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The mining and metallurgical industry is a fundamental sector of China's industry, consisting of various subdivisions such as mining, mineral processing, smelting, etc. Mining and metallurgical equipment are characterized by harsh operating conditions, complex operation and maintenance, high energy consumption, significant pollution, substantial loss, and a high accident rate, resulting in an urgent need to leverage new infrastructure like 5G and the Industrial Internet to provide cloud-based digital and intelligent services for the "deaf, dumb, and dull" equipment in this industry. Therefore, constructing an industrial internet platform for cloud-based mining and metallurgical equipment is one of the crucial means to achieve resource aggregation and optimal allocation, enhance equipment efficiency and safety levels, and is also an inevitable choice for realizing the industry's digital transformation and upgrading. Based on the background and current situation of the construction of the cloud industrial Internet platform on equipment and the needs of the mining and metallurgy industry, the cloud industry Internet platform on mining and metallurgy industry equipment is studied. The construction contents of the device layer, edge layer, IaaS layer, PaaS layer, application layer, and security protection system are provided, respectively. Through constructing the three major functional systems: network, platform, and security, key industrial equipment assets, production and manufacturing systems, management systems, and resource applications have been fully integrated. The specific construction steps and effects of the platform are analyzed through a practical case of a mining and metallurgical enterprise. The proposed construction scheme can meet the needs of constructing a cloud industrial Internet platform for equipment in the mining and metallurgy industry and solve the common problems of cloud industrial equipment in the industry, so as to provide a theoretical and practical reference for mining and metallurgy enterprises to carry out similar platform construction, support fine equipment management, reduce equipment operation and maintenance costs and accident rates, promote the public service ecological construction of cloud industrial equipment solutions, and help the collaborative development of upstream and downstream of the industrial chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety of mines is a top priority in the mining industry, and a precise assessment of aquifer water levels is crucial for conducting a risk analysis of water-related disasters. Among them, the GIS-based water abundance index method is widely used in water-richness evaluation. However, the existing research lacks sufficient determination of evaluation indicator weights, specifically in the following aspects: (1) failure to consider the information differences between indicators and (2) inadequate differentiation of the relative importance of each indicator and their importance to the evaluation target. Taking the No.3 coal roof of Dananhu No.7 coal mine as the research object, six factors are selected as the main indexes for evaluating water richness. The weights were calculated using an improved entropy method and the scatter degree method, with the principle of information entropy used to reconcile the competitive and consistent relationship between the two evaluation methods. This approach resulted in the determination of combination weights for each influencing factor, highlighting the information differences between indicators and the importance of each indicator. Finally, the evaluation of aquifer water richness is partitioned by combining the GIS analysis function. The findings suggest that the Ⅰ division has low water richness, while the Ⅱ division is primarily medium-to-high water rich. The accuracy of the evaluation results exceeds 80%, providing valuable insights for hydrophobic programs for other coal-seam roofs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of mining education in late Qing China has received relatively little attention in scholarly literature. Through the lens of institutionalising global mining knowledge, this article addresses the following questions: How did the demand for expertise within the framework of mining bureaucracy evolve under the impact of Western imperialism? How did mining education enter scholarly discourse and become eventually institutionalised in the late Qing China? Drawing on evidence from the collections of Sheng Xuanhuai's archive series, it investigates two previously overlooked 'failures' of Sheng's mining-related enterprises, namely his earliest mining practices in Hubei in the 1870s and his proposal for establishing a mining school in Shandong in 1888–89. It then reconnects these efforts with the histories of Western learning, late Qing mining bureaucracy, the monetary crisis of that era, and the global recruitment of engineers despite a pronounced distrust of foreign expertise. It argues that these seemingly discrete efforts or 'failures' in fact paved the way for initiating China's first engineering university as well as other mining colleges in around 1895 and eventually led to the rise of engineering education before the entire educational system was transformed in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to explore the mechanism for the impact of job embeddedness on safety performance, the mediating role of perceived insider status and the cross-level moderating role of safety climate among miners. The questionnaire data used for analysis in this study were collected from 310 miners in 38 coal mine production teams in China. Bootstrap analysis was performed to explore the mediating role of perceived insider status, and multilevel linear analysis was performed to explore the cross-level moderating role of safety climate. The results showed that job embeddedness was positively related to miners' safety performance; perceived insider status mediating the relationship between job embeddedness and miners' safety performance; and safety