El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / Based on the review of different research studies, we could assess that, due to their unique biological features, microbes, specifically bacteria, could be used to repair damaged soils with heavy metal and toxic compound contents. Furthermore, these microorganisms are metabolically capable to oxidize cyanide and its by-products to generate less-toxic compounds at the end of the process. This research proposal seeks to improve conventional mine closure designs, thus counteracting their negative short-term, medium-term, and long-term after-effects to the environment. The proposed technique as a solution, therefore, is microbial remediation, using pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria to oxidize this compound to non-toxic components. It will ensure operational continuity for the deposits and, in turn, the sustainability of the entire mining industry.

A lot of mine were left abandoned, unrehabilitated or unclosed prior to the introduction National Environmental management Act 107 of 1998 and most did not have plans for rehabilitation or mine closure. The law requires that no exploration or production operations may commence unless financial provision has been made that is guaranteeing the availability of sufficient fund. planning is a prerequisite in the early development planning phase and must continue throughout the mine life cycle and closure phase. The financial provisions must be maintained for the duration of the life of the mine until closure when the closure certificate is issued. The financial provision is critical in ensuring that environmental liabilities for rehabilitation and closure are addressed. The purpose thereof is to mitigate the negative impacts of mining operations on the environment. This paper will investigate financial provisions system which is currently in use in South Africa from the financial security methods employed, the setting up, determination, quantification as well as general rules applicable thereto. The surveys undertaken in this regard and records held by the DMR will be relied on. When mine operations stop, a closure certificate must be issued to serve as proof that the plans relating to reclamation and closure have been complied with. The effect of a closure certificate exonerates the holder of such right from any residual or latent environmental liabilities. The paper will further look into the reasons and barriers to proper mine closure. The overall SA legislative framework for environmental liability relating to closure and rehabilitation generally conforms with international expectations. This paper examines the principal legislation and in particular the 2015 proposed regulations for securing financial provision for environmental liabilities. The main objectives of the research were to evaluate whether the current financial provision systems are appropriate in guaranteeing mine rehabilitation and closure. Moreover, whether they can realistically alter the legacy inherited from past abandoned or unclosed mines. Lastly, examination of the correlation between closure certificate and financial provision in relation to mine closure. Findings indicate that money set aside as financial provision for environmental liabilities is not being spent by the state. The law is clear which steps mine companies must take for rehabilitation and closure of new and old mine sites including legacy abandoned sites. The law is only as good as its implementation and enforcement. The Success of any financial surety instrument depends on the care, effort put into setting it up, managing it and meticulous calculation. Most will work if they are done properly. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Public Law / LLM / Unrestricted

Surface mining of oil sands results in extensive land disturbance, earth movement and water usage. After mining, the disturbed landscapes must be reconstructed and reclaimed as natural landforms. There are numerous challenges associated with understanding the responses of these landforms over time, including a need to track and characterize water movement through closure landforms to understand the hydrological responses of these landforms over time. This study attempted to use natural stable isotopes of water (δD and δ18O) to identify and characterize source waters from various closure landforms at an oil sands mine site. The study area is Syncrude‟s Mildred Lake mine, an open pit oil sands mine located in northern Alberta. A variety of groundwater, surface water and soil samples from a variety of landforms (overburden dumps, composite and mature fine tailings areas, tailings sand structures and freshwater reservoirs) were collected in an attempt to fully represent the isotopic distribution of waters across the mine site. Laboratory analysis of δD and δ18O was done on all samples. The local meteoric water line first established by Hilderman (2011) was redeveloped with additional precipitation data and calculated to be δD=7.0(δ18O) -18.6‰. A natural evaporation line having a slope of 5.3 was calculated for the mine site with samples collected from three surface water ponds on the mine site. Five primary source waters were identified on the mine site: process affected water/tailings, rainfall, snow, interstitial shale water and Mildred Lake water. It was found that these sources of water generally have unique natural stable water isotope signatures. Process affected water at the site generally had an enriched signature compared to other mine waters. The enrichment was attributed to fractionation from the recycle water circuit and natural evaporation. The characterizations of these source waters were then used in several hydrogeological examples to demonstrate that natural stable water isotopes can be applied to water balance estimates and to identify water movement processes related to closure landforms.

