Mine Closure and Sustainability Planning

Mine Closure concepts and concerns

Decommissioning of Mines

Prof. Khanindra Pathak

Department of Mining Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
 • Mine site decommissioning
• Building Demolition techniques
• Risk Assessment at decommissioning site
Decommissioning involves permanently ending the mining and
mineral processing operations and removing all the equipment
and facilities that are not destined to remain in place for future
use. Please don’t
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Mine site decommissioning requires trained demolition area….your
supervisors and experts. They need to work closely with the image will be
mine operators to ensure the optimum outcome. displayed area
 • Decommissioning
• Demoliton
• Hazards and Risk

After going through this lesson you will be able to

• Specify the objectives of mine site demolition
• Explain the procedure of risk assessment before decommission job
• Identify the tools and techniques for mine site decommissioning
Objectives of Mine Decommissioning
• Recover reusable assets
• Dispose assets with remaining life through auctions
• Demolish and clean the site
• Render the site ready for rehabilitation, reclamation and restoration
as per mine closure plan that may include, inter alia:
 revegetating areas
 managing water quality
 re-sloping rock piles for geotechnical stabilization
 covering waste rock piles to avoid emission, erosion and particle
migration
 encouraging wildlife to return to the area
 beautification processes for aesthetic restoration
 establishing ongoing maintenance and testing
Mine decommissioning is a Step-by-step process involving various
expertize and executed based on the mine closure plan
Steps of Decommissioning Process
Step 1: Site survey for Safe Demolition of site’s infrastructure and plant
• Identifying decommissioning risks and hazards
• Enlisting extent of activities for cleaning of the area and disposing off
materials
•Estimating materials handling requirements
• Assessing environmental sensitivities relating to mine closure,
decommissioning, and reclamation
Step 2: Examining contamination levels of sites with potential risk and initiate
remedial measures, need of hazardous material abatement
Step 3: Carry out compliance checking with regulatory requirements

Step 4: Identifying and arranging tools and machines required for

decommissioning
Steps of Decommissioning Process
Step 5: Transforming the mine site to an acceptable standard of productive
use
• Stabilize structures to acceptable safety eliminating risks,
• Landscape design
Step 6: Establish monitoring system and assess the effectiveness of the
decommissioning
• Identification of monitoring instrumentation and data
communication requirements
Step 7: Develop a maintenance system for the decommissioned site
• During decommissioning
• Post decommissioning
Step 8: Process for Custodian Transfer
• Surrendering lease
• Legal and regulatory arrangements
Site Survey for Decommissioning and Demolition
A need for hazard identification and risk assessment

• The approach and extent of site survey is planned based on

the site characteristics.
• Basic risk assessment for a demolition work requires:
 Classify work activities
 Identify hazards
 Quantify risk
 Deciding the degree of risk ( tolerable limit)
 Developing risk controls
 Review of adequacy of Risk controls adopted
 Classify work Identify the work
activities ecosystem

Identify Identify Location

Hazards Specific Hazards

Quantify Risk
Very High
Don’t do it
Deciding risk tolerable limit
High Risk
Activity, Avoid
Developing risk controls Medium Risk Activity, proceed
with caution and control

Review of adequacy of Low Risk Activity-normally safe,

Risk controls adopted may not require control
 Classify work Identify the work
activities ecosystem

Identify Identify Location

Hazards Specific Hazards

Quantify Risk

Deciding risk tolerable limit

Developing risk controls

Review of adequacy of
Risk controls adopted
 Classify work Identify the work
activities ecosystem

Identify Identify Location

Hazards Specific Hazards

Quantify Risk

Deciding risk tolerable limit

Developing risk controls

• Site Safety Inspection
• Investigation of accident, Incident and near misses
Review of adequacy of • Project Progress Meeting
Risk controls adopted • Periodic Safety Management Meeting
• Digital Monitoring
https://www.molevalley.gov.uk/CausewayDocList/DocServlet?ref=MO/2015/1442&docid=634224
Demolition is defined as destroying old buildings in a controlled
manner when the design life of the building completed
• Dust Nuisance
• Noise Nuisance
Demolition Challenges
• Aesthetic
• Debris handling
Total inhalable dusts should be kept below 10mg m-3 8-hour TWA
Respirable dusts should be kept below 5mg m-3 8-hour TWA
Controls
1. Control the cause of dust at source.
2. Contain dust wherever possible by keeping the work area clean.
3. Isolate areas to reduce the number of personnel exposed.
4. Control with dust suppression measures (such as very fine water spray
methods).
5. Good housekeeping to reduce airborne dust.
6. Personal Protective Equipment (only to be considered as a last resort)
7. Dust masks of EN 149 FFP1 Standard
8. Eating, drinking and smoking shall be prohibited on site.
CONCRETE DEMOLITION METHODS & EQUIPMENT
Why building and structure demolition?
• When the building is very old.
• If any part of the building is weakened.
• If any internal changes are to be made in the building.
• When the design life of the building is completed.
• When the building has been severely damaged by an earthquake or
other cause.
CONCRETE DEMOLITION METHODS
• Pressure Bursting or Hydraulic bursting-with
a minimum of noise and flying debris
• Chemical bursting
• Pneumatic and Hydraulic Breakers
• Ball and Crane for Demolishing Masonry and
Concrete Structures
CONCRETE DEMOLITION METHODS

• Chemical bursting
Dexpan is a non-explosive powder when mixed with water and
poured into pre-drilled holes generates an incredible 18,000 PSI
expansive force to break the strongest concrete or reinforced
concrete safely and cost effectively with no noise, vibration or dust
CONCRETE DEMOLITION METHODS

Pneumatic and Hydraulic Breakers

Machine-mounted breakers deliver a range of

100 to 20,000 foot-pounds at 300 to 800 blows
per minute. Machine-mounted breakers may
utilize:
• A telescoping boom for easy reach and
maneuverability
• Remote control operation
• Underwater demolition capabilities
• Some limitations of machine-mounted
breakers include the generation of noise,
dust and vibration.
 CONCRETE DEMOLITION METHODS

Ball and Crane for Demolishing Masonry and Concrete Structures

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-indestructible-appeal-of-the-wrecking-ball
• Mine site decommissioning needs systematic planning and
proper information management during the life of mine
• The demolition should be aligned with post mining land use
• Selection of tools and techniques require systematic cost
analysis and energy optimization
1. https://
www.molevalley.gov.uk/CausewayDocList/DocServlet?r
ef=MO/2015/1442&docid=634224
2. A mine installation decommissioning by Budget
Demolition Company: https://youtu.be/WelaVgDJa3I
3. Eric Grundhauser, 2016The Indestructible Appeal of the
Wrecking Ball,
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-
indestructible-appeal-of-the-wrecking-ball
Video of head gear demolition by basting
https://youtu.be/Ao-5fV8K_IY
https://youtu.be/Bddskd_ig98
Silo demolition
https://youtu.be/cjrg3WpizXg
Mechanical demolition
https://youtu.be/GuCCdLeCI2Y
Demolition by rock breaker
https://youtu.be/X63dc080utM