Canadian Mining Reducing its Environmental Impact

Canadian Mining Reducing its Environmental Impact

Over the past few decades, the Canadian mining industry has grown significantly. Canada has emerged as one of the leading mining industries in the world. The mining industry plays an excellent role by helping to support the economy of the country. However, when you look at mining from a global perspective, it has consequently been a major threat to environmental safety. Several steps can be taken in order to reduce waste and environmental impact during mining operations.

Various initiatives are currently under progress. They are working to decrease waste rock. One of these initiatives is the rock selection process, which is still being tested by geo-scientists. Explosive-free breaking is another initiative option. If successful, this will enable mining operators to selectively choose the rocks they want to break. Then, they could safely break those chosen rocks away without risking collateral damage to the surrounding environment.

Mines that are located near water can do considerable harm to the surface water by polluting it. Although the mining companies do abide by federal laws, it still does not solve the issue completely. One example of this case is from the Northland Pyrite Mine located in Canada. The nearby fresh surface water is turning acidic due to mining activities, which occur on a regular basis. As a preventative measure, they could consider removing the water and storing it. Of course, the water should be immediately released once the mine is closed. This may prove to be an expensive measure. Unfortunately, some companies might have trouble affording it. In such cases, acid mine drainage can also be a viable option.

Also, there is the excessive consumption of energy and greenhouse gases. This stands as a leading issue, which is faced by the mining industry. In this regard, the efforts of CANMET-MMSL certainly deserve some positive recognition. CANMET-MMSL is a manufacturer in Canada that introduced the world’s first ever hybrid loader. The vehicle, which is currently in its testing phase, will operate underground and present a low energy solution to the mining industry. This technology has the potential to replace high energy consuming vehicles, which are currently used throughout the world for mining.

There are many organizations in the industry that are making great efforts towards creating advanced technologies, which can help decrease energy consumption in mining operations. Given its importance to the mining industry, Canada is not too far behind in this race and is making constant efforts to improve overall environmental safety.