climate moderating the relationship between perceived insider status and miners' safety performance across levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through an investigation of port cities in northern Chile, this article assesses the territorial and sociopolitical ramifications of the logistics turn in the extractive industries. The systematic adoption of organizational imperatives towards flow, connectivity, and speed in mining operations, has spearheaded a modality of logistical urbanization in which the governance of mineral flows assumes increasing salience vis-à-vis sites of extraction narrowly considered. This evolving modality of territorial organization has underpinned the rise of a transpacific logistical corridor that weaves together multiple mineral deposits in the Chilean Andes with a wide array of port and manufacturing cities in East Asia. Through a materialist reading of the capitalist state, the paper suggests that the metabolic flows that animate this complex socioecological system are mediated by distinct, yet overlapping tendencies towards the internationalization and the concentration of the political authority of the late liberal state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study aimed to provide greater insight into the characteristics of severe and extraordinarily severe gas explosion accidents (SESGEAs). Methods. The study analyzed the accident characteristics and causes of SESGEAs. As an example, we conducted a specialized case analysis using the 24Model (fourth edition) on the recent Baoma coal mine gas explosion. Results. SESGEA data are characterized by greater volatility, with significant differences in the geographical distribution, temporal distribution and attributed characteristics of the accidents. From the accident analysis: chaotic ventilation management was the most serious accident cause of SESGEAs; unsafe acts related to ventilation operations accounted for 18.51% of all unsafe acts; coal miners lack professional safety knowledge and have a serious fluke mentality in mining work; enterprises have insufficient enforcement of safety procedure documents, and lack of attention to the allocation of underground human resources and safety training systems; and the importance of safety, the role of the safety department and satisfaction with safety facilities have become the most serious missing items of safety culture. Conclusion. This study can provide important data support and management basis to assist mine operators in developing more targeted accident prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mining of non-coal mines is a fundamental industry in China and an important pillar of economic development. It plays an increasingly important role in the development of many emerging industries. With the increasing intensity of mineral resource development, many typical safety production accidents occurred in the non-coal mining industry. To explore the main safety issues of non-coal mines in China, I collected safety production data of non-coal mines during the 13th Five Year Plan period (2016-2020) and analyzed separately from accident area, accident type, accident occurrence time, mining method, mining type, industry, etc. The results are as follows; 1)Small and medium-sized non-coal mines in China have caused over 90% of accidents with a production capacity of about 40%,and the safety production foundation is weak; 2)The security production situation in key regions such as Inner Mongolia, Hunan, and Guangxi is severe; 3)The number and death toll of accidents in underground mines account for over 50% of the total number of accidents in non-coal mines, with the 10 types of accidents mainly involving roof fall and collapse resulting in a higher number of fatalities. The main reasons for this situation are that the safety management capabilities of non-coal mining enterprises are still weak, the safety production supervision capabilities of non-coal mining enterprises need to be improved, the intelligent construction of non-coal mines in China is still in the initial stage, and the overall level of mechanization, automation, and intelligent construction in accident stricken areas is relatively low. Only the equipment Intelligence level of non-coal mining enterprises and regulatory authorities was improved, and all production processes and links throughout the entire lifecycle of the mine were upgraded and transformed, the further improvement of safety production quality during the 14th Five Year Plan period can only be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing concerns about climate change and resource-environmental limitations, the green development of the mining industry has become mainstream and gained much support. Driven by the concept of sustainable and green development, China has made the advancement of green mine construction a crucial part of establishing an eco-society and has put forward the overall goal of green mines. An important future strategy is to evaluate a large number of mines. However, developing scientific, reliable, and comprehensive index systems and evaluation methods is extremely difficult because of the objective complexity of green mine evaluation and the fuzziness of some indicators. The kernel method and intuitionistic fuzzy set can effectively handle these problems. This study proposed a comprehensive evaluation index system and a hybrid evaluation method based on the kernel distance measure and intuitionistic fuzzy TOPSIS method. The index system contains 22 indicators considering six aspects: mining area environment, resource development mode, comprehensive utilization of resources, energy saving and emission reduction, technical innovation, and corporation management. The hybrid evaluation method was applied to the practical assessment of ten green mines in Panxi, China. Comparative analyses were carried out to demonstrate its applicability and sensitivity. The results verify that the hybrid method can fully depict the construction achievements of green mines in all aspects with strong reliability and stability. This approach is a