Global Challenges For Innovation In Mining Industries

"People have been digging in the ground for useful minerals for thousands of years. Stone Age people dug for flints, Bronze Age people for copper. But the manner in which they have dug for minerals has changed out of all recognition. While early miners hacked small amounts of mineral from the ground with antler horns, some of today's mines employ 300 tonne trucks driven and scheduled by computers. Innovation lies at the heart of the story of mining. Mineral materials are the foundation of modern industrial society. They are used in vast quantities to construct the infrastructure of our lives, the roads, the power stations, the airports and our homes. They are used for the durable products which we employ within this infrastructure, the cars, the planes, the hospital equipment and the refrigerators, as well as in the machinery required to produce these things. And they are used in the sophisticated gadgets that underpin the technology economy and the security products that keep us safe. The ordinary smartphones contain no less than seventy different mineral elements"--

Offering the first in-depth global analysis of the innovation ecosystem in the mining industry, this book is aimed at policy-makers and academia alike. A wide range of international contributors assess this from different perspectives, using both a novel mining patent and innovation database and a wide set of analytical approaches.

This book considers the most contemporary innovations propelling the extractive industries forward while also creating new environmental and social challenges. The socio-ecological fabric of innovation in the extractive industries is considered through an integrative approach that brings together engineers, natural scientists, and social scientists—academics and practitioners—giving an empirically grounded and realistic evaluation of the innovations in this sector. It synthesizes a series of questions including:

This book develops and articulates a new perspective on the relationship between natural resources and development by foregrounding issues of innovation, knowledge, and industrial dynamics. Despite growing academic attention to the relationship between economic development and natural resources in social sciences, the issue has received rather limited attention in the field of Innovation Studies. This is problematic given the centrality of innovation and technological change for growth and development. Against that background, this book makes three contributions. Firstly, it summarizes and synthesizes existing insights about learning and innovation in Natural Resource Based Industries. Secondly, it develops new insights based on original research work. Thirdly, it distils and explains the remaining research challenges in the field. Containing important insights for researchers, businesses, and policymakers, this book will be useful to all those with an interest in navigating a natural resource based development pathway. This book was originally published as a special issue of Innovation and Development.

The Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) of the U. S. Department of Energy commissioned the National Research Council (NRC) to undertake a study on required technologies for the Mining Industries of the Future Program to complement information provided to the program by the National Mining Association. Subsequently, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health also became a sponsor of this study, and the Statement of Task was expanded to include health and safety. The overall objectives of this study are: (a) to review available information on the U.S. mining industry; (b) to identify critical research and development needs related to the exploration, mining, and processing of coal, minerals, and metals; and (c) to examine the federal contribution to research and development in mining processes.

The book describes all aspects of technical innovation related to the gold and silver industries, from ore identification through to processing. It includes details of comminution, pre-concentration and beneficiation, commercially available and recently developed innovative pyro and hydrometallurgical processes, including leaching processes, separation and purification, and recovery and refining. The book focuses on capital and operating cost estimation, process simulation, waste remediation and minimization. Sustainable gold and silver processes are examined with the use of clean technologies and efficient use of energy and water. Topics such as supply and demand of gold and silver, their exchange in major global markets, and the factors that influence gold and silver prices and major economic indices are discussed. Presents emerging trends and innovations in the areas of ore body knowledge, mining, processing, waste management, economics, finance and automation; Describes emerging enablers for the gold and silver industries such as digitization, automation and remote operations; Promotes breakthroughs in mining, processing, waste management, energy and water from an integrated operations perspective.

For most countries in the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) region, mining is an important economic sector that contributes to employment and public revenue. Despite mining's potential to cause long-term negative environmental impacts, governments in the region have a vital role to play in supporting better environmental performance in the sector and ensuring the industry can be a progressive part of a greener economy. This report examines the environmental impacts of mining in the EECCA and provides policy makers with guidance to reconcile environmental and competitiveness objectives in the mining sector.