims to maximise NPV and minimise carbon emissions, providing a more sustainable framework for decision-making. The carbon emission objective comprehensively accounts for energy consumption across all key mining activities, including drilling, blasting, ventilation, transportation, crushing, and backfilling, using a “top-down” accounting method. The multi-objective problem is solved using the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II), which generates a set of Pareto-optimal solutions representing the trade-off between the two conflicting goals. The model is applied to a conceptual copper deposit with 200 stopes. The results demonstrate a clear trade-off: schedules with higher NPV inevitably lead to higher carbon emissions, and vice versa. For instance, one solution yields a high NPV of $312.94 million but with 23,602 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. In contrast, another, more environmentally friendly solution reduces emissions by 26.5% to 18,647 tonnes, resulting in only a 1.21% reduction in NPV. This research concludes that integrating environmental objectives into mine planning is not only feasible but essential for promoting sustainable mining practices, offering a practical tool for operators to make informed, balanced decisions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies)

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26 pages, 1276 KB

Open AccessArticle

Key Strategies and Future Prospects for Raw Material Diversification in Global Aluminum Production: A Case Study of UC RUSAL

by Tatiana Ponomarenko, Konstantin Spivakov and Natalia Romasheva

Mining 2025, 5(4), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining5040070 - 29 Oct 2025

Viewed by 1203

Abstract

Aluminum’s unique properties have led to its widespread use across multiple industries, including transportation, aviation, power generation, construction, and food packaging. In recent years, global aluminum consumption has risen significantly, with China experiencing particularly sharp growth in both production and demand. In Russia, the aluminum industry is dominated by UC RUSAL, which consolidates all Russian aluminum and alumina production facilities, along with several international operations and mining assets. Despite its global presence, the company remains heavily reliant on imported raw materials (approximately 50%) for alumina production, resulting in reduced operational efficiency and declining output. This dependency has necessitated the exploration of strategies to diversify raw material sources across different stages of the aluminum production value chain. This study identifies and classifies key diversification options for global aluminum companies, focusing on secondary aluminum production, primary aluminum production, and alumina extraction from mined minerals, industrial waste, and by-products. The options were evaluated based on predefined criteria (feasibility, cost per Mg of alumina, logistics, alumina output, and economic security), and two options were selected. The research substantiates the feasibility of diversifying production through nepheline utilization. For the medium term, an economic efficiency assessment was conducted for a proposed 30% capacity expansion at the Pikalevo Alumina Refinery. Additionally, long-term opportunities for increasing aluminum output were identified, including leveraging foreign assets while accounting for associated risks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies)

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14 pages, 581 KB

Open AccessArticle

A Comprehensive Technical and Economic Analysis of Rubber-Tyred Transport Implementation in Longwall Mining: A Case Study on the V.D. Yalevsky Coal Mine

by Andrey Sidorenko, Aleksey Kriukov, Anatoliy Meshkov and Sergey Sidorenko

Mining 2025, 5(4), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining5040065 - 16 Oct 2025

Viewed by 577

Abstract

This article presents a concept for modernizing the transport system of high-performance coal mines through the transition from traditional monorail to rubber-tyred transport (RTT). The study was conducted based on materials from the V.D. Yalevsky Mine of JSC “SUEK-Kuzbass” with daily longwall output up to 60,000 tons and production capacity up to 10 million tons per year. Analysis of the existing transport system efficiency revealed low equipment utilization rates (52–70%) and significant time losses during shift changeovers (up to 4.3 h/day in development workings). Technical solutions for phased RTT implementation were developed, including six roadway surface scenarios and a fleet composition of 60 specialized equipment units. The research methodology is based on time study observations using the automated “Granch” system, analysis of equipment utilization coefficients, and economic–mathematical modeling using NPV, MIRR, and payback period. The transition to rubber-tyred transport provides a five-fold increase in travel speed (from 4.5 to 25 km/h), reduction in shift changeover time to zero, increase in operating time by 20% in development and 4.5% in extraction, and a reduction in longwall move duration from 173–209 to 88 days. Additional coal production amounts to 6.5 million tons. Economic justification shows NPV of USD 64.2 million with MIRR of 2.4% and a payback period of 4.5 years. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies)

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22 pages, 7168 KB

Open AccessArticle

Technogenic Waste in Backfill Composite Is a Paradigm of Circular Economy

by Marat M. Khayrutdinov, Alexander V. Aleksakhin, Tatiana N. Kibuk, Lyudmila N. Korshunova, Maria A. Lozinskaya, Olga Yu. Legoshina, Oleg O. Skryabin and Galina V. Kruzhkova

Mining 2025, 5(3), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining5030057 - 15 Sep 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 760

Abstract

The depletion of shallow coal reserves necessitates a shift from open-pit to underground mining, increasing the need for safe and efficient backfill systems. However, traditional backfill materials—especially cement—are costly and environmentally burdensome. To address this, our study explores a sustainable alternative using industrial waste, contributing to the principles of a circular economy. This research presents a novel backfill formulation that achieves full cement replacement through the use of fly ash, supplemented with nanocrystalline silica and glass fiber to enhance strength and setting dynamics. Eighteen sample sets were prepared for each composition, using consistent mixing, curing, and testing protocols. Mechanical strength was evaluated at multiple curing intervals alongside microstructural characterization using SEM and XRD. The results show that mixtures containing nanomodified silica and fiber exhibit significantly improved compressive, shear, and splitting strength—up to 40% higher than fly ash-only compositions. Microstructural analysis revealed accelerated C-S-H gel development, reduced porosity, and more uniform pore structures over time. These findings confirm the mechanical viability and economic potential of waste-based backfill systems. The proposed formulation enables safer underground operations, improved extraction efficiency, and reduced environmental impact—offering a scalable solution for modern coal mining. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies)

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19 pages, 1242 KB

Open AccessArticle

Integration of Renewable Energy Sources to Achieve Sustainability and Resilience of Mines in Remote Areas

by Josip Kronja and Ivo Galić

Mining 2025, 5(3), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/mining5030051 - 6 Aug 2025

Viewed by 1473

Abstract

Mining (1) operations in remote areas (2) face significant challenges related to energy supply, high fuel costs, and limited infrastructure. This study investigates the potential for achieving energy independence (3) and resilience (4) in such environments through the integration of renewable energy sources (5) and battery–electric mining equipment. Using the “Studena Vrila” underground bauxite mine as a case study, a comprehensive techno-economic and environmental analysis was conducted across three development models. These models explore incremental scenarios of solar and wind energy adoption combined with electrification of mobile machinery. The methodology includes calculating levelized cost of energy (LCOE), return on investment (ROI), and greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions under each scenario. Results demonstrate that a full transition to RES and electric machinery can reduce diesel consumption by 100%, achieve annual savings of EUR 149,814, and cut GHG emissions by over 1.7 million kg CO₂-eq. While initial capital costs are high, all models yield a positive Net Present Value (NPV), confirming long-term economic viability. This research provides a replicable framework for decarbonizing mining operations in off-grid and infrastructure-limited regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Mining Technology and Equipment: Innovations and Case Studies)

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