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Modern mining sustainability: An integrated framework for technology innovation, operational trade-offs, and implementation barriers
Luleå University of Technology, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Mining and Geotechnical Engineering. Department of Mining Engineering and Mine Surveying, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1014-0405
Department of Mining Engineering and Mine Surveying, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa.
Division of Engineering and Technology, The University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL 35470, USA.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1105-7219
Department of Mining Engineering and Mine Surveying, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6173-7709
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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
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Fulltext license: CC BY-NC-ND

Available from: 2026-09-24 Created: 2026-09-24 Last updated: 2026-09-24Bibliographically approved

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Zvarivadza, Tawanda

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4243444546474845 of 103
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