Surface-strip coal mine rehabilitation planning in South Africa and Australia is immature. Rehabilitation risk assessment, despite being advocated by leading practice guidelines and in some instances by legislation, is conducted with minimum requirements often met by rehabilitation professionals. Specialist data is gathered during mine approval and for the environmental impact assessment process. However, the focus of this is toward assessing mining impacts and not for rehabilitation risk assessment. Quantitative, integrated, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation risk assessment is seldom undertaken. This thesis provides a methodology towards the development of a quantitative, integrative, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation risk assessment model. Its purpose being to 'profile' surface-strip coal mine sites, in terms of their rehabilitation risk and potential for rehabilitation failure, from the outset of mine operations, with adjustments possible progressively during mine operations. The methodology was developed by first reviewing techniques suitable for the development of the model, as well as techniques developed by others. Bayesian networks (BN) were found to be the most suited. A R2AIN framework was then provided as a process towards developing several BN risk event models that can amalgamate to form a synthesis rehabilitation risk assessment model. A case study soil compaction BN model was used to demonstrate the framework in South Africa and Australia. The case study showed that it is possible to integrate and quantify rehabilitation risk, and most importantly to segregate risk into discrete contributing multidisciplines for analysis. Risk percentages can be calculated per multi-discipline, per mine phase, per site, to aid site risk ‘profiling’. It is recommended that further risk event BN models be prioritised for development and that a rehabilitation risk assessment model be developed to synthesise these into one model. This will require continuous improvements in the method, to build confidence, including extensive risk event and synthesis BN model evaluation and testing; improved BN input node states and values; and simplification of the conditional probability table construction method. Adaptation to other mining types, development activities and other regions should be investigated, as well as spatial linkages to geographic information systems. This research contribution improves upfront mine rehabilitation planning and decision making, providing improved tools and techniques than what currently exist. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / PhD / Unrestricted

A produção de agregados para construção civil é o maior segmento mineral Brasileiro, em números de produção, sendo formada principalmente por pequenos e médios empreendimentos, normalmente utilizando técnicas e procedimentos obsoletos e pouco um nenhum planejamento tanto para extração quanto para o fechamento da mina. O fechamento de mina e posterior utilização da área ainda é um grande problema visto que existem muitas áreas mineradas em que o plano de fechamento de mina não foi executado, deixando assim um passivo socioambiental elevado, prejudicando a imagem da mineração. Existem diversos exemplos de sucesso em que antigas cavas foram utilizadas para a implantação de novos empreendimentos, como loteamentos, óperas e hotéis. Com o intuito de mostrar a importância do planejamento para fechamento e posterior utilização de área de mineração, bem como a análise ambiental e impactos da atividade na sociedade e meio ambiente, este trabalho tem o objetivo de desenvolver uma metodologia para auxiliar, principalmente o pequeno e médio produtor de agregados, sobre os impactos que o correto planejamento e manejo da operação têm sobre o retorno no uso futuro da área. Foram desenvolvidos diferentes cenários de usos futuros alternativos de uma área de mineração localizada no Litoral Norte do Rio Grande do Sul, que posteriormente foram comparados entre si em relação à recuperação mineral, impactos socioambientais, e retorno financeiro. Ao final do trabalho foi possível visualizar uma metodologia apropriada para a análise de impactos socioambientais e planejamento para preparação da área para o recebimento de novos empreendimentos. A partir destes métodos de análise dispõe-se de diversos cenários comparativos, podendo assim o empreendedor tomar a decisão mais correta em relação ao seu empreendimento minerário e futuros empreendimentos pós-fechamento. / Aggregate production for civil construction is the largest Brazilian mineral segment, in production numbers, consisting mainly of small and medium-sized enterprises, usually using obsolete techniques and procedures and little or no planning for both extraction and closure of the mine. The closure of mines and subsequent use of the area is still a major problem, there are many mined areas where the mine closure plan has not been implemented, thus leaving a high social and environmental liability, damaging the mining image, but there are several examples of use of deactivated mining sites for the implementation of diverse projects. In order to show the importance of planning for the closure and subsequent use of the mining area, as well as the environmental analysis of impacts of the activity on society and the environment, this work has the objective of developing a methodology to assist, especially small and medium aggregate producer, on the impacts that correct planning and management of the operation has on the future use of the area. Different scenarios of future uses of a mining area located in the Northern Coast of Rio Grande do Sul were developed, which were later compared to each other in relation to mineral recovery, socioenvironmental impacts, and financial return. At the end of the work it was possible to visualize an appropriate methodology for the analysis of socio-environmental impacts and planning to prepare the area to receive new projects. From these methods of analysis we have several comparative scenarios, so that the entrepreneur can make the most correct decision regarding his mining enterprise and future enterprises after the closing.

