Mining 4.0: the future or reality of mining?

May 13, 2022

Maquinário de mineração a céu aberto à noite

Industry 4.0 aims to make industrial production processes more efficient by prioritising innovative research activities, digitising production, sustainable energy management, developing innovative work environments, smart mobility and information security.

In Brazil, in 2018, the then Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC) and the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTIC) published the Industry 2027. This project assesses how advances in industrial technologies will impact different sectors of the Brazilian economy, including mining.

In this context, the concept of Mining 4.0 has emerged, combining the principles of Industry 4.0 with mining. Want to know more about this? Read on for examples, benefits and a current overview of the new mining model.

What is Mining 4.0?

The concept of mining 4.0 involves accessing mineral resources more safely and sustainable through the use of technologies and processes adopted by Industry 4.0. Among the innovations and applications mining 4.0 provides are:

Drones

The use of drones in mining has several applications, such as obtaining three-dimensional terrain data, calculating the volume of irregular piles more accurately, and inspecting the safety conditions of dams and mines in operation. Another benefit of using this technology is in monitoring environmental preservation areas.

Perfuratriz Simba, do tipo long role, usada em Kiruna. Fonte: Atlas Copco Underground Mining.

Autonomous mining

One of the main innovations of Mining 4.0 is the implementation of automated systems, which are responsible for increasing the productivity of mines, as well as providing safer operations, reducing the exposure of operators to the daily risks of a mine.

In this field, the case of Kiruna which is an example of modern autonomous mining. The Kiruna mine is located within the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden and is a leader in the use of technology, mining around 80 per cent of Europe's iron ore. Find out more about this case and the mine's production processes in our article: Automation in Mining: the Kiruna Case.

Autonomous mining is also currently being emphasised in terms of the use of autonomous vehicles. In this method, vehicles are controlled by computer systems, GPS, radars and artificial intelligence. Among the benefits are reduced fuel and maintenance costs and more effective security, since the system is able to identify obstacles and plot new routes.

In the video below, you can see a real-life example of the use of autonomous vehicles developed by Sandvik:

Watch the video

Artificial Intelligence

The implementation of artificial intelligence in mining can be seen in the development of autonomous vehicles such as trucks and excavators, but it is also present when it comes to the useful life of equipment.

Artificial intelligence enables the analysis of a high volume of data, making it possible to generate insights into equipment behaviour. In this way, the systems are able to optimise the life cycle of the equipment and therefore reduce maintenance costs.

Using this methodology, Vale increased the useful life of truck tyres by 30% at the Salobo/Pará mine. The project resulted in savings of US$ 5 million in one year for the mining company.

Watch the video

Benefits of Mining 4.0

There are many benefits to Mining 4.0. Check out some of them below:

Sustainability

Sustainability and concern for the environment are the focus of new technologies used by mining companies. Currently, there are sectors integrated with video analytics software which, based on data analysis, allow the projection of possible problems and trigger preventive alerts for technical and specialised teams to monitor high-risk structures. This technology can be used, for example, to monitor tailings dams more effectively, reducing the chances of environmental impacts.

Productivity

One of the main advantages of implementing Mining 4.0 tools is the optimisation of processes and equipment, generating a reduction in production costs and an increase in machine efficiency. All this contributes to more sustainable and profitable mining.

Another technology allied to productivity is Ore Sorting. Among its features, the equipment applies colour, transparency, size and shape sensing, separating the material between ore and waste in an automated way. This method uses compressed air jets instead of water, reducing water consumption.

Diagrama de como funciona a tecnologia de classificação de herança

Security

Increasing the safety of operations is one of the objectives of Mining 4.0. The innovations mentioned above, such as autonomous vehicles and dam monitoring systems, are intrinsic to improving safety and reducing serious accidents in the mining workplace.

Overview of Mining 4.0

The new mining model is already a reality in Brazil. Mining companies such as Vale and Rio Tinto are making increasing progress in implementing automated and control systems. There is also the Industry 2027 Project, which estimates that Mining 4.0 will become more widespread in Brazil by 2027.

In addition, it is expected that, in the near future, the 5G Internet will corroborate Mining 4.0. This is because this technology has several developments, such as the ability to cover large distances, high speed, high power (data volume) and low latency (shorter response time). In this way, the most remote mining areas would have access to high-speed internet, which contributes to the use of the artificial intelligence systems mentioned above.

Mining 4.0 is a viable alternative to the challenges facing mining, including reducing energy costs, creating safe working environments and reducing environmental impacts. Also, in addition to process efficiency, Mining 4.0 seeks to benefit the surrounding communities and the environment, since mining activity directly affects the economy and quality of life in the places where it operates.

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