3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Investigation into the beneficiation potential of a low-grade discard coal from the Witbank Coalfield(2019) Nyoni, Sancho NkosilathiItem Perspectives on the role of social impact assessments in solving acid mine drainage imposed socio-economic impacts in post-mining communities: a study of Carolina Catchment area X11B in Mpumalanga, South Africa(2019) Chidzungu, ThandiweAcid Mine Drainage (AMD) is the biggest problem mining communities in South Africa face. AMD has environmental, social and economic implications. In the context of Carolina in Mpumalanga, South Africa, the prevalence of AMD poses a threat to environmental, social and economic stability in the area. In view of this, extensive work has been done to address the physical elements overlooking the social and economic elements. This study was aimed at exploring the role of Social Impact Assessments as a tool in assessing and addressing the AMD imposed socio-economic impacts on mining communities. Data was gleaned from interviews, public dialogues, stakeholder consultative forums, community forums, questionnaires, focus group discussions, Integrated Development Plans (IDP), Stats SA Community Surveys, and Local Economic Development (LED). Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) was used as the main methodological approach in conjunction with an ethnographic approach and the aforementioned data collection tools, to unpack the problem. A myriad of stakeholders within the Carolina community ranging from; ordinary community members, farmers, business people, Inkomati Usuthu Catchment Management Agency (IUCMA) officials, mining officials, municipality and LED officials from local government within Mpumalanga. Mining community activists from within Africa were also engaged as participants. The findings revealed that AMD has grossly impacted on the socio-economic wellbeing of the mining community. Notable is that, the affected communities have remained excluded from any planning and decision-making processes in mineral development. Public participation is still at its doldrums imbued with gender, racial disparities, coupled with human rights violations emanating from environmental injustices. The environmental injustices imposed by AMD pollution from mining activities have led to dire consequences on the community’s health, food security, employment and poverty intensity. A major premise of the thesis untangles opportunities for SIAs in reducing socio-economic and environmental impacts of AMD and feeds into local and national socio-economic development with a view to establish possible entry points to the regulatory policy. Moreover, it gives room for further debates on SIA to be used as a stand-alone environmental management tool that is conducted by Social Scientists to afford the socioeconomic impacts of mineral development more weightItem The implementation of ine closure: a case study of closure certificates issued in Mpumalanga and Gauteng province(2018) Gutu, Anita YevaiThis research report critically reviews the implementation of the current mine closure process in South Africa utilising case studies of gold and coal mines in Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces respectively. In order to relinquish liabilities, mining companies are required to sustainably rehabilitate land and obtain a mine closure certificate from the Department of Mineral Resources. Historically, mine closure was not well regulated which has resulted in an adverse legacy that sees over 5,000 derelict and ownerless mines across the South African landscape which have become a national liability for the government to rehabilitate. In an effort to discontinue this legacy, the legislative framework for mine closure has radically transformed. This study finds that the current framework is in line with internationally recognised best practice and demonstrates alignment with the principles of sustainability. However, despite this legislative transformation, there is a perception that mine closure certificates are not being granted. This research set out to analyse this perception and it was found that there is generally a low success rate for mine closure certificates applied for. Challenges influencing the implementation of the mine closure process include the reluctance of the regulating authority to relinquish liabilities which are linked to legacy issues associated with mine closure, the complex and entangled nature of the legislative framework and a potential lack of capacity of the regulating authority contributing to the ineffective execution of the process. Overall this research concludes that these challenges present a hindrance to the implementation of mine closure which comprises of rehabilitating land in a manner that allows it to be ceded for other sustainable land uses. This in turn presents a risk of further perpetuating the legacy of inadequate mine closure which directly negates the intent of the legislative transformation for mine closureItem Caught in transition: the employment landscape following Emerald mine closure(2018) Dallaire-Fortier, Clara LeaIn July 31, 2014, a large group of UMWA workers (United Mine Workers of America) marches with posters raised high: ‘EPA rules destroy good jobs’, ‘EPA rules put seniors at risk’, ‘Our kids matter too’. They opposed environmental regulations put in place by the Obama administration through the Clean Power Plan