A produção de agregados para construção civil é o maior segmento mineral Brasileiro, em números de produção, sendo formada principalmente por pequenos e médios empreendimentos, normalmente utilizando técnicas e procedimentos obsoletos e pouco um nenhum planejamento tanto para extração quanto para o fechamento da mina. O fechamento de mina e posterior utilização da área ainda é um grande problema visto que existem muitas áreas mineradas em que o plano de fechamento de mina não foi executado, deixando assim um passivo socioambiental elevado, prejudicando a imagem da mineração. Existem diversos exemplos de sucesso em que antigas cavas foram utilizadas para a implantação de novos empreendimentos, como loteamentos, óperas e hotéis. Com o intuito de mostrar a importância do planejamento para fechamento e posterior utilização de área de mineração, bem como a análise ambiental e impactos da atividade na sociedade e meio ambiente, este trabalho tem o objetivo de desenvolver uma metodologia para auxiliar, principalmente o pequeno e médio produtor de agregados, sobre os impactos que o correto planejamento e manejo da operação têm sobre o retorno no uso futuro da área. Foram desenvolvidos diferentes cenários de usos futuros alternativos de uma área de mineração localizada no Litoral Norte do Rio Grande do Sul, que posteriormente foram comparados entre si em relação à recuperação mineral, impactos socioambientais, e retorno financeiro. Ao final do trabalho foi possível visualizar uma metodologia apropriada para a análise de impactos socioambientais e planejamento para preparação da área para o recebimento de novos empreendimentos. A partir destes métodos de análise dispõe-se de diversos cenários comparativos, podendo assim o empreendedor tomar a decisão mais correta em relação ao seu empreendimento minerário e futuros empreendimentos pós-fechamento. / Aggregate production for civil construction is the largest Brazilian mineral segment, in production numbers, consisting mainly of small and medium-sized enterprises, usually using obsolete techniques and procedures and little or no planning for both extraction and closure of the mine. The closure of mines and subsequent use of the area is still a major problem, there are many mined areas where the mine closure plan has not been implemented, thus leaving a high social and environmental liability, damaging the mining image, but there are several examples of use of deactivated mining sites for the implementation of diverse projects. In order to show the importance of planning for the closure and subsequent use of the mining area, as well as the environmental analysis of impacts of the activity on society and the environment, this work has the objective of developing a methodology to assist, especially small and medium aggregate producer, on the impacts that correct planning and management of the operation has on the future use of the area. Different scenarios of future uses of a mining area located in the Northern Coast of Rio Grande do Sul were developed, which were later compared to each other in relation to mineral recovery, socioenvironmental impacts, and financial return. At the end of the work it was possible to visualize an appropriate methodology for the analysis of socio-environmental impacts and planning to prepare the area to receive new projects. From these methods of analysis we have several comparative scenarios, so that the entrepreneur can make the most correct decision regarding his mining enterprise and future enterprises after the closing.

A produção de agregados para construção civil é o maior segmento mineral Brasileiro, em números de produção, sendo formada principalmente por pequenos e médios empreendimentos, normalmente utilizando técnicas e procedimentos obsoletos e pouco um nenhum planejamento tanto para extração quanto para o fechamento da mina. O fechamento de mina e posterior utilização da área ainda é um grande problema visto que existem muitas áreas mineradas em que o plano de fechamento de mina não foi executado, deixando assim um passivo socioambiental elevado, prejudicando a imagem da mineração. Existem diversos exemplos de sucesso em que antigas cavas foram utilizadas para a implantação de novos empreendimentos, como loteamentos, óperas e hotéis. Com o intuito de mostrar a importância do planejamento para fechamento e posterior utilização de área de mineração, bem como a análise ambiental e impactos da atividade na sociedade e meio ambiente, este trabalho tem o objetivo de desenvolver uma metodologia para auxiliar, principalmente o pequeno e médio produtor de agregados, sobre os impactos que o correto planejamento e manejo da operação têm sobre o retorno no uso futuro da área. Foram desenvolvidos diferentes cenários de usos futuros alternativos de uma área de mineração localizada no Litoral Norte do Rio Grande do Sul, que posteriormente foram comparados entre si em relação à recuperação mineral, impactos socioambientais, e retorno financeiro. Ao final do trabalho foi possível visualizar uma metodologia apropriada para a análise de impactos socioambientais e planejamento para preparação da área para o recebimento de novos empreendimentos. A partir destes métodos de análise dispõe-se de diversos cenários comparativos, podendo assim o empreendedor tomar a decisão mais correta em relação ao seu empreendimento minerário e futuros empreendimentos pós-fechamento. / Aggregate production for civil construction is the largest Brazilian mineral segment, in production numbers, consisting mainly of small and medium-sized enterprises, usually using obsolete techniques and procedures and little or no planning for both extraction and closure of the mine. The closure of mines and subsequent use of the area is still a major problem, there are many mined areas where the mine closure plan has not been implemented, thus leaving a high social and environmental liability, damaging the mining image, but there are several examples of use of deactivated mining sites for the implementation of diverse projects. In order to show the importance of planning for the closure and subsequent use of the mining area, as well as the environmental analysis of impacts of the activity on society and the environment, this work has the objective of developing a methodology to assist, especially small and medium aggregate producer, on the impacts that correct planning and management of the operation has on the future use of the area. Different scenarios of future uses of a mining area located in the Northern Coast of Rio Grande do Sul were developed, which were later compared to each other in relation to mineral recovery, socioenvironmental impacts, and financial return. At the end of the work it was possible to visualize an appropriate methodology for the analysis of socio-environmental impacts and planning to prepare the area to receive new projects. From these methods of analysis we have several comparative scenarios, so that the entrepreneur can make the most correct decision regarding his mining enterprise and future enterprises after the closing.

