scholarly journals Alluvial Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in A River Stream—Rutsiro Case Study (Rwanda)

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 762
Author(s):  
Jan Macháček
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Anthropogenic Influences ◽  
Mining Site ◽  
Geomorphological Processes ◽  
Broad Understanding

Artisanal and small-scale mining is a significant economic sector in Rwanda. Mining activities often use a watercourse, in which secondary extraction takes place and minerals are washed. Mining thus greatly affects the geomorphological conditions in the area. The aim of this paper is a digest of environmental impacts of alluvial artisanal and small-scale mining with a focus on anthropogenic influences on topography with regard to the methods used in raw material mining. The author draws on a case study from the mining site of Rutsiro district in Rwanda. Main findings of alluvial artisanal mining in a riverscape are changes in landscape structure, deforestation, intensification of geomorphological processes, new relief shapes (suffosion depressions, check dams, gravel benches, anthropogenic channels) and hydrological river regime, chemical pollution of soil and watercourses. Artisanal and small-scale mining may lead to a significant change and acceleration of fluvial processes. This paper covers a broad understanding of environmental impacts of alluvial artisanal and small-scale mining with a focus on anthropogenic influencing.

scholarly journals Typology of Environmental Impacts of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in African Great Lakes Region

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Macháček
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Great Lakes Region ◽  
Rock Composition ◽  
African Great Lakes ◽  
Geomorphological Processes

Artisanal and small-scale mining is a widespread economic sector in the African Great Lakes Region, where it has an adverse impact on the population’s environment. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and consider the typology of the environmental impacts of artisanal and small-scale mining, in particular, the anthropogenic influences on topography with regard to the methods used in raw material mining. Among the most significant environmental aspects related to artisanal and small-scale mining are deforestation, changes in landscape structure, influence over geomorphological processes and hydrological river regime, chemical pollution of soil and watercourses, influencing soil production capacity. The aforementioned factors can cause health problems such as silicosis, poisoning by methyl orthophosphate, or injury during the mining activity itself. Artisanal and small-scale mining could initiate new geomorphological processes or modify naturally occurring geomorphological processes. These dynamic processes are influenced by the topography of the relief, soil properties, and rock composition. Anthropogenic activity in these cases may lead to faster reshaping (degradation or abrasion) of soil shapes. This study covers a broad understanding of environmental impacts of artisanal and small-scale mining with a focus on anthropogenic influencing.

scholarly journals Modeling and planning of bentonite clay mining: a case study at Bañado de Medina, Melo, Uruguay

2013 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 521-528
Author(s):  
Renato da Silva Marques ◽  
Luis Eduardo de Souza ◽  
Luiz Delfino Albarnaz ◽  
Raul Oliveira Neto
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Bentonite Clay ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Mineral Deposit ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Geological Complexity

Mining planning and its correct sequencing are essential to facilitate the exploitation of minerals both economically and environmentally, thus ensuring the feasibility of the mining in operational and economic terms. The small geological complexity or the low aggregate value of a mineral deposit tends to result in the planning stages being neglected, so the mining begins without the necessary detailing or it is only scheduled for a short period of time. Thus, in order to ensure a sustainable sequence of operations, and to predict the environmental impacts caused by mining activities and suggest options that would allow the establishment of mitigation measures for these impacts, the feasibility of the technical and economic utilization was evaluated for an occurrence of bentonite in the Bañado de Medina deposit located in the Department of Cerro Largo, Uruguay, respecting the local environment in the process so as to give the project a strong character of sustainability.

scholarly journals Environmental Potentials of Asphalt Materials Applied to Urban Roads: Case Study of the City of Münster

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 6113
Author(s):  
Mayara S. Siverio Lima ◽  
Mohsen Hajibabaei ◽  
Sina Hesarkazzazi ◽  
Robert Sitzenfrei ◽  
Alexander Buttgereit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Cumulative Energy ◽  
Cumulative Energy Demand ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Asphalt Materials ◽  
Pavement Structures

