Abandoned mine after-use as a museum and research site

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vesta Kaljuste ◽  
Erik Väli ◽  
Andrus Paat
Keyword(s):  
Oil Shale ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Abandoned Mines ◽  
Abandoned Mine ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Room And Pillar Mining ◽  
Research Site ◽  
Practical Experiences ◽  
Testing Site

<p><strong>Abstract. </strong>Abandoned mines are unique underground facilities due to their unique conditions. Mined-out mine can be used as a museum or scientific and technical research site. Depending on specific mine conditions the after-use purposes can vary. The former Kohtla oil-shale mine, located in the eastern part of Estonia, was closed 10 years before the idea to re-open it as a mining museum. Now old Kohtla mine is used as an underground museum to present for local people and tourists how mining works were carried out in the past (Estonia has 100-year-old experience in oil shale mining) and which methods are still in use. Besides mining, it also shows ventilation and water barrier solutions in the mine. </p><p> </p><p>We present an overview of abandoned mine new challenges to be a safe environment for tourists and as a future research center. The project team had a challenge do design: </p><ul><li>Renovate underground railway, walker’s platform’s, design and establish new roof supports </li> <li>New railway platform, stations for tourists, water barriers (3)</li> <li>Ventilation duct and walls (8), new ventilator;</li> <li>Closing the workings which are not needed.</li> </ul><p>Designing was challenging but not the most difficult part of the project. More complicated was to find a competent builder for the underground museum. Renovated and re-ventilated mine was opened in 2012 and today museum is one of the most visited places by the tourists in the eastern part of Estonia, because of its uniqueness. </p><p> </p><p>Besides as a museum, it can be used as a testing site for researchers, because its former infrastructure and facilities have remained. For example, 4 years ago Tallinn University of Technology used the museum area for the backfilling testing because the temperature and other underground conditions were suitable for room-and-pillar mining method backfilling tests. By using backfilling technology, environmental problems such as ground collapses can be avoided and production residues can be reused. As a result of the research, it became clear which ashes of Estonian power plants and the oil industry are suitable for the backfilling technology in terms of physical-mechanical and chemical properties.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, we will highlight the best design practices and experiences that have implemented in order to improve old mine everyday working conditions as a museum. These best practices are usually more than the national laws and regulations have requested and they are deeply connected with practical experiences. It meant a lot of collaboration in bringing the best know-how together by different stakeholders. </p>

scholarly journals Evaluating Spatial Regression-Informed Cokriging of Metals in Soils Near Abandoned Mines in Bumpus Cove, Tennessee, USA

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 434
Author(s):  
Melissa Magno ◽  
Ingrid Luffman ◽  
Arpita Nandi
Keyword(s):  
Ordinary Kriging ◽  
Spatial Regression ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Abandoned Mines ◽  
Abandoned Mine ◽  
Potentially Toxic Metals ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Mine Sites

Inorganic contaminants, including potentially toxic metals (PTMs), originating from un-reclaimed abandoned mine areas may accumulate in soils and present significant distress to environmental and public health. The ability to generate realistic spatial distribution models of such contamination is important for risk assessment and remedial planning of sites where this has occurred. This study evaluated the prediction accuracy of optimized ordinary kriging compared to spatial regression-informed cokriging for PTMs (Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, and Cd) in soils near abandoned mines in Bumpus Cove, Tennessee, USA. Cokriging variables and neighborhood sizes were systematically selected from prior statistical analyses based on the association with PTM transport and soil physico-chemical properties (soil texture, moisture content, bulk density, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and total organic carbon (TOC)). A log transform was applied to fit the frequency histograms to a normal distribution. Superior models were chosen based on six diagnostics (ME, RMS, MES, RMSS, ASE, and ASE-RMS), which produced mixed results. Cokriging models were preferred for Mn, Zn, Cu, and Cd, whereas ordinary kriging yielded better model results for Pb. This study determined that the preliminary process of developing spatial regression models, thus enabling the selection of contributing soil properties, can improve the interpolation accuracy of PTMs in abandoned mine sites.

TRACE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF FLY ASH BY PIXE

1999 ◽  
Vol 09 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 417-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. VIJAYAN ◽  
S. N. BEHERA
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Trace Element Analysis ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Solid Material ◽  
Thermal Power Plants ◽  
Element Analysis

Fly ash is a major component of solid material generated by the coal-fired thermal power plants. In India the total amount of fly ash produced per annum is around 100 million tonnes. Fly ash has a great potential for utilization in making industrial products such as cement, bricks as well as building materials, besides being used as a soil conditioner and a provider of micro nutrients in agriculture. However, given the large amount of fly ash that accumulate at thermal power plants, their possible reuse and dispersion and mobilization into the environment of the various elements depend on climate, soils, indigenous vegetation and agriculture practices. Fly ash use in agriculture improved various physico-chemical properties of soil, particularly the water holding capacity, porosity and available plant nutrients. However it is generally apprehended that the application of large quantity of fly ash in fields may affect the plant growth and soil texture. Hence there is a need to characterize trace elements of fly ash. The results of trace element analysis of fly ash and pond ash samples collected from major thermal power plants of India by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) have been discussed.

