Search Results (199)

Stockpiles and run-of-mine (ROM) pads are critical control points between mine production and processing plant feed. The grade, quality mix, and variability of material delivered to the crusher and mill are largely determined by how these structures are designed, built, and reclaimed. Despite the operational significance of stockpile management, the field remains fragmented across five distinct research streams—physical blending theory, stockpile state modelling, reclaim sequencing and equipment scheduling, plant-feed and stockpile blending optimization, and sensor-driven reconciliation and closed-loop control—with limited integration between them. This paper presents a systematic review of 27 sources published between 1976 and 2025, including peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, a preprint, a book, and one industry publication. The literature search was conducted in May 2025 using Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, with records screened by title/abstract and full text for direct relevance to stockpile reclamation or grade blending in mining operations. A structured coverage matrix identifies that studies combining high spatial fidelity with strong optimization rigor are consistently absent from the literature, and that uncertainty handling and sensor-driven or real-time capability remain substantially underdeveloped. Six research gaps are identified and prioritized by practical significance, implementation readiness, and literature maturity. The four most operationally critical gaps concern: spatially explicit reclaim scheduling under live ROM-pad constraints; tractable multi-attribute blending formulations for polymetallic operations; uncertainty propagation to plant-feed predictions; and field-scale closed-loop validation. The review provides a structured development roadmap for ROM-pad optimization frameworks and identifies the specific integration challenges that must be addressed to move the field from static stockpile monitoring toward adaptive, sensor-updated decision support. Full article

This paper introduces the concept of rural mining, defined as the systematic recovery and reuse of construction materials from abandoned rural building stock within a circular economy framework. Although rural depopulation and its consequences have been extensively studied, the material dimension of abandonment, the substantial quantities of construction materials embedded in deserted rural settlements, has received comparatively little systematic analytical attention. Three interconnected contributions respond to this gap. First, the paper operationalizes the concept of rural mining, consolidating a term that remains terminologically rare and theoretically underdeveloped. Second, it develops the Rural Mining Potential Assessment Framework (RMPAF), an original ten-criterion analytical tool spanning the material, infrastructural, legal, economic, institutional, cultural, and technological dimensions of rural mining potential. Third, it articulates an ethical foundation establishing the non-negotiable boundaries of rural mining practice. The RMPAF is applied through a comparative assessment of three European national contexts, Serbia, Slovenia, and Greece, revealing that rural mining potential is neither uniform nor straightforwardly derivable from the scale of depopulation alone. Across all three contexts, ownership fragmentation, the absence of legal recognition, and the lack of dedicated policy instruments emerge as shared structural barriers. Development of operational protocols for culturally mediated rural mining and legal recognition of the concept are identified as priority directions for future action. Full article

Soil formation in post-mining areas is strongly influenced not only by parent material but also by the vegetation introduced during reclamation. Tree species affect pedogenic processes through litter input, root activity and associated microbial communities. This study investigates soil development in reclaimed post-mining landscapes, focusing on the combined influence of tree species and substrate properties. Two forest sites in Poland were analysed: Szczakowa (former open-pit sand mine) and Bełchatów (lignite mine spoil heap), 30–40 years after reclamation and afforestation with four dominant species: silver birch, European larch, Scots pine and red oak. Differences in soil development were observed among tree species. Stands with deciduous trees (birch and oak) were generally associated with clearer horizon differentiation, higher soil organic carbon and nitrogen content, and more pronounced iron redistribution compared with coniferous stands. The mean thickness of the combined organic-rich surface horizons was 12.4 cm at Szczakowa and 10.8 cm at Bełchatów. Coniferous species were more often linked with soil acidification and early stages of podzolisation-like processes, particularly in sandy substrates, whereas soils under deciduous species showed features related to brunification and organic matter incorporation. The study also included a comparison of soil classification systems, indicating that the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) offers a flexible framework for describing young and anthropogenically transformed soils compared with traditional national classifications. From a sustainability perspective, the results highlight that strategic species selection during reclamation, specifically promoting birch on sandy substrates and oak on heterogeneous technogenic substrates, enhances soil organic carbon accumulation, nutrient retention and iron cycling, thus contributing to the long-term restoration of ecosystem services on degraded post-mining landscapes. Full article

