The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the production processes of mining enterprises, identify the challenges and limitations that arise, and assess the opportunities for overcoming them. The article examines the benefits of implementing AI in mining operations, which include enhanced efficiency, process optimization, improved product quality and others. AI technologies enable real-time monitoring of complex technical systems, prediction of potential emergencies and the optimization of energy consumption, leading to a significant reduction in the prime cost of the final products. Automation of hazardous tasks contributes to a radical improvement in industrial safety, safeguarding the lives and health of employees in extreme mining conditions. The author has identified the following key problems and challenges in the widespread application of AI: a shortage of specialists; high costs (of technical solutions and staff training); data constraints (a lack of labelled industrial data and fragmentation of IT systems); opposition from the workforce; and information security (restrictions on data storage and processing due to the risks of cyber-attacks and competitive intelligence). Based on the author’s analysis, a concluded is made that the use of AI is a key tool for improving the efficiency of the mining industry and in the coming years AI will become an integral part of the end-to-end digital ecosystems of mining companies.
Contemporary operating conditions of placer gold deposits are characterized with highly dynamic technological processes and a significant variability of raw materials. Such conditions result in rising demands towards reliability, energy efficiency, and stability of processing equipment operation. The article presents the results of research and practical implementation of an automated system to control feeding of sands and process water at a processing plant that uses the PBSh-100 washing device. Parameters of the pulp feed control system are justified to ensure maintenance of an optimal solid-to-liquid ratio in real time based on analyzing the factors affecting gold losses and energy consumption of the washing process. Adaptive control algorithms have been developed and implemented using programmable logic controllers with variable frequency drives. Commercial tests of the system were performed at enterprises in the Russian Far East, showing a drop in the specific fuel consumption by up to 42.2%, a reduction in the volume of the process water by up to 20%, a decrease in equipment downtime, and improved stability of the washing processes. The results confirm the efficiency of the proposed solutions to upgrade the washing plants, especially in remote areas with limited infrastructure. Automation of sand feeding ensures increased recovery of fine gold, reduced operating costs, and improved technical and economic performance of the placer deposit development.
This research focuses on spatial organization of economies in the single-resource regions of the Russian Federation that experience a combined effect of the global energy transition, tightening carbon regulations, and redirection of the export flows in the mining industry. The study aims to make a quantitative assessment of the depth of structural deformations in the economic space of coal- and oil-and-gas-producing regions and to justify parameters of the following three spatial transformation scenarios: inertial, adaptive, and proactive. The methodological framework includes the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI) for measuring the sectoral concentration of the gross regional product, employment location quotients, decomposition analysis of carbon intensity of mining operations, and econometric modeling of the relationship between the investments in decarbonization and the diversification dynamics. The empirical base covers data from Rosstat, the Russian Ministry of Energy, TsDU TEK, and the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory for 2019–2025 across eight key single-resource regions that collectively account for over 78% of the total coal production and 92% of the hydrocarbon extraction in the country. The HHI for the Kemerovo Region decreased from 0.58 (2019) to 0.48 (2025), indicating an onset of the forced diversification, while the cumulative losses of the coal companies reached 112.6 billion rubles in 2024, with mining employment declining by 3,800 persons annually. The carbon intensity of the coal mining regions exceeds that of the oil-and-gas regions by a factor of 1.9–2.2, standing at 1.82 t CO2-eq per thousand tonnes of the coal mined. The proactive scenario that envisages an increase in decarbonization investments to 4.2% of the GRP enables a 35% reduction in the carbon intensity by 2035 with a simultaneous increase in the diversification index to 0.37. The practical significance of the results lies in their applicability to formulating fair energy transition strategies for the resource-based regions
The virtually inexhaustible subsoil resources allow the Russian Federation to occupy a leading position regarding the reserves of the main useful mineral types, but the proven reserves in Russia are not being incremented at a sufficient pace, which poses a threat to its mineral resource base. Scarce rare metals are sold abroad. Production has been stopped at companies that do not generate immediate profit. Ore processing tailings are poorly utilized despite the emergence of innovative technologies such as metal leaching. The following methods were used: generalization of publications and research results, systematization and analysis of research results, forecasting at the engineering level. The result obtained included information on extraction of the main ores of ferrous, non-ferrous and precious metals. It is shown that large-scale geological exploration of new mineral deposits has decreased, while the gap between the mining volumes and reproduction of reserves has increased. The paper provides characteristics of Russia's reserves of metal raw materials that determine the challenges in their development. The dynamics of mineral mining volumes are presented for the years of the weakened resource base recovery. The main challenges of mining operations during the transition period from the industrial to the post-industrial society are formulated, including a reduction in the mining volumes due to decreasing material intensity of the metal-based technologies. It is noted that the changing demand-supply situation in the global metals market opens up opportunities for geotechnological extraction methods, including in situ leaching, heap leaching, drillhole in situ leaching and leaching in high-speed disintegrator mills. The priority tasks of mining and processing operations are specified in details. The material of the article can be used in assessing the potential development of natural and man-made reserves of metal ores.