valuable reference for evaluators and decision-makers in government departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the correlation between previous coal mine safety policies and accidents in China. Data on coal mine accidents and government regulatory information from 2008 to 2021 are collected. The characteristics of coal mine accidents are analyzed, and safety policy indexes are identified. An ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model is established to quantitatively analyze the correlation between accidents and safety policy. The study finds that safety policies have some impact on accident occurrence in coal mines. Although there has been a decrease in accidents and deaths over time, higher mortality rates are observed during periods of increased production intensity and on weekends. Gas accidents are the most common, followed by roof and flood accidents. The study concludes that national safety policies with wider coverage and a stronger system are effective in preventing accidents, but caution should be exercised to avoid reduced vigilance with decreasing death rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a major energy source in China, the occupational health and well‐being (OHW) of miners is a priority. Various statistical techniques have been used to identify factors or assess OHW to provide valuable information for the implementation of health promotion activities. The main bottleneck is the limited focus on solutions that address the demands of both organizations and individuals, and scientific and effective decision‐making is pending. Therefore, this study describes the OHW mechanism covering both antecedents and consequences through the driving force‐pressure‐state‐impact‐response model. A probabilistic model of management tradeoff analysis was established by using a Bayesian decision network. Causal relationships and dependencies between multiple factors are captured visually. The model was verified and applied with samples of miners (N = 816). The results showed that the comprehensive strategy (R5) was the best tactic, and the management effect of stress (R2) and vulnerability (R3) was prominent. This study provides a valuable tool for managers to identify priority management factors. Prioritizing tactics formulated from dual demands of organizational and individual can ensure project feasibility, operability, and effectiveness. This study is a novel attempt to combine theory with practice, which is timely and necessary for management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the evolution of technical efficiency (TE) and its determinants in China's high-pollution coal mining industry. The effects of market competition, technology, and pollution abatement expenditure (PAE) on inefficiency are investigated. Using a firm-level panel dataset for the 2001–2013 period, estimation using a panel stochastic frontier model shows that the average TE was stable with a small fluctuation in the 2000s and then deteriorated in the 2010s. The majority of private entrants have lower TE than the main group of incumbents, state-owned enterprises, whereas foreign firms exhibit the highest TE among firms. We find that capital imports, research and development, and government subsidies are important factors in reducing technical inefficiency, highlighting the importance of technological activity on production efficiency. Further analysis of the relationship between PAE and TE reveals that PAE positively contributes to the efficiency of coal mining firms. Robustness checks ensure the aforementioned findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an examination of the unified efforts by China's central authorities and the judiciary in the crackdown on crypto mining within the country. It discusses the environmental ramifications of crypto mining and traces its development in China, highlighting the resource-intensive nature of the process. Crypto mining risks China's national objectives of promoting high-quality economic and social development, as well as industrial optimisation, energy conservation and emissions reduction. The central government's commitment to climate goals and ecological civilisation, coupled with the perceived minimal economic benefits and substantial environmental damage caused by crypto mining, led to the issuance of the Notice on Rectifying Mining Activities of Virtual Currencies in September 2021. This article discusses the implications of the Notice and how it has been implemented at both national and local levels by the administrative authorities. With reference to typical cases, it examines how the judiciary in delivering judgments has kept in line with the spirit of the Notice by analysing mining-related civil disputes as they arise in courts and reflects on the interplay of legal and administrative measures in shaping a sustainable and environmentally conscious approach to emerging technologies in China and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-layer commingled production is the main feature of gas well development in Sulige tight sandstone gas reservoir, Ordos Basin. Identifying potential interference between layers and devising methods for their characterization are crucial considerations for optimizing the development of gas reservoirs. To address these issues, we designed a physical simulation experiment process and interlayer commingled mining schemes, implementing various interlayer combination modes. The results show that a common occurrence in the process of multi-layer commingled production of tight gas and water layers, whether it involves gas layers production alone or simultaneous production of gas and water layers. This phenomenon involves the crossflow of gas and water between layers, resulting in interlayer interference and a subsequent reduction in gas reservoir recovery. Based on these observations, the concept of an interlayer interference index in multi-layer commingled production in tight sandstone gas reservoirs is proposed. The interference index model is obtained by fitting the multiple linear regression method, showcasing its