Coal mining in areas with high groundwater levels often induces land subsidence and water accumulation, leading to the formation of artificial secondary wetlands. Reclaimed wetlands may provide important opportunities for regional biodiversity recovery. Taking Shuoxi Lake Wetland in Huaibei City as a case study, this research aims to reveal the characteristics of waterbird diversity in artificial wetlands after ecological reclamation in a coal mining subsidence area and to identify their key environmental drivers, thereby providing a scientific basis for optimizing the habitat service functions of such wetlands. Based on habitat identification and classification of the reclaimed wetland, waterbird diversity was surveyed, and redundancy analysis (RDA), Mantel tests, and ridge regression models were used to identify the major environmental factors influencing the distribution of different waterbird groups and to quantify their relative contributions. The results showed that after ecological reclamation, a total of 28 waterbird species belonging to 7 families and 6 orders were recorded in the artificial wetland of the coal mining subsidence area. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that wader assemblages were more sensitive to vegetation cover (VC), distance to water bodies (DTW), and distance to buildings (DTB), whereas waterfowl assemblages were mainly affected by distance to buildings (DTB), area (A), and distance to water bodies (DTW), and showed no significant response to vegetation heterogeneity. Mantel tests further confirmed significant spatial correlations between waterbird assemblages and area (A), distance to major roads (DTR), distance to buildings (DTB), water depth (WD), and distance to water bodies (DTW). Ridge regression analysis showed that, under conditions in which anthropogenic disturbance was minimized, vegetation cover (VC) and water depth (WD) were the main positive drivers of wader diversity, whereas perimeter to area ratio (PAR) was the main negative driver. Waterfowl diversity was mainly negatively affected by perimeter to area ratio (PAR) and distance to water bodies (DTW). These findings suggest that appropriately regulating water depth, increasing vegetation cover, and reducing patch fragmentation and anthropogenic disturbance are key measures for enhancing the habitat service functions of artificial secondary wetlands in mining areas. These management strategies provide an important reference for wetland rehabilitation in other coal mining subsidence areas. Full article

Resource-based cities in Northwest China face increasing ecological, geotechnical, and socio-economic challenges caused by long-term mining, including subsidence, slope instability, waste rock accumulation, soil erosion, industrial decline, and settlement deterioration. Post-mining land reuse is constrained by geological safety, foundation stability, slope safety, drainage capacity, erosion risk, and waste rock dump stability, yet existing restoration studies often separate engineering remediation from landscape reuse, industrial pathway selection, and long-term governance. Taking a mining area in City A, Gansu Province, as a case study, this paper develops a geotechnical constraint-based ecology–landscape–economy framework for post-mining land reuse and sustainable human settlement improvement. Unlike conventional reclamation approaches that mainly emphasize engineering remediation, vegetation recovery, or single-function land reuse, this study integrates geotechnical constraints, land-unit classification, pathway-specific compatibility assessment, and capital–space coupling into a planning-scale decision-support framework. Post-mining land was classified into five units, and their compatibility with three restoration plus industrial pathways was assessed using five indicators: geological safety, ecological sensitivity, land-use availability, landscape and cultural value, and industrial operation potential. The results indicate that backfilled mining voids and reclaimed platforms are most suitable for modern agriculture, tailings ponds and subsidence waterbodies for cultural tourism and wellness, and waste rock dump platforms and other stable, low-sensitivity open land for new energy development. A capital–space coupling mechanism is further proposed to link restoration, support, and development zones with government funds, corporate capital, social capital, green finance, and industrial income. This framework provides a planning-scale engineering-suitability screening tool for sustainable post-mining land transformation. Full article

