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By Adeyemi Adesina, Subhabrata Mishra, Syed Mohammed Mustakim, Malaya Kumar Jena, Shaswat Kumar Das

Utilization of low-grade manganese ore adopting the carbothermic reduction roasting process is a proven method to produce high-grade manganese ore. To minimize industrial waste and protect the environment, gas cleaning plant sludge (GCPS), which is a solid waste from steel industries, was employed as a reductant to perform the reduction roasting process. The optimum conditions to carry out reduction roasting of the low-grade manganese ore were found to be: a roasting temperature of 950 °C, a residence time of 2 h, 40% GCPS as reductant, and magnetic separation at 5000 G for a manganese ore size of –10 mm. A lowgrade manganese ore comprising Mn grade 31.27% and Fe grade 19.78% having a Mn/Fe ratio of 1.58 containing a high silica content of 26.48% was used for the carbothermic reduction roasting having mineral phases of pyrolusite (MnO2) and hematite (Fe2O3) as found from XRD. The gangue minerals were separated during the magnetic separation, and the upgraded product was obtained, which reached a maximum value of TMn 49.5% with RMn 76.55% and TFe 62.19% with RFe 42.51%. In the study, activated charcoal (AC) was also taken as a reductant for comparative analysis; the experimental results revealed that GPCS performed better than that of the AC, showing potential to be used as a reductant in metallurgical industries. However, the resultedMn/Fe ratio was very low for the reduced sample; therefore, it can be used for smelting along with high-grade manganese ores as a feed.

Mar 5, 2021

By F. Figge, T. Hahn

In this article we present Sustainable Value, a valuation methodology to assess sustainable value creation of companies. Sustainable Development posits that decisions must not only take into account economic capital but also natural and social capital. Sustainable Value, the methodology presented in this paper, borrows the idea from financial economics that the return on capital has to cover the cost of the capital. Capital costs are determined as opportunity costs, i.e. the forgone return that would have been created by an alternative investment. By expanding the well established logic of the valuation of economic capital in financial markets to also cover natural and social capital we provide a methodology that allows an assessment of the most efficient allocation of economic, natural, and social capital for sustainable value creation in companies. We demonstrate the practicability of the methodology by the valuation of the sustainability performance of British Petroleum (BP).

Jan 1, 2005

By D Blair, L Fergusson, G Barros

"The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a waste rock remediation program conducted at a gold mine in New South Wales (NSW) over a six-year period. The treatment of waste rock dumps included the longitudinal results of one-off applications using: ViroMine Technology, including the application of a chemical reagent called Terra B, which is a benign, clay-like substance derived from processed bauxite and other sources lime and biosolids (added for nutrient value) clay capping and topsoil compared treatment outcomes from these three approaches to a control.Parameters measured in the program included leachate pH, total actual acidity (TAA) and chromium reducible sulfur (CRS), Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, and tree height and vegetative cover density with data collected at regular intervals over a six-year monitoring period. Findings over the life of the study indicated, for example, that leachate pH in the control area was 4.5 in year 1 falling to 4.0 by year 6; pH in the lime and capping treated waste rock was initially raised to about 5.5 after treatment but fell to 5.0 within 24 months and remained a low 4.7 by year 6; pH in the Terra B waste rock was 6.8 in year 1 immediately after treatment, and actually increased to 7.3 by year 6 with no further treatment. This finding is of relevance because it effectively profiles the acidity curves of waste rock control, lime, and capping applications, and shows that they decline over time, despite an initial æpH shockÆ to the solids as measured by TAA and CRS in the case of lime. Similar treatment curves were observed for heavy metal leachates. Tree height and vegetative cover density indicated that with increasing acidity in the waste rock dump, the lime and capping options did not allow healthy revegetation, but in the Terra B treated areas tree growth and density were comparable to background, undisturbed forest levels.is needed with respect to tailings management, based on a novel integrated research framework.CITATION:Fergusson, L, Blair, D and Barros, G, 2012. Sustainable waste rock remediation and revegetation - A real-world longitudinal study comparing ViroMine technology to standard applications and doing nothing, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2012 , pp 249-258 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jul 10, 2012