correlation with the physical properties of the reservoir. High water saturation and a significant permeability ratio of the water layer to the gas layer (exceeding the critical value of 1) can result in the early occurrence of interlayer interference and yield a higher interference index. Furthermore, based on the interference index model, a novel method for productivity evaluation of gas wells in tight gas reservoirs is established. The calculations demonstrate that the interference index curve effectively characterizes the interlayer interference performance of gas wells. The productivity and production performance predictions derived from this model align closely with historical production data, affirming the model's effectiveness and accuracy. Therefore, the interference index model emerges as a valuable tool for predicting the productivity and production performance of gas wells in Sulige tight sandstone gas reservoirs. The research results have important theoretical guidance and practical significance for the efficient development of Sulige tight sandstone gas reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to explore the relationship between work-family conflict and unsafe behavior among underground coal miners, testing the mediating role of work engagement in this relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Shanxi Province, China from June to August 2020. A total of 580 front-line miners were recruited for this study. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the mechanisms of work-family conflict on unsafe behavior. Findings revealed that time-based conflict, strain-based conflict and behavior-based conflict were positively related to unsafe behavior, and work engagement mediated the relationships between work-family conflict and unsafe behavior. Managers should alleviate miners' work-family conflict, providing effective organizational support to improve the miner's work engagement, and thus reduce their unsafe behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective Currently, a significant number of miners are involved in mining operations at the Gejiu tin mine in Yunnan. This occupational setting is associated with exposure to dust particles, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and radioactive radon, thereby significantly elevating the risk of lung cancer. This study aims to investigate the involvement of leptin-mediated extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) signaling pathway in the malignant transformation of rat alveolar type II epithelial cells induced by Yunnan tin mine dust. Methods Immortalized rat alveolar cells type II (RLE-6TN) cells were infected with Yunnan tin mine dust at a concentration of 200 μg/mL for nine consecutive generations to establish the infected cell model, which was named R200 cells. The cells were cultured normally, named as R cells. The expression of leptin receptor in both cell groups was detected using the Western blot method. The optimal concentration of leptin and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor (U0126) on R200 cells was determined using the MTT method. Starting from the 20th generation, the cells in the R group were co-cultured with leptin, while the cells in the R200 group were co-cultured with the MEK inhibitor U0126. The morphological alterations of the cells in each group were visualized utilizing hematoxylin-eosin staining. Additionally, concanavalin A (ConA) was utilized to detect any morphological differences, and an anchorage-independent growth assay was conducted to assess the malignant transformation of the cells. The changes in the ERK signaling pathway in epithelial cells after the action of leptin were detected using the Western blot method. Results Both the cells in the R group and R200 group express leptin receptor OB-R. Compared to the R200 group, the concentration of leptin at 100 ng/mL shows the most significant pro-proliferation effect. The proliferation of R200 cells infected with the virus is inhibited by 30 μmol/L U0126, and a statistically significant divergence was seen when compared to the control group (P<0.05). Starting from the 25th generation, the cell morphology of the leptin-induced R200 group (R200L group) underwent changes, leading to malignant transformation observed at the 30th generation. The characteristics of malignant transformation became evident by the 40th generation in the R200L group. In contrast, the other groups showed agglutination of P40 cells, and the speed of cell aggregation increased with an increase in ConA concentration. Notably, the R200L group exhibited faster cell aggregation compared to the U0126-induced R200 (R200LU) group. Additionally, the cells in the R200L group were capable of forming clones starting from P30, with a colony formation rate of 2.25‰±0.5‰. However, no clonal colonies were observed in the R200LU group and R200 group. The expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) was enhanced in cells of the R200L group. However, when the cells in the R200L group were treated with U0126, a blocking agent, the phosphorylation level of pERK decreased. Conclusion Leptin can promote the malignant transformation of lung epithelial cells infected by mine dust, and the ERK signaling pathway may be necessary for the transformation of alveolar type II epithelial cells induced by Yunnan tin mine dust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure China's energy security, the mining industry faces increasing emissions reduction and energy conservation pressures. This study combined index and production-theoretical decomposition analyses to decompose the energy-related CO2 emissions in mining industry (ERCEMI) influencing factors into seven major effects and adopted a gravity model to dynamically visualize the transfer path and gravity distribution from 2000 to 2015. As investment effects were introduced into the decomposition analysis, the results fully considered the regional heterogeneity and spatiotemporal dynamics. The main findings were as follows: (i) a typical heavy emissions trend along the Heihe-Tengchong line, with a concentration of