Expanding the University’s mining footprint

Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman

The University of Pretoria participates in the global mining arena through its transdisciplinary approach to research and innovation. Multiple research initiatives related to mining and minerals engineering are being conducted across various faculties and departments. The conducive environment that has been established for such transdisciplinary research at the University has led to the development of a mining footprint that examines various overlapping aspects of mining from different perspectives.

The quality of the University’s research in this field was recognised internationally through its ranking in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) in the top 100 universities in the world for mining and minerals engineering for 2019. This is not only based on the large volume of research on various aspects of mining and minerals engineering being conducted at UP, but also the quality of education, quality of researchers, research output and per capita academic performance of the institution.

The collective of these research efforts has a significant impact on the University’s international rankings, as well as the visibility of the University’s mining footprint. A key priority of the Department of Mining Engineering is to showcase the University’s vast research in this field. This strategic intervention is aimed at integrating research emanating from the University’s various faculties and departments that is related in some way or other to mining. The amplification of mining-related research in other faculties and departments also enhances mining as a career of choice.

Transdisciplinary research focuses, among others, on aspects such as society, health, the environment, the economy, engineering and technology. As such, it is in direct support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. These universal goals emphasise that minerals are needed for modern societies. Furthermore, it takes cognisance of the fact that the dominant method for extracting minerals is still mining.

Within the Department, collaborative and cross-cutting contract research initiatives are coordinated and facilitated by the Mining Resilience Research Centre (MRRC). This research centre draws on the multidisciplinary resources within the University, matching the right skills sets to any mining problem.

Research that directly affects the minerals life cycle is conducted in the University’s Minerals Cluster departments. This research includes the study of geological structures in the Department of Geology, the extraction of minerals in the Department of Mining Engineering and the processing of minerals in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering.

Research related to mining is conducted in almost all of the University’s nine faculties, as well as in each of the four schools in the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology. A selection of these research projects includes the following

Green time-delay chemical detonators The use of drones to study the extent of air pollution at opencast mines The rehabilitation of polluted soil at mining sites The treatment of acid mine water Environmental engineering and water utilisation engineering research

Mining haul road research Road design for driverless trucks In-pit crushing and conveying in an open-pit mining operation Advanced theory of multiple cells in a plastic geocell support pack

Minerals and Mining Law research projects Forensic engineering that impacts on mine health and safety incident investigation research

Collision management systems for mines to prevent accidents Energy and convectional heat transfer with applications in the mining industry

An evaluation of a hydraulic splitting cylinder for breaking rock in deep-level mining An integrated problem-solving framework for discipline-specific professional development in mining engineering Some rock engineering aspects of multi-reef pillar extraction A limited equilibrium fracture zone model to investigate seismicity in coal mines Rockburst support in shallowdipping tabular stopes at great depth Simulation of tabular mine face advance rates using a simplified fracture zone module Optimisation of the load-andhaul operation at an open-cast colliery

The adoption of technology management tools in the coalmining sector The use of maintenance technologies in the South African mining industry Exploring the appropriate leadership style balance for critical phases of a business process framework implementation in the South African coal-mining industry Enhancing the effectiveness and impact of digitisation in opencast mining operations

Remote sensing of magnetite for exploration Characterisation of contact metamorphosed and altered coal for utilisation Potential groundwater hazards related to coal mining and coal dumps Open-pit rock slope stability The assessment of seismic risk and hazards for tailing dams and other mine facilities

The Department’s researchers are also focusing on a number of research topics that are pertinent to the sustainability of the mining industry, such as mechanisation and automation, mine design, rock engineering, rock-breaking and explosives engineering, and management and leadership.

Through the collaborative research being conducted on topics related to mining, the University can contribute solutions to complex industryrelated mining problems, both locally and internationally.