By Ditend Tesh, Godfrey Dzinomwa, Harmony K. Musiyarira

Namibia is known as water stressed country with a limited amount of fresh water. Therefore, the use of water is an important topic in the country’s development agenda. Water is a shared and finite resource, with high social, cultural, environmental and economic value. However, freshwater resources are under pressure from ore processing, industrialization, urbanization and the demands of a growing population. In Namibia, ore processing, coupled with the anticipated increase in water demand for human consumption and other uses, has created significant stress on the limited water resources of the country. This is critical in the mining industry as water remains typically the prime environmental medium (besides air) that is affected by mining activities. This study sought to investigate the strides made in water management in mining, especially in environmentally sensitive areas of Namibia. Most mining companies operate next or alongside farms, national parks and fishing areas. The overall objective of this research was to highlight the current practices in Namibia’s mineral industry operating in environmentally sensitive areas especially in areas where uranium is being mined and processed. The methodology consisted of comprehensive literature review, field visits to the case study areas, and comparative studies with best practices. This study shows that over a ten-year period, freshwater consumption was reduced by over 55% per tonne of milled ore in uranium mines, resulting in substantive financial savings as well as the delay in water augmentation through desalination. The strategies employed by the Namibian companies involve inclusive stakeholders’ engagement, recycling and reuse, and the minimization of water losses. The realization that the water challenge cannot be solved by any one party acting alone has been fundamental in ensuring environmental compliance within the mining industry in Namibia. Namibia’s industrial leaders have increasingly recognized that reducing the water footprint of mining activities must be one of the key performance indicators for management. The major finding of this study was that Namibia with its unique ecosystems, mineral reserves, and emerging industries can harness a wide range of resources both to improve the welfare of its citizens and to protect the integrity of its environment.

Jan 1, 2017

OZ Minerals Limited owns and operates the Prominent Hill Copper-Gold Mine, located 140 km southeast of Coober Pedy in far north South Australia. The Prominent Hill mine comprises an open cut mine with an initial 10 year mine-life and an 8 Mtpa conventional grinding and flotation plant to produce high quality copper-gold-silver concentrates, which are exported by road to local customers and by rail to the port of Darwin for shipment on to Southeast Asian smelters. Mine and process operations at Prominent Hill are licensed to abstract a water supply of up to 26 ML/d, sourced from a borefield located 40 km and extending to 80 km east of the mine. The arid climate of the broader Prominent Hill region means that groundwater is important for sustaining community and pastoral industries in the region, and security of water rights for third party users is a critically important water management issue posing a significant challenge to the development of Prominent Hill. Depth to water table and the typically high salinity of groundwater in the region means there is little environmental dependence on groundwater within the immediate Project area (mine lease and wellfields). The Prominent Hill mine and associated infrastructure lies within the South Australian Far North Prescribed Wells Area (FNPWA), which was principally defined to ensure the ongoing security of the ecologically, socially and culturally significant GAB springs, of which the closest are found around 150 km northeast of Prominent Hill, and only 50 km northeast of the water supply borefield. Prescribing of the FNPWA meant that OZ Minerals was required to demonstrate to both State and Federal Government agencies that the mine's water supply is independent of that which supports GAB springs and other third party water users in the region. Recognising these potential obstacles, OZ Minerals successfully defined and developed a previously unknown industrial quality groundwater resource, separate from other important groundwater resources in the region that supply community, pastoral and environmental users, ensuring third party water user sustainability.

Jun 1, 2010

By P Trotta

The majority of water to the Olympic Dam mine and the nearby townships of Roxby Downs and Andamooka is supplied from the Great Artesian Basin (GAB). There are no permanent local water sources available to Olympic Dam. The use of water from the Great Artesian Basin by Olympic Dam receives considerable attention by BHP Billiton and is extensively regulated by the Government of South Australia. Olympic Dam has robust business management systems in place to ensure the sustainable use of water from the GAB including ISO9001 and ISO14001 systems to deliver the targeted outcomes and obligations of the Olympic Dam Environmental Management and Monitoring Program. The management systems ensure that Olympic Dam retains accountability for its water demand from the GAB over the life of the mine. This accountability has delivered continuous improvement in water use efficiency driven by operating discipline, implementation of water saving projects, using water on a fit for purpose basis including substitution from non-GAB sources, and risk management to prevent and mitigate water supply disruptions to Olympic Dam and Roxby Downs. Since the establishment of Olympic Dam, BHP Billiton has funded a reduction in GAB water flow from bores, previously going to waste, that is greater than the annual average flow used by Olympic Dam.