large ERCEMI values; (ii) the gravity center of ERCEMI had shifted to the southwest, and the migration trends were divided into three stages; (iii) the ERCEMI had strong regional heterogeneity, with a diffusion trend from north to south and shrinking from east to west; (iv) the potential energy intensity and investment efficiency effects had significantly inhibited the ERCEMI, while the investment scale had boosted it. Implications for regional layouts, energy intensity reductions, and investment optimization are discussed. This research provides a comprehensive regional analysis for ERCEMI reductions and the sustainable development of the mining industry and provides a reference for local industrial development planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the mechanism of the four dimensions of miners' emotional intelligence (self-emotion perception, emotion application, emotion regulation, other-emotion perception) on unsafe behavior through a questionnaire survey of three state-owned coal mines in Shanxi, Shaanxi and Sichuan. Nearly 300 miners participated in the survey, and the response rate reached 83.3%. The study also examined the possible effects of miners' emotional labor strategies and perceived organizational support on unsafe behavior. The reliability and effectiveness of all measuring instruments are considered acceptable. The results show that emotional labor strategy plays an intermediary role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and unsafe behavior. Perceived organizational support plays a regulatory role in the relationship between emotional labor strategy and unsafe behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the "double carbon" global goal agreed, the greening and low carbonization of energy will shift the energy system from traditional fuel-based energy to a material-based one, and low carbon technologies will become the key to the world's energy transition, while important mineral resources in the field of new energy will grow at an explosive rate, thus promoting the related mineral resources' consumption and demand, leading to unprecedented development opportunities. Despite the continuous development and progress of low-carbon technologies in China, the contradiction between mineral resource security and economic development is becoming increasingly prominent, and the protection of mineral resource security and the promotion of mining economic development has become an important issue in the current development of China's mining industry. This paper discusses the ideas of mineral resource security strategy, mineral resource management, ecological civilization and mining development, and green mining economic development from four perspectives. The results show that promoting the use of low-carbon technologies in the mineral field can effectively reduce resource consumption, increase the utilization rate of mineral resources and promote the sustainable and healthy development of green mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two conflicting opinions regarding job insecurity in the current literature: that it exacerbates unsafe behaviors and that it discourages unsafe behaviors. This demonstrates the theoretical confusion over the exact nature of the relationship between job insecurity and unsafe behaviors. To clarify this confusion, this study proposes a curvilinear relationship between job insecurity and unsafe behavior and situates the study among frontline workers in high-risk industries. Drawing from conservation of resources theory, we develop hypotheses that explain safety-related behaviors among workers with different levels of job insecurity. We collected data from coal miners in China at three different time points in two independent field studies and obtained 209 and 248 valid questionnaires, respectively. We find support for a U-shaped relationship between job insecurity and unsafe behavior. Furthermore, we find that psychological detachment, but not self-control, moderates the curvilinear relationship, such that the curvilinear relationship is weaker among workers with higher psychological detachment. We also discuss some theoretical and practical implications of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Mining Report is the property of GVSt,GesamtverbandSteinkohlee.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Improving the supply chain resilience of the mineral resources industry is crucial for ensuring national economic security in China. Based on the supply and demand data of China's mineral resources industry from 2002 to 2018, this study adopts system dynamics model to simulate the supply chain resilience of the mineral resources industry, the mining industry, and the smelting and processing industry under the scenario of steady economic development and the scenario of supply chain crisis. From the simulation results, the reserves of the mineral resources industry and the smelting and processing industry under the two scenarios are nearly the same, indicating that they are weakly affected by the foreign market, and both have strong resilience. The mining industry has a high dependence on imports and a lack of supply chain resilience. Under the condition of steady economic development, the output of the mining industry needs to develop at a low speed to reduce production capacity. More attention should be paid to the high level of import dependence and insufficient supply chain resilience of the mining industry. In the stable international trade situation, reserves of important minerals should be increased to alleviate the resource shortage during the supply chain crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augmented reality (AR) has been applied in many situation as the development of visualization and communication technologies. In coal mine industry, it is essential to improve the decision making process in the underground front line with the assistance of AR. In this paper, we propose a framework to implement an AR based decision support system, which includes knowledge support, real time expert connection and AR communication