The Recent Progress China Has Made in Green Mine Construction, Part I: Mining Groundwater Pollution and Sustainable Mining

Abstract

With the development of technology, the concepts of “green” and “sustainable” have gradually been popularized in all walks of life. With the continuous development of the world mining industry, the efficiency of resource development in various countries has been improved, but mining activities and production will undoubtedly bring many environmental pollution problems. As a mining power, China is one of the first countries to put forward the concept of “green mining”. Over the years, as people emphasize safety and environmental protection, green mining technology has become the hot topic. At the same time, groundwater pollution caused by mining has become the focus of China’s “green mine construction”: with the continuous development of mining, mining activities and production will also undoubtedly bring significant environmental pollution. The environmental pollution of the mined area has a vital influence on the surrounding environment. The pollutants mainly come from mining operations and production of the mineral processing industry, including process wastewater, gas waste, smelting slag, etc., which are all acidic. Acid mine drainage (AMD) occurs in the process of mining production, due to the structure of minerals and the complex reactions between oxygen and minerals, and results in heavy metal ions leaching into groundwater. Once the groundwater is polluted, it will slowly flow to the surrounding area, resulting in the migration and diffusion of pollutants in the groundwater, affecting the surrounding rivers, farmland, and drinking water for residents. In recent years, environmental damage caused by groundwater pollution from underground mines in Shijiazhuang, China, and Selangor, Malaysia, has had a negative impact on rivers, farmland, and human health. At the same time, the paper introduces many key technologies of green mine construction, such as the backfill mining method. In cooperation with China Road & Bridge Corporation, this paper also introduces the progress in the reuse of mining waste, especially the use of mining waste as aggregate to prepare concrete materials for road and bridge construction. This information article introduces the development status of green mine construction in China and briefly reviews the key technologies of green mine construction in China.