Modern mining sustainability: An integrated framework for technology innovation, operational trade-offs, and implementation barriersShow others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: Green and Smart Mining Engineering, ISSN 2950-5550, Vol. 3, no 3, p. 357-385Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Mining is entering a phase in which decarbonisation, safety, and productivity targets are being pursued through tightly coupled technological and governance changes. This paper develops and applies an integrated socio-technical framework that links major technology families (automation/robotics, AI (artificial intelligence) and digital twins, advanced drilling and blasting, electrification/renewables, and frontier domains such as deep-sea and space mining) to sustainability outcomes across underground, open-pit, processing, and tailings/closure contexts. Using an interdisciplinary synthesis of peer-reviewed research, industry evidence and policy principles (including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM) Mining Principles), the study moves beyond a catalogue of innovations by making boundary conditions and second-order effects explicit. As an example, autonomy can reduce exposure to hazards but increase dependence on cyber-physical assurance, connectivity, and functional safety verification; electrification can eliminate underground diesel emissions, yet its net climate benefit and operational resilience depend on charging logistics, power quality, and grid carbon intensity. A maturity–impact mapping is introduced to distinguish scaled technologies from pilots and to prioritise where evidence is transferable versus context-dependent. The framework is grounded in 25 global case studies spanning regions, commodities, and organisational types, enabling comparative interpretation of what works, where, and why. The central contribution is a decision-relevant synthesis that identifies integrated “solution bundles” and the enabling infrastructure, workforce transitions, and governance mechanisms required for credible scale-up, providing a practical agenda for achieving safer, lower-carbon, and socially accepted mining systems.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
KeAi Communications Co , 2026. Vol. 3, no 3, p. 357-385
Keywords [en]
Mining technology, Sustainable mining, Automation, Robotics, Digital twins, Artificial intelligence
National Category
Other Computer and Information Science Other Civil Engineering
Research subject
Mining and Rock Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-119884DOI: 10.1016/j.gsme.2026.03.004OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-119884DiVA, id: diva2:2104742
Note
Fulltext license: CC BY-NC-ND
2026-09-242026-09-242026-09-24Bibliographically approved