ABSTRACT
With the increase of the number of closed and abandoned mines in the world, it has become an urgent need to study the assessment and reuse of various resources of closed and abandoned mines, as well as the transformation and development mode of mines. Various sources of data are used to identify the types of closed and abandoned mine resources, the classification system of aboveground and underground resources of mines is established. The calculation method of available space of ground buildings, underground tunnels and shafts, and the estimation method of underground residual coal quality are given, the determination method of transformation mode of closed and abandoned mines is proposed. The transformation and utilization modes of closed and abandoned mines in China and abroad are compared. Taking a closed mine in Shaanxi Province as an example, the optimal transformation mode is determined and the planning scheme is given. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Aboveground resources of closed and abandoned mines mainly include surface water, idle land, mining equipment, and buildings of industrial squares and living areas, while underground resources mainly include groundwater, residual minerals, underground space and mining equipment left underground. (2) The aboveground development and utilization modes of closed and abandoned mine resources include mine park, mining museum, industrial relics, etc. while the underground development and utilization modes include underground storage, underground laboratory, energy development, etc. (3) It is calculated that the building space volume of a closed mine industrial square in Shaanxi Province, China is up to 1.04 × 105 m3, the available underground space volume including shaft, roadway, chamber and yard is 1.18 × 105 m3, and the mass of underground residual coal is nearly 56 million tons. (4) Based on the evaluation of suitability for mine transformation, three transformation modes have been identified for a closed mine in Shaanxi Province, China. Through the comprehensive benefit evaluation, the optimal utilization mode for the mine has been determined as mine park and mine museum, and a preliminary planning scheme is proposed. The research on the reuse of the remaining resources of closed and abandoned mines provides a new idea for the transformation and sustainable development of resource-depleted mines, which is of great significance for the realization of the global carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Data availability statement
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Notes on contributors
Li Ji
Li Ji is a PhD candidate at School of Public Policy and Management, China University of Mining and Technology. She is mainly engaged in the research of mine closure transformation and carbon emission of resource-based cities.
Jihong Dong
Jihong Dong is a professor at School of Environment and Spatial Informatics at China University of Mining and Technology. Her research interests include mine reclamation and ecological reconstruction, site soil assessment and restoration, landscape ecological planning, energy-grain-water coupling, rural ecosystem assessment, remote sensing and GIS application, etc.
Thomas Kienberger
Thomas Kienberger is a professor at Department Umwelt- und Energieverfahrenstechnik at Montanuniversitaet Leoben. He has long been engaged in research on energy networks, system energy efficiency, and optimization of public energy systems.
Jiu Huang
Jiu Huang is a professor at School of Environment and Spatial Informatics at China University of Mining and Technology. His research interests include mine environment and ecological restoration, industrial ecology, renewable resource technology, photogrammetry, circular economy and new energy.
Feng Liu
Feng Liu is chairman of China Coal Society. His research interests include coal mine safety, scientific and technological innovation, environmental protection and sustainable development.
Lei Wang
Lei Wang is secretary general of China Coal Society. Her research fields include mining engineering, computer software and computer applications, library and information, and digital libraries.
Yanli Huang
Yanli Huang is a professor at School of Mines at China University of Mining and Technology. The research direction is filling mining and water resources protection, mining ecological environment protection, mine solid waste disposal and resource utilization.
Huadong Gao
Huadong Gao is a PhD candidate in School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology. He is mainly engaged in mining rock mechanics, coal mine groundwater resources protection and other research.