of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regulations which aimed to reduce, by 2030, by 30% in 2030 national carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions by 30%. At the margins of the march, environmental activists stand. The march is tense, emotionally charged. A coal miner insults an environmentalist, and the latter reaches to hit the miner. They are ready to fight. A woman stands to separate them. Follows an announcer who present their opposition as inevitable. It is an environment versus job dilemma. Such understanding of the coal deindustrialisation seems limited and the slogans seem like a better starting point to understand the complex economic structure that is sought through by the experience of coal decline. They communicate about the state of pensions and healthcare, about lack of employment opportunities in Appalachia and outlook for future generations.Item Assessing how an adaptive management approach was incorporated in the mitigation strategies for acid mine drainage discharge in the Witwatersrand basin(2018) Rantsieng, Masekantsi RahabThe predicaments faced by humanity today differ from the past due to the increasing scale of human influence, complexities and uncertainties (Allen et al., 2010), which limit management options. Adaptive management is based on the philosophy that knowledge is incomplete i.e. there will always be uncertainty and unpredictability in the behaviour and dynamics of complex social-ecological systems. Given the complexity of the South African mining industry, this research aimed to explore the link between management and science by assessing the extent to which an adaptive management approach had been incorporated into short-term and long-term mitigation strategies for the discharge of acid mine water in the Witwatersrand Basin. The methodology included a review of the adopted mitigation strategy document, a literature review of adaptive management literature and an in-depth analysis of a case study using nine interviews, conducted with key informants and contributors from the government, an educational institution, industry (mines currently dealing with the issue), and civil society. An inductive and descriptive approach was followed to gather and analyse data to formulate answers to the research questions. The findings of the study indicated that the efforts that went into designing the short-term solutions were limited due to the lack of communicating amongst stakeholders and the failure to incorporate a value-based approach. Results also showed that complexities and uncertainties were not addressed to allow for adaptation to constant change. It was found that the short-term interventions had no managerial flexibility which limited learning. Insufficient monitoring and a lack of transparency regarding the dissemination of monitoring results were highlighted. Moreover, experimental efforts were limited due to lack of capacity and funding. In conclusion, although the long-term strategy incorporated some aspects of adaptive management, the short-term mitigation measures were reactive rather than proactive. It is recommended that on-going training and good communication are maintained amongst stakeholders. Recommendations for economic constraints include the sharing of costs through partnerships, evaluating trade-offs between costs and effectiveness and investigating cheaper measuring methods for monitoring. Risk-averse initiatives such as conducting risk assessments during pilot studies and accommodating for different project scales can be employed to mitigate against resources that are sensitive to change.Item The Witbank junior coal miners: a blue print for success in the South African coal industry(2018) Oduah, Richard ChukwudumebiIn 1998, the HDSA Act was promulgated with a view to economically empower black owned business entities including junior coal mining companies. However, many Witbank junior coal miners continue to struggle to establish themselves and to compete sustainably with their larger and more established counterparts in the South African coal mining industry. It is therefore still unclear as to what level of success has been achieved in light of this Act. Numerous challenges continue to face every junior coal mining operation, including knowledge and skills gaps, limited access to funding, barriers to entry, poor access to reliable coal geological data and knowledgeable service providers, difficult compliance to mining legislation and unpredictable coal market volatility. A further challenge is the threat of reduction in coal usage as a source of power generation, this as a result of strong global and national initiatives to use alternative energy sources in the form of renewables. However, as long as coal remains a key commodity for industry, power generation and export, which is considered to be well into the next 2 to three decades if not longer, the Witbank junior coal miners have the potential to achieve considerably higher levels of success in their operations, marketing and earning capacity than is currently the case. Investigations undertaken in this study have found that, by taking certain steps, even the smallest mining entity would be enabled to compete more effectively in the coal industry. It is proposed that an in-depth knowledge of the coal industry coupled with industry-specific technological innovations and skills, business management models and the consolidation of the junior coal sector through cooperatives