Jan 1, 2009

By R R. Lovel

In this paper, life cycle assessment methodology has been used to assess the variations in water use associated with different metal production and processing routes and provide insights into the value derived from water usage in the minerals sector. Using water consumption data derived from the literature it has been shown that the æcradle-to-gateÆ water consumption (or embodied water) for production of the various metals considered in the study ranged from 2.9 m3/t for steel up to 252 087 m3/t for gold. The results largely reflect the grade of the initial ore used to produce each metal, and can be approximated by the following equation:W = 167.7 G - 0.9039 where: W = embodied water (m3/t refined metal) G = grade of ore used to produce metal (per cent metal) The study showed that indirect water consumption in the metal production life cycle, in particular that due to electricity generation, can make a significant contribution to the embodied water value, eg aluminium production. When expressed in terms of m3/t ore, the results for all metals considered indicated that the embodied water is roughly, on average, three times the water consumption of the mining and concentration stage. It was also shown that the economic value per m3 of water consumed for the minerals industry exceeds that for the agricultural and industrial sectors, supporting the view that allocating water resources to the minerals industry has a strong underlying economic basis. Water reforms currently taking place in Australia aim to address issues such as competition for water access, reduced security of supply and increase in cost. Consequently the minerals industry, along with others, can be expected to come under increasing pressure to reduce fresh or raw water use and to integrate water use across sectors. While water recycling is an obvious candidate to help reduce water consumption in the minerals industry, issues such as water quality, among others, will influence the extent to which this can be achieved. In addition, wastewater volumes can be minimised using techniques such as pinch analysis to establish and use the minimum water requirement for the process. The use of dry or near-dry processing technologies, for which the demand for water is small or zero, may be a more radical solution to the water consumption problem; however, it is possible that the introduction of dry processing would bring with it a new set of problems, including dust.

Jan 1, 2006

By R R. Lovel

In this paper, life cycle assessment methodology has been used to assess the variations in water use associated with different metal production and processing routes and provide insights into the value derived from water usage in the minerals sector. Using water consumption data derived from the literature it has been shown that the æcradle-to-gateÆ water consumption (or embodied water) for production of the various metals considered in the study ranged from 2.9 m3/t for steel up to 252 087 m3/t for gold. The results largely reflect the grade of the initial ore used to produce each metal, and can be approximated by the following equation: W = 167.7 G - 0.9039 where: W = embodied water (m3/t refined metal) G = grade of ore used to produce metal (per cent metal) The study showed that indirect water consumption in the metal production life cycle, in particular that due to electricity generation, can make a significant contribution to the embodied water value, eg aluminium production. When expressed in terms of m3/t ore, the results for all metals considered indicated that the embodied water is roughly, on average, three times the water consumption of the mining and concentration stage. It was also shown that the economic value per m3 of water consumed for the minerals industry exceeds that for the agricultural and industrial sectors, supporting the view that allocating water resources to the minerals industry has a strong underlying economic basis. Water reforms currently taking place in Australia aim to address issues such as competition for water access, reduced security of supply and increase in cost. Consequently the minerals industry, along with others, can be expected to come under increasing pressure to reduce fresh or raw water use and to integrate water use across sectors. While water recycling is an obvious candidate to help reduce water consumption in the minerals industry, issues such as water quality, among others, will influence the extent to which this can be achieved. In addition, wastewater volumes can be minimised using techniques such as pinch analysis to establish and use the minimum water requirement for the process. The use of dry or near-dry processing technologies, for which the demand for water is small or zero, may be a more radical solution to the water consumption problem; however, it is possible that the introduction of dry processing would bring with it a new set of problems, including dust.

Jan 1, 2006

Much has been written about leadership over the years. It is probably one of the most written about but least understood and defined concepts in business. Leadership and management are often confused and blurred, and inspirational words such as mentor, coach, motivator and the like, are often interspersed when describing a leader. There are a few things we do know about leadership:The only thing common to all leaders is that they are different.Leadership is not the sole domain of business; it applies to every aspect of human endeavour. We are all required to lead at times, and we all have it in our ability to lead. There is no set of predetermined competencies, which a leader must possess to be effective. Hence there is no course in the world that can teach you to become a leader. There is no such thing as the perfect leader. Leadership is a verb, not a title; you actually have to do it to be judged a leader. All leaders no matter how you define the term, must leave a legacy. Thus in the busy world we all live in, what are the lessons in leadership that we can all learn from, that will assist us all in our pursuit of leadership. The purpose of today is to put forward a framework for leadership that I have been researching and working on for many years. It is not the definitive framework, merely a framework. Out of today you will take your own collective thoughts, learnings, observations, experiences, education and training, and collective wisdom, and apply it to yourself.