Scientific studies of mine closure and ecosystem management have become very important since the rate of coal mine closures in China has increased rapidly over the last decade. This study first analyzed spatiotemporal changes in land use and ecosystem services value (ESV) during the period 2000–2020 around the Kailuan Mining Area in Tangshan City. The area has a history of over 100 years of continuous mining activities in the region. The analyses used the PLUS model, multi-scenario simulation, and ESV equivalent factor method and multi-source data on land use, mining activities, socioeconomic factors, and climatic conditions. The study then projected land-use changes and spatiotemporal ESV characteristics for the year 2030 for two alternatives: (1) the Current Development Scenario (CDS), representing the current pace of development without mine closure; and (2) the Ecological Restoration Scenario (ERS), representing mine closure and ecological restoration. Key results include: (1) during 2000–2020, cultivated land and construction land were the primary land uses, with the overall trends showing decrease in cultivated, forest, pasture, and unused lands, varying water use areas, and continuously increasing construction land; (2) the revised ESV results show that total ESV declined from 31.27 million USD in 2000 to 25.30 million USD in 2020, a net decrease of 6.19 million USD, mainly because of cropland loss and degradation of forest and grassland; and (3) for 2030, the CDS projected a continued decline in total ESV to 24.30 million USD, whereas the ERS increased total ESV to 26.50 million USD, which is 2.19 million USD higher than the CDS and 1.20 million USD higher than the 2020 baseline. Compared with the CDS, the ERS increased cropland by 13.20 km² and reduced construction land by 10.06 km², indicating that reclaiming subsided water bodies and idle construction land into cropland and restored ecological land can enhance ecosystem services while mitigating subsidence-related risks. The framework can support data-driven post-mining land-use planning and ecological management in resource-based regions. Full article

The switch in land use of abandoned tailings can precondition their reuse as newly built parks. This study investigated the feasibility of reusing a remediated mercury (Hg) retorting site in Wanshan, Guizhou Province, China, as a functional urban park by assessing residual heavy metal risks and associated vegetation responses. Field investigations were conducted across 31 park sites distributed along an east–west geographical gradient from the former mining area to urban parks, using replicated plots to sample the surface soils and dominant plant species. The concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), and lead (Pb) in soil and plant tissues were quantified using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry, and vegetation structure and diversity were evaluated using standard community indices. The results showed significant spatial variability in soil and plant metal concentrations, with higher levels generally observed near historically impacted areas of the mine. However, all soil metal concentrations were below the national safety thresholds. Plant tissues exhibit controlled metal accumulation within normal or regulated ranges, reflecting the effective screening of tolerant and hyperaccumulating species. Increasing heavy metal concentrations were associated with reduced vegetation coverage, height, and diversity along the gradient. Overall, the findings indicate that the reclaimed Hg retorting site almost met ecological safety requirements, but more data on deep soils, groundwater, and long-term observations are needed to draw more conclusive conclusions. Full article

The continuous analysis of ground deformation is essential for both the assessment of natural hazards and the monitoring of human-induced activities. In this study, we present the results of a Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) analysis of ground deformations in the region of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The PSI was performed using more than 10 years of Sentinel-1 ascending and descending Synthetic Aperture Radar data from 2014 to 2025, using a dual master approach. Results show significant displacements at many locations, including recently built-up areas at the edges of the city, often caused by the combined effect of anthropogenic activities and geological conditions. In this study, we highlight three case studies: the surroundings of a reclaimed mine, subsidence induced by dewatering, and a large-area, slow landslide, wherein we examined natural and anthropogenic influences. The accurately mapped and quantified ground deformations can be used for a better understanding of the geological processes and assessing the risk of the urban development in the area. Full article