could see junior coal miner assets sustainably upgraded into more profitable business ventures. In order to address the many issues facing initiation, start-up and early operation of an emerging or junior coal mine, a protocol was developed during the course of this study in which a number of key aspects are addressed. These have been laid out in a manner easily understood and achievable by even the smallest coal mining operator. These aspects include the technical and business side of small scale coal mining, including the benefits of single owner-operated versus cooperative operations. Matters such as safety health and environmental legislations which are essential to all mining operations are applied to the smaller scale operators.Item Evaluation of productivity trends in the South African coal mining industry(2017) Du Toit, AntheaProductivity is an important topic within the mining industry and advances in productivity open up opportunities to make the best possible use of South Africa’s mineral wealth. The report uses publicly available data to assess trends in productivity in the SA coal mining industry since the 1980s and to compare SA’s performance with that of the US and Australia. It is found that between 1980 and 2003, productivity growth in the SA coal mining sector was primarily driven by capital deepening. However, productivity growth has been negative from 2004 onwards, despite continued capital deepening. Possible explanations include resource depletion, investment lags, deteriorating worker quality, increased complexity, more stringent safety regulations and adverse labour market conditions. The report highlights skills development and investment in innovation as possible ways of addressing declining productivity performance in the SA coal mining sector and recommends improvements to the availability of data for productivity research purposes.Item Estimation of the propensity of remnant underground coal pillars to spontaneously combust during opencast mining at a colliery in the Witbank coalfield(2017) Gemmell, Graham BarrySpontaneous combustion of coal may occur when coal is mined, stored or transported and is influenced by a combination of intrinsic and /or extrinsic factors. While it is unusual for intact seams to burn in the highwall, the most common occurrence is when surface mines extract seams previously partially mined by underground bord and pillar operations. The aim of the study is to provide a predictive model (matrix) of the spontaneous combustion potential of remnant pillars at Colliery X. A number of different thermal, chemical and petrographic tests (coal factors) will be undertaken to determine their individual and collective impacts on the sponcom predictive model. The primary geology at the mine is conformable with that of the Witbank Coalfield. Battacharyya (1982) described 3 main factors in the spontaneous combustion of coal, mining factor, coal factor and geological factor which have an aggregate effect. Some of the main historical and present theories of sponcom are the pyrite theory, the bacterial theory, the oxidation theory and the humidity theory. It is important to note that no single factor is responsible for spontaneous combustion. The oxidation of coal occurs constantly. The temperature of the coal is a function of the rate of heat generation versus the rate of heat loss. Fires can start at outcrops and move through interconnected workings with heat transfer by conduction (into the overburden) or convection (between panels).The overburden can also insulate the burning coal seam. Geological factors such as depth of overburden, the degree of fracturing, and the nature of the overlying strata vary between coalfields. A coal seam fire or mine fire is the underground smouldering of a coal deposit, often in a coal mine. Such fires have economic, social and ecological impacts In order to extinguish a fire, one of three elements, fuel, oxygen, or energy, must be removed. The components of the fire triangle can be further subdivided into conventional mine control techniques and more or less unconventional or unproven mine fire control techniques. The thermal techniques discussed include the crossing point temperature, thermogravimetric analyses and oxygen absorption. Macerals, the microscopically identifiable organic constituents of coal, are one of the three basic parameters that define coal. The other two parameters are the coal rank and the mineral matter Vitrinite is the principal maceral group of the No.5 seam and inertinite dominates the No.2 and No.4 seams. The results obtained from the 22 drill-core samples and 2 ROM samples were matched to the existing borehole dataset (2296 boreholes) based on similarity of heat value (figure 3.11). A total of 24 test results (thermal, chemical and petrographic) from borehole A and borehole B were thus assigned to the borehole database which has approximately 1500 samples for each seam. By linking the laboratory datasets (borehole A and B) and the existing borehole database used for resource modelling, the sponcom variables could be modelled in a similar way to the coal resources. The overall risk matrix was calculated on a full seam basis by combining 15 variable scores, each variable having a score of 0, 1 or 2 (low-mod-high probability). The overall results from this research produced clear and unambiguous contour plans of different factors effecting sponcom of coal using single variable and combined