Jan 1, 2004

In the past decade, the increased engagement of business in debates around sustainable development has prompted recognition of the importance of biological diversity at the local, national and global scales. Driven by increasing populations that demand rising real incomes, a range of human induced pressures are modifying natural habitats and diminishing their ability to support life. Public policy changes have struggled to arrest the loss of habitats such as wetlands or tropical forests, and the related extinction of plant and animal species. Although conservation legislation and regulation were once the exclusive responsibility of government, new partnerships are now being forged that increase the role of the private sector and non-government organisations (NGOs) in developing and delivering conservation initiatives. Since the mid 1990s Rio Tinto has had to adapt to meet the demands of a rapidly changing conservation landscape. When Rio Tinto adopted its statement of business practice in 1998 The way we work, it explicitly recognised the need to take account of relevant environmental factors in obtaining access to lands, particularly in designated areas of high conservation value. With the revision of The way we work in April 2003, the policy on land access was strengthened through removal of the word ?designated?, thereby signalling recognition of the importance of biodiversity outside of protected areas. In addition, Rio Tinto?s revised land access policy explicitly refers to the use of land that is surplus to operational requirements for habitat protection and biodiversity conservation, subject to social considerations. In late 2003 Rio Tinto further strengthened its commitment to biodiversity with the promulgation of its biodiversity strategy and related position statement, biodiversity principles? (See Appendix 1.1) and technical guidance documents. This commitment is also embodied in a variety of initiatives at the corporate and operational levels, which are reported on annually in Rio Tinto?s Social and environment review. This guide has been prepared to support the practical implementation of Rio Tinto?s biodiversity strategy. The purpose is to provide guidance on how to effectively integrate biodiversity into Rio Tinto?s operations. It is applicable to all Rio Tinto exploration, new development projects and operations, irrespective of whether they have been operational for some years or are at the beginning or end of their operational life cycles. This guidance has been developed to support the Rio Tinto Environment Standards and the Rio Tinto Community Standard and any additional supporting documents as they are developed.

Apr 1, 2005

By Aidan Giblett, Karen McCaffery, Robert Dunne

"A worldwide decline in competency levels of practicing metallurgists over recent decades has become clearly evident and is a common topic of discussion among senior practitioners and professional associations. The associated impacts on the industry are material and include operational inefficiencies, missed optimisation opportunities and suboptimal new plant designs. There are many contributing factors to this condition. Decrease in competency is particularly evident both in regions where imbalance between supply and demand has led to a general reduction in experience levels for comparable roles over time and in emerging regions where a rapid rise in demand for practitioners has occurred in conjunction with rapid economic development and industrialization. The context, depth and breadth of education curricula and levels vary with location such that solutions to the technical competency dilemma may need to be developed specifically for each region with these influences in mind. Delivering, demonstrating and maintaining competencies are a critical requirement of undergraduate training and ongoing professional development. Other factors such as generational and cultural characteristics and expectations, political influences, role requirements and employment reward and recognition systems all play a critical role in determining if core competencies can be effectively developed, applied and subsequently maintained. This paper reviews factors impacting and some common approaches to competency development. The authors’ experiences in the management of professional development efforts within the global industry are reviewed and a blueprint proposed to address industry requirements in this area."

Jan 1, 2014

By D Laurence

Australians are at the forefront of exporting their mining expertise in a number of areas. Minerals education is just one example. The growing economies of Southeast Asia host some of the most prospective mineral fields in the world. Laos for example, hosts the world class Sepon and Phu Kham copper-gold deposits. The Philippines has the fifth largest global mineral resource inventory. These and other countries in the region lack the mining engineers, geologists and metallurgists required by international mining companies to ensure their operations are sustainable. This paper describes the author’s experience in working with mining schools in Southeast Asia and specifically the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Various strategies to ensure sustainability and lessons learnt are presented.

Nov 22, 2011

By V. N. Kazakidis

With increased levels of automation, capitalization, and empowerment of citizens, the traditional axis of labour versus capital or national government versus capital, upon which the allocation of benefits from a mining project was traditionally based, has shifted primarily to a capital versus community axis. In light of this paradigm shift, it is critical for the sustainability of mining that economic indicators be considered at the pre-feasibility, feasibility, and permitting stages of a project. Such indicators should emphasize the ?ripple effect? of the economic impact of a capital-intensive mining investment on a region due to outsourcing, as well as the diversified spin-off opportunities and the technological advances that can be exploited by local communities.