Surface mining is accompanied by a disruption of the natural balance established in the Earth's crust where new landforms are created, areas of the Earth's surface subside, the water regime of the area changes, etc. In addition, spoil heaps and abandoned open-pit mines become significant and permanent terrain features, limiting growth of the cities and requiring withdrawal of lands for their allocation. In this regard, it is important to improve the surface mining technology in order to preserve the land resources, form new terrains, and design spoil heaps for biological reclamation. This paper identifies a number of priority tasks for improving the efficiency and environmental safety of the surface mining systems when developing flat and gently dipping coal seams: (1) Development of mining operation plans involving fan spreading over the surface of the internal spoil heaps; (2) Assessment of economic efficiency of the fan spreading method to cover the surface of the internal spoil heaps; (3) Technical and economic assessment of the mining plans for specific mining areas without forming individual ridges on the highwall with the aim of conserving the land resources.
Volatility in global mineral prices creates a systemic risk of disruption to the operating cycle of mining companies, leading to accumulation of accounts receivable and a working capital deficit. This paper examines factoring of receivables as a mechanism for stabilizing cash flow and ensuring production continuity of mining companies. The objective of the study is to make a quantitative assessment of the factoring operations based on the key operating cycle parameters of mining companies in conditions of price shocks for exported resources. The study hypothesizes that using factoring of receivables statistically significantly shortens the cash conversion cycle of mining companies and reduces the likelihood of cash flow gaps when the mineral commodity prices fall by more than 15% from the annual average. The methodological framework includes regression analysis of the panel data, stress testing of financial models, and the calculation of the price volatility indices for key commodity categories. The empirical base includes financial statements of 42 Russian mining companies for 2019–2024 and data from the Association of Factoring Companies. The results show that introduction of factoring shortens the cash conversion cycle by an average of 18.7 days (from 94.3 to 75.6 days), reduces the share of overdue accounts receivable by 12.4 percentage points, and decreases the need for loan reduction by 23.1%. The correlation coefficient between the price volatility index and the cash gap duration decreases from 0.74 to 0.41 when using non-recourse factoring. A non-linear relationship was established between the factoring efficiency and the company size, i.e. the maximum effect is observed at the annual revenues of 5–25 billion rubles. The obtained results expand the impact of working capital management in the resource-producing industries and justify integration of the factoring tools into the anti-crisis financial management system of mining companies.
The relevance of this study lies in the need to assess the impact of sanctions-driven transformation on the operation of mining and processing companies, as current external economic constraints significantly affect the companies’ financial performance and the stability of the industries. The objective of the study is to identify the presence of cross-industry interrelationships in the mining-and-processing chain and to determine the extent to which the financial performance of the metallurgical companies affects the profitability of the mining companies. Correlation analysis was selected as the statistical research method, which made it possible to identify the strength and direction of the relationships between indicators of different industries. The quantitative assessment was based on a regression model that used the least squares method on a sample of companies, which enabled measuring the degree of integration between the industries, identifying the impact of the companies’ financial condition, and determining transmission of the crisis fluctuations along the mining-and-processing chain. The study’s findings reveal a statistically significant inverse relationship between the mining industry revenue and the metallurgical industry’s net profit (–0.658; coefficient), which reflects the effect of margin compression under external pressure. At the same time, profitability of the mining sector develops independently, and the correlations lose their significance by 2023–2024, indicating a structural reorganization of interactions. The scientific novelty of this work lies in the development of an empirical model to assess the impact of sanctions on interaction of the integrated sectors of the national economy. The practical value of the study consists in the fact that the model serves as a key tool for planning a sustainable development of industries when formulating their strategies and for ensuring their sustainable development, as well as for timely development of measures to mitigate the risks associated with the external sanctions pressure and economic crises.