Life cycle assessment (LCA) tools have been used by governments and city administrators to support the decision-making process toward creating a more sustainable society. Since LCA is strongly influenced by local conditions and may vary according to various factors, several institutions have launched cooperation projects to achieve sustainable development goals. In this study, we assessed the potential environmental enhancements within the production of road materials applied to the road network of Münster, Germany. We also compared traditional pavement structures used in Münster and alternative options containing asphalt mixtures with larger amounts of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). Although the case study was conducted in Münster, the data collected and the results obtained in this study can be used for comparison purposes in other investigations. In the analysis, we considered all environmental impacts from raw material extraction to the finished product at the asphalt plant. Two environmental indicators were used: non-renewable cumulative energy demand (nr-CED) and global warming potential (GWP). The results show that using RAP increases the consumption of energy but potentially decreases the environmental impacts in terms of the nr-CED and GWP associated with the production of asphalt materials.

scholarly journals An Integrated Approach to Assess the Environmental Impacts of Large-Scale Gold Mining: The Nzema-Gold Mines in the Ellembelle District of Ghana as a Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 7044
Author(s):  
Dawuda Usman Kaku ◽  
Yonghong Cao ◽  
Yousef Ahmed Al-Masnay ◽  
Jean Claude Nizeyimana
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Bare Area ◽  
Double Phase ◽  
Gold Producer

The mining industry is a significant asset to the development of countries. Ghana, Africa’s second-largest gold producer, has benefited from gold mining as the sector generates about 90% of the country’s total exports. Just like all industries, mining is associated with benefits and risks to indigenes and the host environment. Small-scale miners are mostly accused in Ghana of being environmentally disruptive, due to their modes of operations. As a result, this paper seeks to assess the environmental impacts of large-scale gold mining with the Nzema Mines in Ellembelle as a case study. The study employs a double-phase mixed-method approach—a case study approach, consisting of site visitation, key informant interviews, questionnaires, and literature reviews, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis method. The NDVI analysis shows that agricultural land reduced by −0.98%, while the bare area increases by 5.21% between the 2008 and 2015 periods. Our results show that forest reserves and bare area were reduced by −4.99% and −29%, respectively, while residential areas increased by 28.17% between 2015 and 2020. Vegetation, land, air, and water quality are highly threatened by large-scale mining in the area. Weak enforcement of mining policies, ineffective stakeholder institution collaborations, and limited community participation in decision-making processes were also noticed during the study. The authors conclude by giving recommendations to help enhance sustainable mining and ensure environmental sustainability in the district and beyond.

A simplified matrix of environmental impacts to support an intervention program in a small-scale mining site

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 580-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo N. Sousa ◽  
Marcello M. Veiga ◽  
John Meech ◽  
Janis Jokinen ◽  
Aguinaldo J. Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mining Site

scholarly journals Raw material exploitation strategies on the flint mining site of Spiennes (Hainaut, Belgium)

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hélène Collet
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Mining Activities ◽  
Mining Site ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
The Social ◽  
Permanent Settlement ◽  
Material Conditions ◽  
Geological Constraints

The flint mines of Spiennes (Hainaut Province, Belgium) are among the most important mining sites in Europe as evidenced by the huge extension of the site and its very long duration of occupation, probably covering a period between 4350 and 2300 BCE. What explains such a spectacular achievement? The paper first explores the geological constraints but also the social and material conditions that made possible such a continuity of mining activities. The site of Spiennes offers both extremely rich flint resources and a specific geographical configuration that made the discovery and the exploitation of the deposit relatively easy in the Neolithic. The paper next focuses on deducing the mining strategies implemented to extract good quality raw materials on basis of both stratigraphical evidence and the flint productions in direct relation with the mines. The mining strategies variability from a synchronic and a diachronic point of view as well as the knapping techniques implemented will be analysed. These are then put into perspective with what is known of the social context in which the mining activities took place. At the turn of the 5th and the 4th millennium BCE a permanent settlement was built near the mining site. As the Michelsberg populations who exploited the mines in Spiennes were first and foremost farmers, this leads us to propose a tentative hypothesis about the seasonality of the mining activities. Living close to a hugely rich flint deposit, these farmers were able to develop sometimes complex mining techniques to reach specific seams, deemed adequate for the production of standardised axeheads and blades. Century-old traditions, group specialisation in mining and knapping and close social control of flint resources allowed the mines to dominate the raw material supply of the Mons Basin for centuries.

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