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This paper presents the results of a benchmarking study on face support practice in seismically active mines in Australia and Canada. The choice of ground support strategies is based on the anticipated strainburst hazard as well as corporate, legislative, and operational requirements. Although mines appear to employ similar face support standards, using friction rock stabilizers and mesh, the details and the resulting coverage vary from site to site. The variations in design and coverage result in significantly different residual risks. The case is made for documenting strainburst events at the mining face and using this information to formally assess the effectiveness of implemented face support practice at the various mine sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining industry, considered a traditional and conservative industry with respect to innovation, finds itself at a turning point due to the increasingly complex challenges, such as declining ore grades. These challenges have created an imperative to innovate. Parallel to the above, several digital innovations are being implemented in many mining operations across the globe. Not only do these provide solutions to the existing problems but also radically transform mining processes, increasing efficiency, profitability, and the ability to comply with stricter regulations. The incorporation of mature and incipient technologies into the mining industry has opened up many opportunities for long-established firms as well as knowledge-based start-ups. This includes potential suppliers in countries where mining accounts for a significant share of the GDP but the development of productive linkages remains suboptimal, as in Latin American countries. While in recent years, some suppliers in Latin America have made important contributions to increasing innovation in the mining industry, most suppliers in the region have not been able to do so. This paper provides an overview of the innovation paradigm of the mining sector from a global perspective, i.e., how innovation processes take place in countries with a long-established technological leadership in the mining sector, such as Australia and Canada. Given the importance of suppliers in this process, a special attention is paid to innovation in various stages of the supply chain. This is in order to provide a departure point for identifying windows of opportunity for equipment and service suppliers in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article contains a case study focusing on the safety procedures related to the mining industry in Canada. The purpose of the study was to identify the best mining practices in Canada. The paper contains an overview of the laws and procedures regulating the mining industry in Canada as well as the procedures for enforcing environmental and safety regulations. The procedures for changing and constantly updating the safety regulations are also being discussed. This was also done for the purpose of identifying the best practices. The article also addresses the procedure for investigating mining accidents in Canada. The article emphasizes the importance of a three-way partnership (management of the mining company, labor union, and the Ministry of Labor). That three-way partnership is important from the perspective of revising and modifying the mining safety regulations as well as enforcing those regulations. Participation of the labor union as well as the management of the mining company in updating safety regulations makes them more practical and reflective of real safety issues. Unpractical and obsolete mine safety regulations are being eliminated. The labor union and mine management feel the ownership of the mining safety regulations. This fact makes it easier to enforce new regulations. The article also focuses on environmental protection procedures. Environmental risk evaluation is conducted before a mining permit is issued. This is being done by the provincial government. During the mining operation, the Ministry of Labor is handling the environmental protection issues. The Ministry of Labor is constantly checking the compliance with the safety as well as the environmental and sustainability guidelines. Using artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0 technology is also being mentioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits of the Bathurst Mining Camp have been significant contributors to Canada's historic Zn, Pb, Cu, and Ag production. Most of these deposits are hosted by the Tetagouche Group, many of which occur at the top of the Nepisiguit Falls Formation (footwall) along the contact with the conformably overlying Flat Landing Brook Formation (hanging wall), i.e., the Brunswick belt. Exploration along this prolific belt can benefit greatly from predictive modeling of prospectivity for VHMS deposits using machine learning (ML)-based mineral prospectivity mapping (MPM), which is the chief objective of this study. However, ML-aided MPM of this belt is faced with three challenges: (i) weak geochemical and geophysical signatures of VHMS deposits (i.e., poor predictor variables) owing to the complex tectono-stratigraphy of the host sequence and extensive glacial cover, (ii) over-fitting stemming from its limited number of VHMS deposits, and (iii) stochastic uncertainties of predictive models linked to the diversity in local geological settings of various VHMS deposits. This study adopted an ensemble regularized regression methodology combining ensemble modeling with LASSO, Ridge, and Elastic Net regularized regression techniques for addressing the above challenges. Herein, we demonstrate that the adopted framework can reduce the severity of over-fitting, handle poor predictor variables, and mitigate the effects of stochastic uncertainties in ML-based MPM. These results are followed by discussions of the pros and cons of the framework adopted in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is one of the persistent water pollution problems in many coal mines of U.S.A. and Canada. Only few mines in India face this problem. The treatment of acid mine water has become a statutory requirement in almost all mines of the world. Metal removal and alkalinity generation is essential feature of any AMD treatment system but sulphate removal from acid mine drainage is still given the secondary importance. In the present study, four AMDs were treated in laboratory Successive Alkalinity Producing System (SAPS) for five different hydraulic retention times (HRT). The total iron removal and corresponding sulphate removal along with net alkalinity generation were studied during AMD treatment process by SAPS. A complete removal of total iron and sulphate removal of over 59% have been achieved. The study revealed that the total iron removal and sulphate removal increases with increase in HRT and its removal exhibited linear relationship. A substantial increase in alkalinity was also found after SAPS treatment. The findings of the study can be utilized in design of SAPS for removal of iron and sulphate during treatment of AMD in mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]