The article explores the possibility of integrating two remote sensing methods, i.e. the LIDAR and the photogrammetric imaging, using unmanned aircraft to monitor deformation processes on the daylight surface of a mining facility, which is affected by underground mining operations. The main purpose of the work is to enhance the reliability and completeness of spatial information on the condition of the open pit mine walls through mutual complementation of the data obtained by two different methods. The full cycle of research is described from planning and performing flights with account of the terrain to complex post-processing of data and comparing the results with measurements previously performed using ground-based methods. Special attention is paid to the method of combining point clouds, constructing digital terrain models and orthophotomaps, as well as applying several approaches to detecting changes, e.g. through comparing point clouds, polygonal surfaces, and raster models. The analysis revealed a significant number of sites with signs of displacement, some of which were classified as critically important. A unified design of the site information card is proposed to systematize the results, including the spatial, geometric, visual and geological data, as well as quantitative characteristics of the deformations. The article emphasizes that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles opens up new opportunities in mining sites monitoring, especially in conditions of challenging terrains and the potential hazards concerned with the ground-based surveys. Unmanned aerial vehicles provide high mobility, rapid data collection and the ability to repeat surveys multiple times without significant investment of time and resources, thus providing a reliable basis for subsequent analysis of the deformation processes and enhancing reliability of the monitoring results.
The global demand for critical minerals demonstrated sustained growth in 2024: lithium consumption increased by 30%, while nickel, cobalt, graphite, and the rare earth elements went up by 6–8%. At the same time, the geographic concentration of refining also intensified: the average market share of the top three refining nations for the key energy minerals rose from 82% in 2020 to 86% in 2024, with approximately 90% of the supply growth secured by a single country, i.e. Indonesia for nickel and China for all the other minerals. This study presents a comparative technical and economic analysis of the development strategies for mining the critical mineral that were adopted in the leading mineral resource countries (Russia, the EU, the USA, and China), assessing their efficiency in ensuring the mineral resource security. The research makes a hypothesis that the differences in economic models of mineral resource management, i.e. the protectionist, the diversification-oriented, integrative, and the extensive import-substituting concepts, generate heterogeneous mineral resource risk profiles that can be quantitatively measured using the supply concentration indices and import dependency ratios. The methodological framework comprises comparative economic analysis, the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index calculation for six key energy mineral markets, and the indexbased assessment of fiscal vulnerability in the resource-dependent economies, and the input-output analysis to determine the macroeconomic impact of the price shocks. The empirical base includes data from the IEA, USGS, Eurostat, and Rosnedra for 2020–2025. The results revealed that the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index for the rare earth element refining reached 8,310 points in 2024, corresponding to extremely high concentration; Russia’s import dependency on the strategic minerals, i.e. manganese, chromium, titanium, lithium, stands at 70–80%; the EU has established domestic benchmarks of 10% of mining, 40% of processing, and 25% recycling by 2030; investment in mining critical minerals grew by only 5% in 2024 versus 14% in the previous year, with real growth adjusted for inflation standing at merely 2%. The practical value of the study lies in identifying the quantitative efficiency thresholds for different strategies and in developing recommendations aimed at reducing the mineral resource vulnerability.
This paper discusses integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and photogrammetry for rapid three-dimensional modeling of mine workings. UAV-based surveys significantly improve the speed and safety of mine surveying, providing detailed geometric data on open-pit and underground mines. The study outlines operational differences between the two environments, i.e. the open-pit mines require accurate GNSS/RTK navigation and high-quality optics, while the underground workings demand autonomous SLAM navigation and powerful artificial lighting. Photogrammetric processing stages include point cloud generation, 3D mesh construction, and accuracy assessment using reference points. Case studies demonstrate that the technology is efficient in monitoring the excavation volumes, slope stability, and rock mass deformation. Development of the LiDAR and thermal imaging modules, along with artificial intelligence in data processing, further enhances the modeling capabilities. Integration of unmanned aerial vehicles and photogrammetry is identified as a key element in digitalization of mining operations and as an essential step towards creating their comprehensive digital twins.
