Towards the Green Mine: I2Mine Project results at AIMS 2015

The I²Mine Project results were presented at the Aachen International Mining Symposium (AIMS) 2015, the annual event focused on mineral raw materials supply and mining, held in Aachen, Germany, on the 27th-28th May. With six months until the end of the project, the ambitious goals of I²Mine – proposing the concept of an invisible, low/zero-impact mine as a vision of the future deep intelligent mine – have been successfully fulfilled.

But I²Mine is not only a vision. At the Symposium concrete technological innovations developed by the Project partners were presented. Moreover, some of them will be shown live during several demonstration events that will take place over 2015 in different European countries. In particular, there will be demonstrations on the new machinery, integrated mine, machine systems and safety and sensors.

A valuable contribution to the Project was presented by Caterpillar, a partner in the I²Mine Consortium, that developed a new cutting-head. This machine presents new features such as the possibility of approaching the rocks from different angles simultaneously and with the development of continuous cutting entry.

Another important progress has been made on Health & Safety issues with the launch of the innovative Mobile Rescue Chamber by RWTH Aachen, introducing the innovation elements concerning the outer and inner design of the mobile rescue chamber. The new rescue chamber moves along the underground tunnel in parallel with the excavation progresses. In the scenario of miners being trapped underground, the chamber will always be in close proximity to them. The new design also takes into account the psychological aspects of isolation for long periods (30 days), which has never been considered in the past.

On the safety aspects, KGHM Cuprum presented the results of the laboratory tests on rock mass subjected to mining, increasing the safety related to the roof fall hazard’s level in underground excavations.

The I²Mine Project, for which the final event will be held in October 2015 in Brussels, paves the way to sustainability by fostering the concept of a green mine and delivering concrete results towards this goal. Naturally, as stated by Mr. Horst Hejny, Project Manager, there are many challenges ahead and a strong need for interdisciplinary cooperation to develop the mine of the future.

For more information about the Project and the demonstration activities (the availability of places is limited) please contact:

Organization MIRO | Horst Hejny, Project Manager | Email pm@i2mine.eu

EuroGeoSurveys | Claudia Delfini, Communications Manager | Email claudia.delfini@eurogeosurveys.org

I²Mine | http://www.i2mine.eu/