Industry 4.0 technologies and sustainability challenges: a case study in the coal mining industry
by Nelson Kadel Jr.; Jocieli Francisco da Silva; Morteza Ghobakhloo; Agata Maitê Ritter; Débora Oliveira da Silva; Miguel Afonso Sellitto
International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management (IJPLM), Vol. 14, No. 2/3, 2022

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify how Industry 4.0 digital technologies can help overcome sustainability challenges in the coal mining industry. The research method is the case study. The study compares two coal primary processing plants belonging to the same company in Latin America, one equipped with facilities dating back to 1983, the other equipped with updated facilities, commissioned in 2018-2019. The comparison focuses only in current data (2020) from both units, produced under the same managerial and legal conditions. The only difference is the technology. Findings show that the implementation of Industry 4.0 digital technologies reduced variability in quality parameters, water, and energy consumption, waste generation, and harmful emissions. Nonetheless, social implications are contradictory. Digital technologies reduced risks for operators, but the number of accidents did not reduce in the same proportion. The total amount of jobs reduced significantly.

Online publication date: Thu, 29-Sep-2022

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