Jan 1, 2003

By C. Pattenden

The viability, self-reliance and resilience of small communities are perennial challenges in regional Australia. Recent developments in Australian mining regions seek to govern the minerals industry in a more holistic way that contributes to sustainable futures for affected communities in different contexts. In some areas of the State of Queensland land use conflicts and the cumulative impacts of multiple projects and activities across time and space have come to the fore. In more isolated regions of Western Australia the dominant issues relate to overstretching people, infrastructure and services in predominantly mining towns. In both cases, there is an ambition for regional towns with a strong extractive industry presence to transition into desirable, liveable and affordable cities with a diversified economy. The paper analyses two strategies - the Pilbara Plan in Western Australia, and the Sustainable Resource Communities Policy in Queensland - to identify how these governance instruments are contributing to sustainable development.

Jan 1, 2011

By Marcos Paulo Kohler Caldas

Após a sanção da RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC que entrou em vigor em 01/07/2006 proibindo a utilização de seis substâncias perigosas, sendo elas: chumbo, mercúrio, cádmio, cromo hexavalente, bifenilos polibromados e éteres difenil-polibromado fabricantes de equipamentos eletroeletrônicos tiveram que restringir os usos de tais substâncias. Com isto, as placas de circuito impresso dos equipamentos passaram a ser identificadas com a sigla RoHS ou outra identificação que indique o atendimento a diretiva. O presente trabalho visa analisar um lote de placas mãe de computadores obsoletos direcionados ao CEDIR-USP (Centro de Descarte e Reuso de Resíduos de Informática) no período de 01/01/2013 a 30/05/2013, identificando-as como “lead free” ou “comuns”, a fim de verificar a relação entre placas livres de substâncias perigosas e placas contendo tais substâncias. O lote possuía quantidade aproximada de 3.230 placas. Após a separação, as placas “lead free” foram classificadas por marca e nacionalidade. O resultado da pesquisa mostrou que mesmo após onze anos da edição da diretiva o percentual de placas livres de substâncias perigosas ainda é muito baixo. Cerca de 97,80% das placas de circuito impresso coletadas ainda possuem em sua composição substâncias perigosas. Verificou-se que todas as placas “lead free” encontradas são de origem chinesa e seus fabricantes são: Gigabayte, Itautec, Intel e CE. O estudo também classifica a origem dos resíduos como: industriais, da própria universidade ou residenciais.

Aug 8, 2018

By Gordon King

This paper presents a case study of large diameter continuous flight auger (CFA) piles and drilled shafts utilized for foundation support of a series of heavily loaded cement plant structures at the Suwannee American Cement (SAC) Plant in Branford, Florida. The high loads and exacting total and differential settlement criteria when combined with a highly variable subsurface geology provided a challenging design scenario. Fully instrumented static pile load tests were performed to determine design parameters in the variable weathered limestone bedrock. Ultimate side friction values ranged from 2 to 8 tsf within the limestone, resulting in the requirement for CFA piles up to one meter (approximately 40 inches) in diameter and socket lengths of up to 40 feet. At several localized areas, the limestone bedrock was in excess of 60 feet below grade, requiring the use of cased drilled shafts to depths on the order of 80 to 90 feet. An integral part of the production pile installation was the use of instrumentation to monitor drilling and concreting parameters. Calibration of drill rates, torque and auger rotation with rock quality was performed to allow monitoring of the soil stratigraphy at each pile location. When combined with the results of the instrumented load testing, the monitoring of drilling parameters allowed confirmation that sufficient socket length was achieved within the quality of rock present at each and every pile location.

Jan 1, 2003

By Nik Sokol, Eric Sekulski, Leo Weiman-Benitez, Jon Hurt, Shrinidhi Vijayakumar, Phaidra Campbell

The Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) Gravity Pipeline (GP) is the first Progressive Design Build (PDB) tunnel completed in North America. As part of the Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade (RESCU) Program, the tunnel is a key component to replacing and rehabilitating components of the existing conveyance system in San Mateo County, California. The GP consists of a large diameter Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer Mortar (FRPM) pipe installed inside a 4.1 m (13.5 ft) inside diameter, 5.3 km (3.3 mile) long precast concrete segmentally lined tunnel. The tunnel was constructed using a 4.6 m (15.2 ft) diameter Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) through heterogenous silts, clays and sands. Construction included two separate TBMlaunches from a centrally located access shaft, and a tunnel alignment below but in close proximity to very soft Young Bay Mud. Settlement criteria and mitigation strategies focused on protection of an existing 1.42 m (56 inch) diameter force main and adjoining structures along the alignment. This paper discusses the results of the theoretical settlement analysis versus the actual observed ground movements, while also presenting mitigation measures and adjustments made during tunneling to reduce the risks of adverse settlement.