Reclamation of disturbed lands with the aim of their restoration and subsequent practical use after man-made impact requires managerial and engineering solutions capable of restoring their fertility. One of such solutions under consideration is the use of peat soil amendments introduced into the ground in pelletized form. This method proved itself in the agricultural sector, where mechanization of fertilizer application, their storage, and transportation are key issues determining the efficiency of agricultural production. Application of the pellets appears particularly promising on poor soils, in desertification control as deserts are advancing across the planet at an alarming rate which are a result of not only natural but also man-made impacts on the Earth's climate. The study demonstrates that application of pelletized soil amendment even on sandy soils provides good water supply to the plant root system. Furthermore, advanced mechanical strength and friability of the pellets confirm the feasibility of mechanized application of the soil amendment to various soil types. A comparative analysis of the results from vegetation tests on white mustard germination that compared application of peat soil amendment in loose and pelletized forms, showed a clear advantage of the latter. The data obtained in this study confirm the benefits of the pelletized form of the peat amendment for soil restoration on disturbed lands. This finding is of significant importance for further development of technologies to restore specific soil types in disturbed areas.
The article examines transformation of the project finance mechanisms for mining companies in conditions of increasing regulatory requirements for the bank capital adequacy and the borrower credit quality. The study hypothesizes that the tightening of prudential standards (Basel III / Basel 3.1) combined with the increasing Bank of Russia key interest rate leads to a structural shift in the mining project financing models – from conventional bank lending toward hybrid schemes involving development institutions, off-take agreements, and public-private partnerships. The methodological framework includes the discounted cash flow analysis (DCF), debt service coverage ratio (DSCR), loan life coverage ratio (LLCR), scenario-based NPV sensitivity analysis to price and interest rate shocks, and a comparative analysis of financial models for copper, gold, and iron ore mining projects in the Russian Federation over 2020–2025. The empirical base covers 18 mining projects with the aggregate capital expenditure exceeding 1.2 trillion rubles. The study found that an increase in the Bank of Russia key interest rate from 7.5% to 21% resulted in an increase of the weighted average cost of the debt capital by 11.4 percentage points, reducing the estimated NPV of a typical copper mining project by 34–42%. The minimum DSCR threshold acceptable to banks increased from 1.25x to 1.50x–1.70x. The share of the hybrid financing schemes went up from 18% in 2020 to 47% in 2025. The results obtained demonstrate that application of the VEB.RF Project Finance Factory mechanism combined with the off-take agreements reduces the effective borrowing rate by 3.5–5.2 percentage points, restoring investment attractiveness of the projects. The practical significance of the research lies in developing an adaptive financial model that integrates prudential constraints into efficiency assessment of the mining project.
The environmental issue of dust cloud generation and propagation and its parameters during blasting operations in open-pit mines still remains quite acute. The objective of the study was to develop equations for calculating dust generation parameters during blasting in open-pit mines based on the blast mechanism in fractured rock masses depending on the detonation characteristics of the explosives, physical and mechanical properties of the rocks, and fracturing parameters of the rock mass. A formula has been justified for determining the radius of the fine fragmentation zone of the rocks when blasting a cylindrical charge depending on the size of the dust particles and the physical and technical parameters of the rock mass. Numerical calculations have been performed for the specific volume and specific weight of the dust generated upon blasting a borehole of 0.25 m in size with the M-21 grammonite at one of the iron ore quarries of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly. The specific volume of dust is equal to (2.29–3.47) × 10-3 m3 per 1 m of the explosive charge. The specific weight of the dust is 0.18–0.25 kg per 1 kg of the explosive charge, which matches the results of research conducted at the open-pit mines of the Ingulets Mining and Processing Plant. The amount of dust can be reduced by using borehole charges with a smaller diameter and explosives with low detonation rates and packing degrees. These studies make it possible to determine the distribution of dust particles with the particle sizes ranging from 1.0 μm to 500 μm.
