UNIQUE SERIES AKTU Syllabus
BMN052

Eco-Friendly Mining

L-T-P3-0-0 Credits3 Session2025-26 TypeTheory
Appears in 1 semester

B.Tech Mining Engineering · Sem 5 (Departmental Elective-I)

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Syllabus

5 units
Unit1

Unit 1: Foundations of Mining and Environmental Footprint

Global and Indian Mining Landscape: Significance of minerals and metals in national development. Overview of major mineral resources and their extraction in India. Classification of mining methods, Mine Life Cycle and Associated Impacts: Stages: Prospecting & Exploration, Planning & Design, Construction, Operation, Closure, and Post-Closure. Environmental Impacts: Land Use Change: Deforestation, habitat destruction, soil erosion, land subsidence. Water Quality & Quantity, Air Quality, Noise & Vibration, Waste Generation: Overburden, waste rock, tailings, processing waste, and their characteristics. Social Impacts: Displacement, livelihood loss, health issues, cultural disruption, community conflicts.

Unit2

Unit 2: Environmental Governance and Impact Assessment in Mining

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) in Mining, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA), Indian Environmental Regulatory Framework for Mining, Environmental Risk Assessment and Management: Methodologies for hazard identification, risk analysis, and risk evaluation in mining, Development of risk mitigation hierarchies and strategies, Emergency preparedness and response plans for environmental incidents (e.g., tailings dam failure, chemical spills).

Unit3

Unit 3: Eco-Friendly Mining Operations and Technologies

Sustainable Mine Waste Management, Overburden and Waste Rock, Tailings Management, Waste Utilization, Advanced Water Management and Pollution Control, Water Conservation, Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Control, Prevention, Treatment, Cleaner Extraction and Mineral Processing, Selective Mining, In-situ Leaching (ISL), Bio-mining and Phyto-mining, Dry Processing and Waterless Technologies, Digitalization for Process Optimization, Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction

Unit4

Unit 4: Mine Closure, Reclamation, and Post-Mining Land Use

Strategic Mine Closure Planning, Landform Design and Geotechnical Stability, Soil Reconstruction and Ecological Revegetation, Water Body Rehabilitation and Biodiversity Restoration, Sustainable Post-Mining Land Use

Unit5

Unit 5: Social Responsibility, Policy, and Future of Eco-Friendly Mining

  • Social Aspects and Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Ethical Mining, International Frameworks and Best Practices, Emerging Technologies and Future Trends
  • in Eco-Friendly Mining, Digitalization & Automation, Deep-Sea Mining, Urban Mining & Circular Economy, Carbon Neutrality in Mining, Critical Minerals & Sustainable Sourcing.
Course Outcomes (COs)4 outcomes

After completion of the course student will be able to:

  1. CO1Students will be able to identify and select eco-friendly mining equipment and operational practices that minimize environmental impact.
  2. CO2Students will be able to analyze and assess key environmental parameters (water, air, soil) related to mining operations and propose mitigation strategies for pollution.
  3. CO3Students will gain proficiency in managing various mining wastes, including wastewater, acid mine drainage, and solid spoils, using appropriate treatment and disposal techniques.
  4. CO4Students will understand the principles and legal frameworks of mine closure, enabling them to plan and implement effective post-mining land rehabilitation and management strategies.

Suggested Readings

  1. Hilson, G. (Ed.). (2015). The Handbook of Research on Mining and Minerals in Developing Countries. Edward Elgar Publishing.
  2. Auty, R. M. (2001). Resource Abundance and Economic Development. Oxford University Press.
  3. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) publications on sustainable mining.
  4. Recent reports and articles on emerging technologies in mining from industry associations and research institutions.
  5. Hartman, H. L., & Mutmansky, J. M. (2002). Mining Engineering Analysis. Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME).
  6. Ramani, R. V. (Ed.). (2009). SME Mining Engineering Handbook. Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME).
  7. Hilson, G. (2016). The Social License to Operate: An Introduction. Routledge.
  8. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India. (Latest versions of relevant Acts, Rules, and Notifications).
  9. Glasson, J., Therivel, R., & Chadwick, A. (2012). Introduction to Environmental Impact

Official AKTU syllabus

This subject is on page 13, 14 of the original AKTU PDF.

Official AKTU syllabus PDF ↗