Mine planning has the goal of minimizing the capital and operating costs of the ultimate project, while maximizing the operability and profitability of the venture: it sets the economic and technical direction of a project, by taking into account the correct strategy to be adopted for its economic, social, and environmental success. Geological analysis, computation of geological and minable reserves, determination of preproduction mining or development requirements, production and stripping schedules, labour and equipment requirements and costs, revenue forecasts, and cash flow management are all factors to consider in mine planning. A geological model, the ore distribution in the rock mass, and the geomechanical model of the ore deposit are the basis for the design of both open-pit and underground mines, for selecting the appropriate mine development and planning. The equipment selection, the exploitation sequence, and the stripping management, including the problems related to the waste, are fundamental aspects of mine planning. Moreover, following the approach of sustainability and circular economy, also the valorisation of the by-product should be planned and foreseen at the beginning of the work activities. The subject is inherently linked to resources and environmental sustainability, excavation engineering and mining plants, raw material processing and recycling, and environmental management of soil, water and groundwater in geoengineering.

The student will acquire the theoretical notions underlying the mine planning, to be able to design mining activities taking into account the economic, social and environmental sustainability. The mine planning competences are essential also to optimize the subsequent treatment process and to reach valuable yield for the target minerals.

Students should be familiar with the fundamentals of physics, chemistry, statistics, and material sciences. They should also have some competence in the fields of excavation techniques and technologies, processing plants and be able to make a preliminary economic assessment.

European and international mining legislation. Mining and sustainability: the ISO 55000 standard and the optimization of the asset management system in mining. Development of the mine and plant concepts; calculation or estimation of the equipment and all important amounts (of excavation, building area and volume, etc.); provisional construction schedule. Introduction to geostatistics and its contribution in a number of techniques which can be used in the design stage of underground and open pit mining. Reserve estimation, mining planning optimization, production forecasting, resources optimization. Cost estimating for underground mining/surface mining. Mining Economics and Strategies. Discretized orebody model of the deposit; the value of each block by comparing market prices for ore with extraction and processing costs. Cut-off grade and production rate for a sustainable mining. Planning for closure: lease agreements, surface and underground facilities, water management, site rehabilitation, socio-economic aspects. Corporate social responsibilities. The process to achieve the Social License to Operate and the Environmental Assessment for mining activities. Some significant case studies are presented and discussed with a view to the sustainable use of natural resources, referring both to open pit and underground mining.

The course is organized in theoretical lessons and practical exercises. The exercises will focus on some aspects addressed during the course.

Teaching material: the slides will be made available to students on the course portal. Furthermore, technical reports and open access publications relating to the topics of the course will be suggested. 1) Open Pit Mine Planning and Design-W. Hustrulid et al. 2) SME Mining Engineering Handbook-H.L. Hartman

Dispense; Libro di testo;

Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula); Prova orale obbligatoria;

Exam: Written test; Compulsory oral exam;

... Written and oral exam. The written exam will focus on open theoretical questions and / or short exercises, and will last approximately 120 minutes. To access the oral exam, it is necessary to reach a score of at least 18/30. The oral exam will be focused on further details related to the written part, and the general understanding acquired on the topics of the course will be investigated. The single final score will result from the combination of the partial scores obtained in the two modules into which the course is divided. The exam is considered passed if the final score is not lower than 18/30.

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.