Jun 13, 2023

By P. J. Cook

Comminution is one of the fundamentals of mineral processing, requiring large expenditures to be made on capital equipment, installation, power and maintenance. The trend toward lower grades and higher operating costs, mean mining operations are becoming increasingly marginal. The challenge is to improve and more importantly, utilize crushing and milling technologies that provide for reduced capital and operating costs whilst providing increased unit efficiencies. The Svedala Barmac Autogenous Crushing Mill presents such an opportunity by providing many of the cost savings and production increases required by its ability to produce a finer mill feed size and realize reduced energy consumption. This paper briefly describes the operation of the Svedala Barmac Autogenous Crushing Mill and reviews its benefits towards improving the efficiency of crushing and milling operations.

Jan 1, 1999

By P. J. Cook

Comminution is one of the fundamentals of mineral processing, requiring large expenditures to be made on capital equipment, installation, power and maintenance. The trend toward lower grades and higher operating costs, mean mining operations are becoming increasingly marginal. The challenge is to improve and more importantly, utilise crushing and milling technologies that provide for reduced capital and operating costs whilst providing increased unit efficiencies. The Svedala Barmac Autogenous Crushing Mill presents such an opportunity by providing many of the cost savings and production increases required by its ability to produce a finer mill feed size and realise reduced energy consumption. This paper briefly describes the operation of the Svedala Barmac Autogenous Crushing Mill and reviews its benefits towards improving the efficiency of crushing and milling operations.

Jan 1, 1999

By A J. Nick, I I. Townsend, J M. Schuler, J D. Smith, R P. Mueller, L Sibille, K Leucht, J J. Fox

The first steps for in situ resource utilisation (ISRU) on target bodies such as the Moon, Mars and near-Earth asteroids (NEA), and even comets, involve the same sequence of steps as in the terrestrial mining of resources. First exploration including prospecting must occur, and then the resource must be acquired through excavation methods if it is of value. Subsequently a load-haul-dump sequence of events occurs, followed by processing of the resource in an ISRU plant, to produce useful commodities.While these technologies and related supporting operations are mature in terrestrial applications, they will be different in space since the environment and indigenous materials are different than on Earth. In addition, the equipment must be highly automated, since for the majority of the production cycle time, there will be no humans present to assist or intervene. This space mining equipment must withstand a harsh environment which includes vacuum, radical temperature swing cycles, highly abrasive lofted dust, electrostatic effects, van der Waals forces effects, galactic cosmic radiation, solar particle events, high thermal gradients when spanning sunlight terminators, steep slopes into craters / lava tubes and cryogenic temperatures as low as 40 K in permanently shadowed regions. In addition the equipment must be tele-operated from Earth or a local base where the crew is sheltered. If the tele-operation occurs from Earth then significant communications latency effects mandate the use of autonomous control systems in the mining equipment. While this is an extremely challenging engineering design scenario, it is also an opportunity, since the technologies developed in this endeavour could be used in the next generations of terrestrial mining equipment, in order to mine deeper, safer, more economical and with a higher degree of flexibility. New space technologies could precipitate new mining solutions here on Earth.The NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Swamp Works is an innovation environment and methodology, with associated laboratories that use lean development methods and creativity-enhancing processes to invent and develop new solutions for space exploration. This paper will discuss the Swamp Works approach to developing space mining and resource extraction systems and the vision of space development it serves. The ultimate goal of the Swamp Works is to expand human civilisation into the solar system via the use of local resources utilisation. By mining and using the local resources in situ, it is conceivable that one day the logistics supply train from Earth can be eliminated and Earth independence of a space-based community will be enabled.CITATION:Mueller, R P, Sibille, L, Leucht, K, Smith, J D, Townsend, I I, Nick, A J, Schuler, J M and Fox, J J, 2015. Swamp works – a new approach to develop space mining and resource extraction technologies at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center: prospecting, excavation, load, haul and dump for in situ resource utilisation, in Proceedings Third International Future Mining Conference, pp 297–304 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 4, 2015