Production Efficiency and Environmental Research for Responsible Mining

Dear Colleagues,

The mining sector plays a key role in the development of any society, providing mineral resources to all economic sectors, and is particularly relevant for the transition towards a more sustainable world. This sector must shift towards more responsible activity, balancing productivity and profitability with a commitment to sustainability and social responsibility; otherwise, mining activity itself could be at risk.

As a result, its daily operation must be transformed to minimize environmental impacts related to GHG emissions, water, soil, dust, vibrations, noise, subsidence, and waste management, among other resources. In addition, the concept of responsibility must also include interactions between all stakeholders that are affected by mining operations.

On the other hand, production optimization and the availability of mineral resources are crucial for correct operation and feasibility over short- and long-term periods. The concept of responsibility must be embedded in full into the improvement of operating systems.

This Special Issue aims to gather high-quality original research articles and review papers reflecting research advances in production efficiency and the availability of mineral resources, environmental research for sustainable mining, and responsible mining approaches from a holistic perspective. The main potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Socio-economic and environmental implications of the mining industry and mineral resource management;
2. ESG research focused on the mining sector;
3. New mining waste usage and management approaches;
4. The interaction of the mining industry with the environment and society;
5. Process optimization and technological advancements for mineral resources;
6. Responsible mining approaches;
7. The provision and availability of mineral resources.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Marc Bascompta Massanés
Dr. Lluís Sanmiquel Pera
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Resources is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1600 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.

• mining
• mineral resource management
• underground mining
• surface mining
• mineral processing
• mining value chain
• corporate social responsibility
• ESG
• mineral resource availability