The growing demand for sustainable and economically efficient road maintenance solutions has driven the development of materials that reduce the use of natural aggregates and promote waste valorization. In this context, this study evaluates the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and greywacke aggregates derived from Panasqueira mining by-products as partial or total substitutes for granite aggregates in cold asphalt mixtures intended for rapid pothole repair. Reference mixtures and recycled mixtures were produced with controlled proportions of RAP and greywacke, using cationic bituminous emulsion and hydrated lime, as well as an additional mixture composed only of RAP with a fluxing cold binder. Three commercial mixtures, identified as CCM1, CCM2, and CCM3, were also evaluated. Performance was analyzed through Cantabro particle loss, Marshall stability and flow, indirect tensile stiffness modulus, and water sensitivity (ITSR). The results show that greywacke provides a robust granular skeleton, while RAP content and binder type influence stiffness, cohesion, and moisture resistance. Overall, the combination of RAP and greywacke proved to be technically viable and, in several cases, superior to the commercial mixtures studied. Full article

Drawing on an extensive literature review, this paper identifies key dimensions of social impact and land management in surface mining areas, including settlement relocation, long-term land occupation, limited economic diversification, demographic decline, and stakeholder distrust. These findings are then critically applied to the Ptolemais lignite basin, where six decades of large-scale surface mining reshaped land use patterns, displaced settlements, and structured a highly specialized regional economy. The research combines qualitative literature analysis with a case study approach, supported by socioeconomic and demographic indicators. Results show that (i) lignite exploitation generated employment, infrastructure, and regional income multipliers but also structural vulnerabilities and other impacts, (ii) land occupation and settlement relocation as an impact of mine expansion created long-term spatial constraints, and (iii) the energy transition phase intensified demographic, unemployment, and governance challenges. The paper argues that effective post-lignite restructuring is related to systematic reclamation strategies, integrated land-use planning, optimal exploitation of reclaimed land, diversification beyond energy production, and participatory governance frameworks. By linking international theoretical insights with empirical evidence from Western Macedonia, the study contributes to the debate on socially just and spatially balanced transitions in former coal and lignite regions. Full article

The transition of coal regions under the European Green Deal and Just Transition Fund creates a need for quantitative, transparent monitoring of ecological recovery on post-mining land. This study presents an autonomous UAV-based methodology for high-resolution monitoring of vegetation dynamics on a reclaimed coal waste heap in Upper Silesia, Poland. A DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral platform with RTK positioning conducted approximately biweekly flights from August 2024 to October 2025 over three study plots acquiring RGB and multispectral imagery at approximately 4 cm/pixel. Photogrammetric processing in DJI Terra produced radiometrically corrected orthomosaics and NDVI maps, which were analyzed using an automated QGIS workflow for reprojection, clipping, NDVI-based classification, and quantification of vegetation area across three different reclamation variants. The results indicate that intensive soil conditioning through the application of compost derived from bio-waste achieved a maximum vegetation cover of 94.4%. This treatment consistently maintained the highest level of cover during periods of environmental stress and significantly surpassed both seeding-only treatments and those combining seeding with irrigation. Baseline vegetation cover below 6% confirmed the necessity of active reclamation. This workflow provides rapid and reproducible metrics that are suitable for adaptive management and regulatory reporting. It also offers a scalable template for monitoring coal waste heaps across Europe undergoing SDG-aligned reclamation. Full article

Open-pit lignite mining causes significant environmental alterations, particularly through the removal of soil deposits and the creation of external dumps, which necessitate effective reclamation to restore landscape structures. This study evaluates the potential of using multi-temporal remote sensing data to assess the effectiveness of forest reclamation on selected external dumps of the Adamów, Bełchatów, and Turów Lignite Mines in Poland. Using Landsat imagery spanning five decades from 1976 to 2023, the study monitors vegetation development through the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI). Reclaimed forest stands were compared against undisturbed reference forests within a 30 km buffer zone, with recovery defined as achieving 95% of the reference values. The results indicate that most studied sites reached a state of recovery, with success closely linked to the specific reclamation measures implemented and the age of the forest stands. Notably, the Adamów mine, which utilized Bender’s target species method, demonstrated rapid results, achieving high similarity to reference forests early in the analyzed period. In contrast, recovery in Bełchatów and Turów was more gradual, following trajectories influenced by pioneer and biodynamic afforestation methods. Ultimately, the study confirms that remote sensing is a highly efficient tool for monitoring extensive post-mining areas over long periods, providing a general assessment of biological restoration success. Full article

