The mining industry faces many complex challenges globally. Pressures from the environment and climate change, trade disputes and geopolitics, shifting and unpredictable demand, technological advancements, and a lack of skilled maintenance workers worldwide are just a few. Addressing these challenges is a priority for mining sustainability.
However, in the competitive mining industry, mining businesses and shareholders must face these challenges head-on or risk falling behind.
Here are five main five key challenges that need to be addressed and moderated by the mining industry:
What Is Mining Engineering?
It is important to know about mining engineering before reading the challenges in the mining industry. Mining engineering is a multidisciplinary field in extracting valuable goods from the earth, including diamonds, metal ores, oil, coal, and granites.
Mining engineers extract valuable resources from the ground, including metal ores, diamonds, oil, coal, clays, limestone, and granites. They work in surface mines, open pits, quarries, and deep underground.
Mineral engineers use physical, chemical, and biological processes to extract resources after extraction. As demand for minerals increases and primary ores deplete, recycling and reclamation become crucial.
Moreover, these developments allow resources to be extracted from contaminated land, domestic waste, and previously mined deposits.
Mining’s lousy reputation in Sustainability
The mining industry is crucial for modern life, providing fuel, resources, and performance in the construction and electronic industries.
However, as Sustainability gains prominence worldwide, there is increasing pressure to change mine operations and reduce waste.
Moreover, Sustainability is an essential key. The mining industry promotes Sustainability through electric vehicles, smart can technology, and TBM additives. It aims to help customers and mining companies meet global regulations for a more sustainable future.
Demand Insecurity
Mining companies face the challenge of building flexible businesses that can handle fluctuations from unstable prices, uncertain demands, and product substitution.
However, the global transition to renewable energy sources increases the demand for minerals and materials for battery storage and electric vehicles.
Hence, operators must obtain licenses to operate in specific global markets to overcome barriers to capital.
Health & Safety
Whether underground or open pit, Mining poses significant risks to the health and safety of the workers. This is how the extractive industries have always operated.
The hazards have remained unchanged over the years and will remain so.
Currently, the industry is using digitalization and connection as a new strategy to reduce the chance of hazards. Geolocation technologies are one example of companies using cellphones or wearables to determine the precise physical location of underground workers near threats like heavy vehicles and gases.
Moreover, tools help organizations locate underground employees using smartphones or wearables. They also enable them to identify potential hazards like large vehicles and gases.
So, a number of firms are developing electric alternatives to replace the noisy and highly polluting diesel trolley systems.
New technology needs new skills.
Automation and robotics transform repetitive and dangerous tasks, necessitating a skilled workforce to maintain new machinery efficiently.
Although there is no reason for concern about technology replacing labor in the mining sector, the sector is under pressure to offer sufficient upskilling training.
Moreover, the best solution is to get young people with the proper skills into the field. Industry professionals receive innovative training methods to enhance their proficiency with the latest technology.
Additionally, it includes some areas beyond traditional mining skills, like data analysis, understanding automation systems, and even skills similar to basement crack repair to maintain underground infrastructure integrity.
The dangers of deeper excavation
Mining operations are deepening, posing risks to workers and the environment.
However, Innovations like Normant offer solutions for rock fracturing with self-drilling dynamic bolts and sprayed concrete solutions.
Similarly, remotely operated solutions, such as electrified vehicles and Internet of Things technology, can ensure worker safety and maintain mining stability.