variable datasets. In conclusion, it appears that the acceptability of a method for determining spontaneous heating characteristics of coal mainly depends upon how closely it predicts the spontaneous heating behaviour in the field conditionsItem The application of ash adjustable density in the evaluation of coal deposits(2017) Roux, LeonThe initial evaluation of a coal deposit often raises uncertainty with regard to the accuracy of the reported resources and reserves. Difficulty is experienced in reconciling tonnages produced during mining and beneficiation with the original raw field data. The credibility of resource and reserve estimations, which form the basis on which an entire mining enterprise is motivated, funded and established as a commercially viable proposition, is of paramount importance. In essence, this research has sought to establish and validate a more realistic and accurate method for (i) coal resource and reserve estimation and (ii) the reconciliation of saleable tonnages produced following beneficiation. Previous research undertaken by this author resulted in the formulation of a methodology to provide a more accurate assessment of a coal body by using the dry density of the coaly material derived from proximate analytical data for the ash content for float fractions obtained from float sink analysis. The determination of the dry density was obtained through the application of the ash adjusted density algorithm derived from the regression of the median proximate ash values at fixed float densities in the range 1.35 g/cc to 2.20 g/cc. The derived density results were validated against laboratory pycnometer determined densities and found to be applicable to both of the two major geological stratigraphic units in the Waterberg Coalfield. This resulted in significantly more accurate predictions of coal product tonnages from the Waterberg Coalfield. In the current research, this methodology has been applied to cover the entire coal value chain, from exploration through to final products. The primary purpose was to ascertain the correct resource and reserve values relative to that originally reported using conventional methods and to match those values to actual saleable tonnages produced down the line. Density is the key factor underpinning such calculations and this varies not only due to geology, and specifically coal rank, type and grade, but also to the method used for its measurement. It plays a major role in the estimation of reserves and in the beneficiation process because density is the primary separation medium utilized in coal beneficiation. Coal plies and particles have different relative densities and physical properties, as determined by their maceral composition, rank, mineral (ash) and moisture contents. The relationship between such parameters, as measured by ash, moisture content, matrix porosity and density, was found to play an even greater critical role in establishing the correct tonnage of coal at any single point in the value chain. A combination of theoretical, empirical and reconciliatory evaluations of the available data from the exploration phase through the mining process to final production has shown that an integrated approach using the ash adjusted density methodology provides more accurate and credible results with a higher degree of confidence at all stages across the coal value chain than is currently possible using conventional practices.Item The evolution of large technical systems in the Waterberg coalfield of South Africa: from apartheid to democracy(2017) Ballim, FaeezaThis thesis follows the development of a particular set of large technical systems in South Africa from the late apartheid era into the age of democracy. During apartheid technological prowess, upheld by the network of state corporations or parastatals, bolstered the authoritarian rule of the white minority government in South Africa. The economic and political liberalisation of the late 1980s challenged the power of the parastatals and altered the underlying rationale of infrastructure development. In particular I describe the transformation of Iscor and Eskom, two of the country’s major parastatals, and their activities in the Waterberg coalfields, an isolated region on the country’s north-western border. While Eskom’s activities in the region began in the 1980s they gained public notoriety with the construction of the Medupi power station two decades later. The obstacles that Eskom faced at Medupi represent the main challenge of developing large technological infrastructures in the democratic, post-colonial order, where the fruits of infrastructure development demand to be spread beyond the bounds of an elite minority. But the eventual completion of some power generating units in 2015 at Medupi demonstrates that failure is not inevitable. I argue that this success is due to the fact that the autonomous parastatal network negotiated the political and economic liberalisation of the early 1990 by incorporating the changing socio-political conditions into its operations. The parastatal network retained a momentum, in the sense first described by the historian of technology Thomas Hughes, which was also a product of the “locked-in” nature of investment in the infrastructure project. Because of the large capital investment required for the infrastructure development, proceeding tenaciously against the odds to see the project to completion was cheaper than retreat for those involved.