Application of risk assessment to improve sustainability in bauxite mining

Application of risk assessment to improve sustainability in bauxite mining

Uncertainty and risk management are essential for decision-making in the sustainable extraction of mineral resources. Uncertainty in mine planning typically starts with the geostatistical simulation of the variables that influence the decision process, which produces a series of equally probable mod...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Resources policy Vol. 74; p. 102328
Main Authors: Kloeckner, Jonas, Alves, João Lucas O., Silva, Flavio H.T., Guimaraes, Octavio R.A., Bassani, Marcel A.A., Costa, Joao Felipe C.L.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2021
Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects:
Bauxite
Bauxite deposits
Bayer process
Case studies
Constraint modelling
Damage assessment
Decision making
Deposits
Extraction
Geostatistics
High risk
Mineral resources
Minerals
Mining
Mining industry
Multivariate analysis
Quality
Quality standards
Response functions
Risk assessment
Risk management
Simulation
Sustainability
Teams
Transfer functions
Uncertainty
Uncertainty analysis
Variables
Workflow
Mining
Bauxite deposits
Risk management
Uncertainty analysis
Sustainability
Geostatistics
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Summary:Uncertainty and risk management are essential for decision-making in the sustainable extraction of mineral resources. Uncertainty in mine planning typically starts with the geostatistical simulation of the variables that influence the decision process, which produces a series of equally probable models. Then a transfer function is applied to each model. The result is a distribution of the response function, which calculates the probability (or risk) that a given area achieves the product quality standards. High-risk operations often fail to achieve the ore quality standards and decrease the mineral resources value. In this context, failure in managing risk may collapse mining operations, leading to unrepairable economic, environmental, and social damages. However, risk assessment is a challenge in the case of multivariate deposits such as bauxite deposits. In these deposits, the response function depends on multiple variables simultaneously. The variables that characterize bauxite deposits also exhibit complex relationships and sum and fraction constraints. The geostatistical simulations should reproduce these peculiarities. This work proposes a workflow to measure risk and uncertainty in complex multivariate deposits aiming at sustainable gains for the mining operations. The workflow starts with a multivariate geostatistical simulation using Projection Pursuit Multivariate Transform. Then these simulated models are combined with the initially planned dig lines and mining scheduling. The results informed the dig lines and periods with the highest risks and uncertainty for all variables, allowing the decision team to take measures focusing on sustainable goals. The methodology is illustrated in a case study of a significant bauxite deposit located in northern Brazil. •Risk assessment to improve mining sustainability in bauxite short-term mining operations.•Multivariate geostatistical simulation using PPMT with some and fraction constraints.•Uncertainty analysis of mining dig lines based on the coefficient of variation.•The operation increases the value of the material and maximizes the mineral resources.•The overall result is a better use of the mining operation resources and minimize economic, social, and environmental damages.
ISSN:0301-4207
1873-7641
DOI:10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102328