scholarly journals Direct environmental impacts of solar power in two arid biomes: An initial investigation

2017 ◽  
Vol 113 (11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Rudman ◽  
Paul Gauché ◽  
Karen J. Esler
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Total Power ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Research Areas

According to recent national energy plans and policy documents, the number of renewable energy developments is expected to increase in South Africa, thus contributing to the diversification of the country’s energy system. Consequently, numerous solar power developments are being deployed in the sunny arid interior – areas generally represented by the Nama-Karoo and Savanna Biomes. These developments come with a range of novel environmental impacts, providing opportunities for multidimensional exploratory research. Here, a mixed-method approach was used to identify and investigate possible environmental impacts associated with two types of solar power plants: concentrating solar power and photovoltaic. Structured interviews conducted with experts and experienced professionals, together with observations from site visits generated complementary findings. In addition to the risk of cumulative ecological impacts associated with individual solar plant developments, landscape impacts of multiple power plants and the direct impact on avifauna were found to be the most significant environmental impacts. These direct impacts appear to be most significant during the construction stage, which represents an intensive 10% of the total power plant lifespan. This investigation provides an early, broad and informative perspective on the experienced and expected impacts of solar power in South African arid regions as well as insights to possible future research areas.

scholarly journals Resilience of Legal Systems

2021 ◽  
pp. 509-529
Author(s):  
J. B. Ruhl ◽  
Barbara Cosens ◽  
Niko Soininen
Keyword(s):  
Legal Theory ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Role ◽  
Legal Systems ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Resilience Thinking ◽  
System Resilience ◽  
Practical Experiences

Resilience theory, also known as resilience thinking, has emerged as a powerful theoretical framework for many disciplines. Legal theorists have, however, only in the past decade begun to contextualize resilience thinking for legal systems. This chapter summarizes where resilience thinking has gone thus far in legal theory and recommends where it should go from here. The authors start by asking the two fundamental questions of resilience thinking, putting them in the context of legal systems: resilience of what and resilience to what? Because of the special role legal systems play in the governance of complex social-ecological systems, the authors add a third question: resilience for what? We then explore five key features of system resilience as they relate to legal systems: (a) reliability, (b) efficiency, (c) scalability, (d) modularity, and (e) evolvability. Using environmental law as a case study, the discussion offers concrete examples of how each property manifests and operates in legal systems. The authors close with an exploration of how what has been learned thus far about legal system resilience from theoretical research and practical experiences should shape future research, in particular toward a deeper understanding of adaptive governance.

scholarly journals A Review of Research Works on Supervised Learning Algorithms for SCADA Intrusion Detection and Classification

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9597
Author(s):  
Oyeniyi Akeem Alimi ◽  
Khmaies Ouahada ◽  
Adnan M. Abu-Mahfouz ◽  
Suvendi Rimer ◽  
Kuburat Oyeranti Adefemi Alimi
Keyword(s):  
Intrusion Detection ◽  
Supervised Learning ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Remote Access ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
Efficient Detection ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Scada Systems

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems play a significant role in providing remote access, monitoring and control of critical infrastructures (CIs) which includes electrical power systems, water distribution systems, nuclear power plants, etc. The growing interconnectivity, standardization of communication protocols and remote accessibility of modern SCADA systems have contributed massively to the exposure of SCADA systems and CIs to various forms of security challenges. Any form of intrusive action on the SCADA modules and communication networks can create devastating consequences on nations due to their strategic importance to CIs’ operations. Therefore, the prompt and efficient detection and classification of SCADA systems intrusions hold great importance for national CIs operational stability. Due to their well-recognized and documented efficiencies, several literature works have proposed numerous supervised learning techniques for SCADA intrusion detection and classification (IDC). This paper presents a critical review of recent studies whereby supervised learning techniques were modelled for SCADA intrusion solutions. The paper aims to contribute to the state-of-the-art, recognize critical open issues and offer ideas for future studies. The intention is to provide a research-based resource for researchers working on industrial control systems security. The analysis and comparison of different supervised learning techniques for SCADA IDC systems were critically reviewed, in terms of the methodologies, datasets and testbeds used, feature engineering and optimization mechanisms and classification procedures. Finally, we briefly summarized some suggestions and recommendations for future research works.

scholarly journals Implications of Adoption of Zero Tillage (ZT) on Productive Efficiency and Production Risk of Wheat Production