Microbial nutrient cycling in afforested mine soils may be affected by the plant litter quality. This study investigated how different tree species—Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), silver birch (Betula pendula), European larch (Larix decidua), and black alder (Alnus glutinosa)—influence microbial carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) limitations in reclaimed sandy mine soils. We combined substrate-induced respiration (SIR) and ecoenzymatic stoichiometry (EES) to diagnose these metabolic constraints. The SIR analysis revealed a universal primary limitation by labile C across all tree species, with glucose addition stimulating respiration by 271%–333%, regardless of the soil organic carbon content. However, EES revealed distinct secondary nutrient constraints driven by species-specific litter quality. Alder stands exhibited severe P limitation, likely due to high P demand for symbiotic N-fixation and intense competition for P between trees and microbes. In contrast, birch stands showed stoichiometric homeostasis and a slight N deficiency. Coniferous species exhibited P limitation and low enzymatic activity, indicating a strategy focused on intensive nutrient acquisition under low-energy conditions associated with recalcitrant needle litter. These findings demonstrate that while energy limitation is a universal constraint in mine soils, tree species determine the nature and intensity of secondary nutrient limitations due to differences in litter stoichiometry. Full article

Patterns of resource selection are driven by the decision-making processes of animals occurring at multiple scales from where to establish a home range (i.e., second order selection) to which resource patches to use within the home range (i.e., third order selection). Elk (Cervus canadensis) were reintroduced to southwestern Virginia, USA, from 2012 to 2014 following successful translocations onto reclaimed surface coal mines in the region. We sought to understand how elk have acclimated following their translocation using location data from GPS-collared adult female elk (n = 33) collected from 2019 to 2022 along with remotely sensed terrain and land cover data. We utilized continuous-time movement models paired with generalized linear mixed-effects modeling to describe seasonal resource selection at second and third orders. At both scales of selection and throughout the year, female elk selected reclaimed surface mines, conifer forests, ridgetops, and areas with lower terrain roughness, while avoiding mixed hardwood and oak (Quercus spp.) forests. Unmined open land was only selected at the third order during periods of forage scarcity (i.e., winter) and increased metabolic requirements (i.e., late gestation). Although surface coal mining leaves legacy environmental impacts on the landscape, management of these sites provides benefits to elk and maintains open habitat that is otherwise limited. Full article

After the completion of open-pit coal mining, land reclamation is implemented to restore the disturbed eco–hydrological system, for which accurate soil moisture characterization is essential. We evaluated the feasibility and performance of an Auto-Regressive Moving Average (ARMA)-based ground-penetrating radar (GPR) inversion scheme for estimating soil moisture in a reclaimed mine area. GPR data were acquired over a reconstructed three-layer soil profile in a reclaimed open-pit coal mine, and soil moisture content was independently determined using the oven-drying method on core samples. An ARMA model was used to describe the relationship between the GPR reflections and soil electromagnetic properties and to invert the vertical distribution of soil moisture. The ARMA-derived GPR estimates reproduced the measured moisture profile well within the depth interval of 1.4–3.0 m and revealed the clear vertical zonation of soil moisture associated with the engineered layering. Correlation coefficients between the ARMA-inverted GPR estimates and oven-drying measurements ranged from 0.64–0.78 for 0–1.4 m, 0.84–0.93 for 1.4–2.2 m, and 0.98–0.99 for 2.2–3.0 m, indicating that inversion accuracy improves systematically with depth. These results demonstrate that ARMA-based GPR inversion provides a reliable and non-destructive approach for quantifying soil moisture in reclaimed mine soils and offers practical support for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of reclamation in open-pit coal mining areas. Full article