The article presents a methodology of calculating the performance of hydraulic monitoring and suction-dredging complexes in stripping operations, which makes it possible to optimize its parameters in certain mining conditions. A new classification of Quaternary rocks has been proposed, which makes it possible to determine parameters of the complexes. Uniaxial compressive strength that depends on the internal friction angle and rock cohesion, has been adopted as a dedicated criterion to assign certain rocks to a certain group,. A formula has been established for calculating the effective range of the jet depending on the water pressure at the nozzle of the hydraulic monitor and the tensile strength of the rocks being developed. A computational model is provided to determine parameters of the technological scheme for rocks development using the hydraulic monitoring and suction-dredging complexes. Based on this model the water pressure at the nozzle of the hydraulic monitor has been established at which the effective range the hydraulic monitor jet should not fall below 30 m. Failing this, the equipment downtime increases significantly during relocation of the hydraulic monitor, which dramatically reduces the performance of the complex. The paper presents a methodology to justify the rational parameters of the hydraulic monitoring and suction-dredging complex depending on the strength properties of the rocks being developed. This, by adjusting the water pressure at the nozzle of the hydraulic monitor and the equipment of the complex, makes it possible to establish the linking criterion, i.e. the effective range of the hydraulic monitor jet, as well as the performance of the complex and its rational or optimal (with account for the process costs) performance indicators of hydraulic mining in open-pit conditions.
he article discusses the development and testing of a comprehensive methodology for financial modeling of mining projects at the feasibility study stage, integrating stochastic modeling of the mineral commodity price dynamics and the Monte Carlo simulation. The relevance of the study is determined by the unprecedented volatility of the global commodity markets in 2023–2025: the gold price rose from $2,600/oz to a record high of $4,379/oz, the LME copper price reached $11,200/t with an annual increase of approximately 40%, creating a fundamentally new landscape of uncertainty for investment decisions. The aim of the study is to quantitatively assess the divergence between the deterministic and stochastic estimates of the key investment indicators for mining projects and to justify the methodological advantages of the probabilistic approach. The Geometric Brownian motion, the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck mean-reverting process, and the Schwartz–Smith two-factor model were applied as the stochastic price dynamics models with their parameters calibrated using the LME and COMEX futures contract data for the period of 2015–2025. The empirical base includes technical and economic parameters of three typical projects: a copper open-pit mine (CAPEX $1,420 million), an underground gold mine (CAPEX $980 million), and a polymetallic copper-gold deposit (CAPEX $1,850 million). The results of 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate a systematic divergence between the deterministic and stochastic NPV in the range of −10,9 to −18,2%, with the NPV coefficients of variation of 0,31–0,58 depending on the project type and the price dynamics model. The probability of a negative NPV, which cannot be detected using the deterministic approach, varies from 6,2% to 12,7%. The Schwartz–Smith two-factor model demonstrates the lowest RMS calibration error against the futures data (RMSE = 3,8% for copper). The results justify the need to integrate the stochastic methods into the conventional feasibility study practice and allow quantifying the “cost of uncertainty” for the investor.
This article justifies application of engineering management principles to develop a comprehensive safety system for industrial companies, with a particular focus on mitigating vibration impact on adjacent territories. It highlights the critical role of high-precision vibration monitoring in addressing this task. It is proposed to use a small-aperture seismic array as a promising alternative to traditional seismic arrays used for monitoring vibration pollution from mining operations. Computational modeling demonstrates that this system is capable of not only detecting but also discriminating weak signals by determining the distance to the excitation source at the array level, as well as evaluating parameters of prolonged vibration from a group of objects. Implementation of such systems forms the basis for creating a closed-loop control circuit. It is emphasized that the proposed approach ensures enhanced accuracy, clear results, and cost-efficiency of monitoring vibration pollution from mining operations on the neighboring protected objects.
