Title: Ore blending planning and green shovel allocation in open-pit mines: a case study in a copper mine

Authors: Natanael Salgado Coutinho; Tatianna Aparecida Pereira Beneteli; Gustavo Pessin; Luciano Perdigão Cota

Addresses: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Computação, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, 35400-000, Brazil ' Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Ouro Preto, MG, 354000-000, Brazil ' Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Ouro Preto, MG, 354000-000, Brazil ' Instituto Tecnológico Vale, Ouro Preto, MG, 354000-000, Brazil

Abstract: In open-pit mines, the load and transport of ore are responsible for a large part of energy consumption and carbon emissions. The allocation of this equipment with a focus on energy efficiency becomes a key indicator of sustainable actions by mining companies. This work deals with ore blending planning and green shovel allocation problems in an open-pit mine. The objective is to minimise deviations from production and quality targets in plant requests while minimising fuel consumption by allocating shovels. A mixed-integer linear programming model was proposed to support decision-making. We used real data from a Brazilian open-pit mine to validate the model, which could instantly find the optimal solution in the evaluated scenarios. The proposed model generates savings of up to 20.8% in fuel consumption and reduces carbon emissions by up to 3,262 kg CO₂ in a single work shift.

Keywords: carbon emissions; blending; green shovel allocation; decision support system.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMME.2023.133648

International Journal of Mining and Mineral Engineering, 2023 Vol.14 No.2, pp.95 - 123

Received: 06 Jan 2023
Accepted: 20 Apr 2023
Published online: 27 Sep 2023 *

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