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3640
Author(s):  
Tamer El-Shater ◽  
Amin Mugera ◽  
Yigezu Yigezu
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Wheat Yield ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Productive Efficiency ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Stochastic Production Frontier ◽  
Production Risk ◽  
Information Gap

The impacts of zero tillage (ZT) on soil physical, biological, and chemical properties have been fairly documented in the literature. However, there is still an information gap in the developing world in general and in integrated crop–livestock production systems in dry areas of the world in particular. Using a sample of 621 farmers in Syria, this study assessed the implications of adoption of ZT technology on productive efficiency, input-specific resource use efficiency, and production risk. A stochastic production frontier model, which explicitly and simultaneously accounts for technical inefficiency and production risk, was used to estimate total factor and input-specific technical efficiencies and the risk of obtaining lower levels of yields for each of the sampled farms. Model results show that adoption of ZT proved to be an effective risk management strategy in this dryland production system, where it led to 95% and 33.3% reductions in the risk of obtaining wheat yield levels below 1000 kg/ha and 1500 kg/ha, respectively. Overall, the results have a clear indication that using ZT leads to improvements in productive efficiency as the adoption of ZT led to 93% reduction in the risk of obtaining efficiency levels below 40%. Future research will be needed to shed light on whether coupling ZT with the other components of conservation agriculture will reverse some of these effects.

scholarly journals Identifying Potential Leakage Zones in an Irrigation Supply Channel by Mapping Soil Properties Using Electromagnetic Induction, Inversion Modelling and a Support Vector Machine

Soil Systems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Ehsan Zare ◽  
Nan Li ◽  
Tibet Khongnawang ◽  
Mohammad Farzamian ◽  
John Triantafilis
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Support Vector Machine ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Stream Channels ◽  
Supply Channel ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
And Chemical Properties

The clay alluvial plains of Namoi Valley have been intensively developed for irrigation. A condition of a license is water needs to be stored on the farm. However, the clay plain was developed from prior stream channels characterised by sandy clay loam textures that are permeable. Cheap methods of soil physical and chemical characterisations are required to map the supply channels used to move water on farms. Herein, we collect apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) from a DUALEM-421 along a 4-km section of a supply channel. We invert ECa to generate electromagnetic conductivity images (EMCI) using EM4Soil software and evaluate two-dimensional models of estimates of true electrical conductivity (σ—mS m−1) against physical (i.e., clay and sand—%) and chemical properties (i.e., electrical conductivity of saturated soil paste extract (ECe—dS m−1) and the cation exchange capacity (CEC, cmol(+) kg−1). Using a support vector machine (SVM), we predict these properties from the σ and depth. Leave-one-site-out cross-validation shows strong 1:1 agreement (Lin’s) between the σ and clay (0.85), sand (0.81), ECe (0.86) and CEC (0.83). Our interpretation of predicted properties suggests the approach can identify leakage areas (i.e., prior stream channels). We suggest that, with this calibration, the approach can be used to predict soil physical and chemical properties beneath supply channels across the rest of the valley. Future research should also explore whether similar calibrations can be developed to enable characterisations in other cotton-growing areas of Australia.

scholarly journals DETERMINING THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL FLY ASH PARTICLES IN INFLUENCING THE VARIATION IN THE OVERALL PHYSICAL, MORPHOLOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF FLY ASH

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usman Haider ◽  
Zdenek Bittnar ◽  
Lubomír Kopecky ◽  
Vít Šmilauer ◽  
Jaroslav Pokorny ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fly Ash ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Cementitious Materials ◽  
Individual Particle ◽  
Particle Analysis ◽  
Fly Ashes ◽  
Alumino Silicate ◽  
Individual Particles

The properties of fly ashes vary because of the differences in the properties of their individual particles, and the determination of variation in these properties is of interest to the industries which use pulverized raw fly ash in applications, such as in cementitious materials and in the recovery of certain rare elements from raw fly ash. To investigate the differences in individual particles, four pulverized raw fly ashes from thermal power plants of the Czech Republic were used in this research. It was observed from FE-SEM that all four fly ashes consist of glassy hollow spherical, solid spherical, porous spherical, bright spherical, porous slaggy and compact slaggy particles. Box and whisker diagrams were plotted from the data of EDX individual particle analyses, which showed that the data of percentages for the Si, Al, and Fe elements is more scattered as compared to other elements. It was further observed from ternary phase diagrams and pseudo coloured images, that nature of fly ash particles changes from alumino silicate glassy to alumino silicate calcite metallic to pure ferro-metallic,where glassy particles showed high percentages and pure calcite particles were absent in fly ashes. Furthermore, a comparison between the XRF, the EDX total area analyses, showed that the EDX individual particle analysis gives more realistic and reliable data with median, mean, and the standard deviation for percentages of each element present in the fly ashes.

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