The article presents a comprehensive technical and economic analysis of the national strategies to secure supply of the critical mineral raw materials, i.e. lithium, cobalt, and the rare earth elements, in conditions of growing structural deficit, price volatility, and geopolitical fragmentation of the global supply chains. The hypothesis assumes that the current national diversification strategies fail to reduce the geographic concentration of mining and refining operations, thus forming a ‘diversification paradox’. The study aims to quantitatively assess the efficiency of strategic instruments employed by the United States, the European Union, and China in the context of balancing the supply and demand for lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements for the period up to 2035. The methodological framework combines a comparative institutional analysis of the regulatory documents, calculation of the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), regression analysis of the relationship between the investment activity and the price dynamics, and scenario modelling based on the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025, IEA Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025, and McKinsey Global Materials Perspective 2025 data for 2018–2024. The empirical base covers production indicators from 15 countries and strategy-related documents from three jurisdictions. It was established that the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index stands at 5,880 for cobalt and at 4,990 for the rare earth elements, which is treated as a sign of high market concentration. The share of the three largest refining countries increased from 82% to 86% during 2020–2024. The projected lithium shortage by 2035 is estimated at 38% of the total demand. The investment gap in mining of the critical minerals through 2040 reaches $2 trillion. The theoretical significance of the research lies in justifying the ‘diversification paradox’ concept, while the practical value is defined by applicability of the quantitative estimates for adjusting the national mineral resource strategies.
The paper considers the possibility of using a flow X-ray fluorescence analyzer to determine the iron and sulfur content in iron ore raw materials. The purpose of this work is to improve the capabilities of the existing analytical control systems to enhance the accuracy, repeatability of measurements, as well as to increase the resistance of such systems to adverse external factors. The main method used in this work is the well-proven X-ray fluorescence analysis. The research included studies that helped to obtain the most optimal modes of X-ray tube operation for appropriate determination of elements, i.e. iron and sulfur, in the iron ore concentrates. One of the challenges in conducting the study was that the X-ray tube used as the source had molybdenum anode, which caused difficulties in determining the percentage of sulfur, because the fluorescent L-α lines of molybdenum are superimposed on the K-α lines of sulfur. The study helped to select filters to be utilized with an X-ray tube with the molybdenum anode. Al, V, Ti were used as the filter material, with titanium showing the best results. Analysis of the obtained calibration dependences showed a high degree of correlation between the number of the fluorescent photons and the concentration of elements, which made it possible to simultaneously determine the S and Fe elements with a relative error of 0.13 % and the absolute error of 0.98 % respectively using an X-ray tube with the molybdenum anode and a primary filter made of titanium. The results obtained in the work can be used at mining and processing operations to obtain reliable information on the content of elements in raw materials in real time and without preliminary sample preparation, which will allow a prompt reaction to changes in the percentage content of elements in raw materials and to gain a positive economic effect.
The procedure for synthesizing design solutions for technological systems in coal mines is updated and formalized within the framework of combining components of fuzzy logic, artificial neural networks, probabilistic reasoning and evolutionary algorithms. At the same time, hybridization and integration of the smart project information processing methods is linked to special procedures that allow for "soft computing" as part of Data Mining, ensuring their new functionality. Methodological features of the proposed scientific and methodological approach provide an opportunity for joint application of the two models (probabilistic-statistical and deterministic). This is consistent with the Bayesian approach to justifying design solutions and clearly allows for the most comprehensive consideration of the uncertainty factor, expanding the boundaries of the possibility of purposeful intellectual generation of the best alternatives for design solutions in the synthesis of technological systems for coal mines.
Modern mining industry is characterized with introduction of automated and robotic technological systems into the coal mining process, while the use of robotic systems in underground coal mining is not widespread despite the significant level of automation of some technological processes. It is noted that different terms are used in the mining industry to describe the same type of indicators showing introduction of the automated and autonomous control systems, as well as robotic actuators. The purpose of the article is to achieve certainty of the following concepts: “robotic”, “robotization”, and “robot” in relation to underground equipment in terms of the classification features. For this purpose, the article analyzes the concepts in the field of robotics, systematizes the classification features for robotic equipment, and examines the established classification features using the case study of mining machines and mechanisms being developed. It is shown that the application conditions of mining machines and mechanisms in underground coal mining technologies are specific, since the equipment in the production process interacts with the geological environment and is influenced by geofactors in the hazardous mine atmosphere, which requires adaptation of terminology in the field of robotics for the purposes of robotization in the mining industry. It is proposed to introduce standardized concepts of the “robotic coal face system” and the “robotic tunneling system” in the field of robotic underground coal mining.
