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This paper presents a mining technology that enables the continuous conversion from top coal caving (TCC) to multi-slice mining (MSM). The technology helps operations overcome challenges with mining thick bifurcated coal seams, particularly the challenge of rock-parting seams affecting the caving of TCC mining methods. Findings show that the relationship between the rock-parting thickness and the caveability of top coal can be divided into 3 phases, including a complete caving phase, a transition phase, and a stable phase. This continuous conversion technology was applied in the Zhongwei Coal Mine in which TCC was used to extract the initial 260 m of the study area where the rock-parting seam was relatively thin before a transition to MSM was made due to the rock-parting seam becoming significantly thicker. The continuous conversion to MSM involved the working face advancing upward at an angle of 10° until the rock-parting seam could serve as the immediate floor for the upper slice of the coal seam. The rock-parting seam floor also acted as the immediate roof for the working face of the subsequently mined lower slice. The application of this continuous conversion mining technology obtained good application results.

Cemented backfill mining is an important technology utilized in sustainable mining practices and is fundamental in a wide variety of underground settings. However, the cement-based binder commonly used in cemented backfill materials comes at high costs, is highly alkaline, has high energy consumption, and has high carbon dioxide emissions. As an environmentally friendly technology, microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology can produce a variety of cementitious mineral crystals to consolidate otherwise loose materials. In this paper, the MICP technology is used to replace the traditional cement-based binder frequently used in backfill mining, and the microbial mixed backfill (MMB) method is presented. The influences of various factors on the mechanical properties of MMB are also studied. It is found that the strength of MMB samples increases at first, and then decreases, when the cementation solution concentration and the volume ratio of bacterial solution to cementation solution are increased. Solids content is also an important factor that directly affects the strength of MMB samples. However, there was no obvious relationship discovered between strength variation and the total enzyme activity. In addition, different crystal morphologies of calcium carbonate, including calcite and vaterite, are observed in MMB samples. The greater the number and the denser the distribution of calcium carbonate crystals produced in the MICP reaction, the higher the strength of the MMB samples. The strength of MMB is attributed to both the amount of precipitated calcium carbonate by MICP, and the dosage of salt materials contained in the cementation solution. This research can provide basic scientific support for the application of microbial backfilling in the mining field.