Post Mining

[1209-11-03] Mine closure and post-mining – problems, challenges and opportunities. Experiences from the German hard coal mining industry.

○Lothar Dr. te Kamp¹, Peter Prof. Goerke-Mallet², Christian Prof. Melchers² (1. ITASCA Consultants GmbH, 2. Technische Hochschule Georg Agricola zu Bochum)

Chairman: Richard Diaz Alorro(Curtin University)

Keywords:Coal mining, Mine closure, Post-mining, Water, Polder area

Mining in Germany has a tradition of more than 1 years. However, the last coal mine of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is still in production, will be closed at the end of 218. In the Ruhr area a total of 1 billion tons of hard coal have been mined, with a total of over 3 active coal mines at peak times.

Effects of the abandoned mines include ground movements, sinkholes, dumps, gas emissions, with impacts e.g. on the safety of the surface and groundwater supply. Due to subsidence of up to 25 m, more than 1 km² polder area were formed only in the Ruhr area.

There are two major perpetual mine management obligations to be faced: pumping mine water with up to 8 million cubic meter per year, as well as pumping and draining ground and rain water polders, with up to 8 million cubic meter per year.

Monitoring will play a key role, but there are not only challenging problems, there is also a chance to develop new technologies and methodologies for a sustainable use of abandoned mines.