platform. The proposed framework has been applied in a coal mine in China and the user feedback indicate that the proposed framework can improve the communication and knowledge access efficiency in the coal mine industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government has prioritized resource security and aims to increase its control over the minerals sector. China is a mining country, an investor in minerals abroad, and a key processor. Besides a few specific minerals, however, China has limited control and has not yet come to dominate the supply chains. A detailed examination of cobalt, manganese, and nickel, three minerals vital for various strategic industries, shows that Chinese mines deliver still only below 35 percent of Chinese demand. Much of Chinese processing capacity is tied to foreign industries in electric vehicles and so forth. While the ambition of resource security and control has been affirmed, it is not yet achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China has accelerated the reform of its oil and gas management system, especially in competitive transfer of mining rights. Evaluating the expected value (EV) of lease blocks is crucial for the bidding decision of oil companies. When bidding for a block with several individual prospects, the simple addition of each prospect EV usually leads to overly high and optimistic resource volume and value estimates. For the assessment of the EV of a multi-prospect block, two factors should be considered. Firstly, the geological setting of the prospects, including their relative spatial relationship, their chance of geological success, their resources and their geological dependency, etc. The second factor is the exploration strategy of oil companies, concerned with the dry hole tolerance, the committed wells and the drilling priorities for the prospects, etc. A probabilistic method to assess the EV of a multi-prospect block is proposed, which proves to be favorable for formulating a bidding strategy for oil companies. In addition, a case study on two specific blocks with several prospects is presented to illustrate the effect of the above mentioned factors on the EV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's progressive assumption as a major actor on the African scene needs critical academic attention and examination. Although there are undoubtedly varied benefits, there are also concerns about whether China's win-win rhetoric is sincere or just empty propaganda. This paper contributes to the debate by examining the relationship between China and Africa through the lens of neo-colonialism. In this regard, the paper examines China's involvement in the textiles and mining industries of Ghana as a case study to argue whether the partnership between China and Africa is one that actually promotes development or engenders a new trend of neo-colonialism. Since this research focuses on areas such as partnership (i.e., between Ghana and China) and illegal mining with its effects, it intersects four of the SDGs (clean water and sanitation [SDG 6]; sustainable cities and communities [SDG 11]; life below water [SDG 14]; and partnership for the goals [SDG 17]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the world's consensus on low-carbon emission reduction, all walks of life have formulated low-carbon development goals. As a high-energy consumption industry, it is urgent for mining industry to implement the development strategy of low-carbon emission reduction. Therefore, this study tries to provide reasonable suggestions and references for the low-carbon development of the mining industry. Firstly, this study analyzes the industry development, energy consumption, and carbon emission of mining industry from 2000 to 2020. Then, using the Tapio theory, this study constructs the analysis model of decoupling between carbon emission of mining industry and industry growth. The analysis method of decoupling state assignment is proposed for the first time in the model. At the same time, the energy efficiency decoupling index and energy structure decoupling index are introduced to explain the causes of carbon emission decoupling. The research shows that the carbon emission of energy consumption in China's mining industry peaked in 2013, and the energy efficiency decoupling in 2001–2014 is the main driver of carbon emission decoupling. The sharp growth of industrial output value leads to the decoupling of energy efficiency. At present, the improvement of energy efficiency of China's mining industry faces great resistance. At the same time, the inhibition effect of energy efficiency on carbon emissions is limited, and the energy structure will be the main factor to inhibit carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon neutrality is the future development direction of China. Achieving the goal of carbon neutrality requires the combined efforts of all industries, especially heavy industries. As one of the heavy industries, the mining sector contributes significantly to China's national economic development. This paper calculates China's mining sector's rebound effect and explores the impact of market-oriented reform on its rebound effect. We use the Shephard energy distance function to measure energy efficiency and analyze the effect of marketization on the rebound effect with the threshold model. Based on our results, the mining sector's average rebound effect is 46.4%. Moreover, with the increase in the decision-making flexibility of mining enterprises, the rebound effect presents an upward trend. We conclude by urging policy-makers to implement energy price reforms and promote energy consumption permits [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and physical activity (PA) in different domains among male coal miners of Shanxi Province in China. Method: The study was conducted from July 2013 to December 2013. A two-stage stratified cluster sampling method was used. Data regarding the general information of participants were collected by well-trained interviewers. MetS was denned according to IDF criteria. Self-reported PA was obtained with the IPAQ and categorized into three tertiles of intensity levels across occupation, transportation, household, and leisure-time domains. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were applied to compute the odds ratios and their 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 3076 males aged 18-65 years old were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The prevalence of MetS was 40.5% in the study subjects. The percentages of vigorous-intensity PA in MetS and non-MetS groups were 70.07% and 62.92%, respectively. Participants spent most of their time on occupation (2034 MET-min/w) and transportation (693MET-min/w) domains. Higher-intensity levels in occupation domains were significantly associated with lower risk of MetS (OR: 0.759,95% CI: 0.633-0.911; OR: 0.627, 95% CI: 0.516-0.762). Conclusions: Across four types of workers, the relationships between PA domains and MetS were different. For underground and underground auxiliary workers, the negative relationship was found between occupation PA and MetS. For office workers, the negative relationship was found between household PA and MetS. For ground workers, only leisure-time PA had positively related to MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) remains one of the most severe occupational diseases in China. Despite the implementation of CWP comprehensive preventive measures, the unreasonable allocation of investment by coal enterprises limits the effect of preventing CWP, especially when the health resources are inadequate. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of comprehensive measures for CWP from the perspective of coal enterprises.Methods: Comprehensive measures and two primary interventions (engineering controls and individual protective equipment) were selected. A time-dependent Markov model was developed to evaluate cost and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The input data were collected from the survey and literature. A hypothetical null situation, in which the currently implemented interventions were eliminated, was used as a comparator based on the generalised cost-effectiveness analysis (GCEA) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The primary outcomes of the model were reported in terms of incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Uncertainty was verified using one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.Results: The QALYs of the comprehensive measures, engineering controls, and individual protective equipment were 17.60, 17.50, and 16.85 years, respectively. Compared with null, the ICERs of the interventions were 65,044.73, 30,865.15, and 86,952.41 RMB/QALY, respectively. Individual protective equipment was dominated by an ICER of -11,416.02 RMB/QALY compared to engineering controls. Sensitivity analysis suggested the robustness of the results.Conclusions: The comprehensive preventive measures for CWP that are currently implemented in Chinese state-owned mines are cost-effective. In comprehensive measures, engineering controls are more cost-effective than individual protective equipment. Investment in engineering controls should be increased to improve the cost-effectiveness of preventing CWP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining is a high-risk industry and a crucial economic driver that has a crucial role in the economies of countries worldwide. The implications of the labor market on the sustainability of the mining industry have increased the importance of sustainable human resource management at the strategic level of mining and safety management. In this article, from the perspective of management research in an energy production enterprise, we investigated the relationship between employee loyalty and employee satisfaction through a survey that targets employee loyalty, work quality, and job satisfaction and the relationship between enterprise image and switching costs. Based on service profit chain theory, we established a research model for mining employee loyalty, and 500 miners in a typical extreme mining environment in China were surveyed. The study hypotheses were tested using a structural equation model and an employee loyalty model, followed by empirical testing of the models. Employee loyalty was significantly associated with enterprise image and employee satisfaction, work quality indirectly affected loyalty through satisfaction, and the impact of switching costs on employee loyalty was not significant. We provide strong empirical evidence to help enterprises improve sustainable human resource management and regulatory policies, with important implications for safety production. Our study also provides a useful reference for further studies of sustainable human resource management in mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous improvement and economic development of China's coal mining industry, research on the characteristics of wastewater discharge has gained attraction in recent years. Ballasted flocculation technology, has been widely used in recent years. However, its effect on the settling velocity of the flocs in wastewater has not been quantified. This study aimed to screen optimal reaction condition for ballasted flocculation and to derive the settling velocity of the ballasted flocs under these conditions. The results showed that, the size of the ballasted material had no significant effect on the turbidity and suspended solids removal rate; however, the settling time was effectively shortened, and the turbidity removal rate could reach more than 95% within 15 s. Owing to the optimization of the reaction conditions, 90% of the flocs sizes were distributed in the 80–200 µm range. Moreover, the difference between the theoretical and the measured value of the ballasted flocculation was small, indicating that the derived formula could effectively quantify the settling velocity of the ballasted flocs under optimal conditions. These findings may serve as a critical reference for the treatment of high-suspended solids in coal mining water and have significant potential for engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]