Thesis (M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017. / The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the poverty alleviation strategies post mine closure in the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality. The study also focuses on the legislative framework of mine closure in South Africa, to guide the mining operations, downsizing and retrenchment processes. The study is qualitative in design, and semi-structured interviews were used for the mining officials, municipal officials as well as the retrenched employees. The literature review looks at how other countries of the world are effectively making use of the available resources in combating poverty in their respective countries, including African countries. It is evident that natural resources are the most important international commodity and thus play a major role in the socio-economic development. The study critically analysed how effective are the strategies to alleviate poverty currently implemented in the research community. This analysis includes the impact faced by mining communities post mine closure, owing to the depletion of Copper and phosphates ores which are the most mined natural resources in the area. The findings of this study reveal that mining companies are profit-making entities, and their survival depends on both their production and favourable market forces. Some of the key findings are that poverty alleviation projects are there but the administration of those projects is poor, and thus do not address their primary goal; and the partnership between the municipality and mining companies is not mutual. Recommendations made in this study are that there should be proper approach towards the implementation of those strategies; reinforce future plans of mining companies during downscaling and a complete closure; and also ensure that a municipality provides support to viable Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) that are linked to tourism sector to unlock socio-economic activities within the community.

The closure of a mine is an inevitable event in the lifecycle of a mining operation and one that can have massive environmental, social and economic consequences for mining communities in particular. The ultimate goal of mine closure should be sustainable development and, while adequate planning, risk assessment and goal setting influence the mine closure process, the relationships between stakeholders, especially those between mining companies and communities, lie at the heart of implementing sustainable closure. Mining communities are affected by nearby mining operations and, although they can enjoy the economic benefits of the industry, they also bear the brunt of the negative social and environmental impacts. The focus on sustainable development and corporate social responsibility in addition to the increased power of communities in recent years has forced mining companies to consider the interests of this stakeholder group. The community‟s perceptions and expectations of sustainable development can, however, differ from those of the mining company and have an influence on the stakeholder engagement process. The current study investigates the mining community of Kagiso‟s perceptions of sustainable development and the implications of these perceptions for the implementation of Mintails Mogale Gold Mine‟s approach to mine closure. Stakeholder engagement issues are brought to the fore and recommendations for improving the engagement between the mine and the community are proposed. / M (Development and Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The closure of a mine is an inevitable event in the lifecycle of a mining operation and one that can have massive environmental, social and economic consequences for mining communities in particular. The ultimate goal of mine closure should be sustainable development and, while adequate planning, risk assessment and goal setting influence the mine closure process, the relationships between stakeholders, especially those between mining companies and communities, lie at the heart of implementing sustainable closure. Mining communities are affected by nearby mining operations and, although they can enjoy the economic benefits of the industry, they also bear the brunt of the negative social and environmental impacts. The focus on sustainable development and corporate social responsibility in addition to the increased power of communities in recent years has forced mining companies to consider the interests of this stakeholder group. The community‟s perceptions and expectations of sustainable development can, however, differ from those of the mining company and have an influence on the stakeholder engagement process. The current study investigates the mining community of Kagiso‟s perceptions of sustainable development and the implications of these perceptions for the implementation of Mintails Mogale Gold Mine‟s approach to mine closure. Stakeholder engagement issues are brought to the fore and recommendations for improving the engagement between the mine and the community are proposed. / M (Development and Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015