Progress, Issues, and Countermeasures in the Use of Bulk Industrial Solid Waste for Mine Pit Backfilling and Ecological Restoration(2)
In China, there are prominent issues such as large volumes of industrial solid waste like tailings, coal gangue, and fly ash, low utilization rates, and disorderly storage occupying vast areas of land. At the same time, we are confronted with numerous aba
3 Countermeasures and Recommendations
3.1 Establish a coordination mechanism and explore innovative management models
Through the construction of ‘waste-free cities,’ establish a coordinated working mechanism involving multiple departments such as natural resources, ecological environment, industry and information technology, development and reform, emergency management, and forestry and grassland in cities dominated by the mining industry. This mechanism should integrate the prevention and control of bulk solid waste pollution, comprehensive utilization, soil risk management and restoration, territorial spatial planning, project design, and management processes, working in tandem to jointly plan and implement bulk solid waste mine pit backfilling and ecological restoration projects within the region. For example, Baotou City's ‘Regulations on the Use of General Industrial Solid Waste for Mine Pit Backfilling and Ecological Restoration’ clearly defines the responsibilities of each department and the project implementation process.
3.2 Conduct demonstration projects for key solid waste backfilling engineering to provide ‘lessons from others’
Encourage typical urban mining areas to utilise demonstration projects for large-scale solid waste mine pit backfilling and ecological restoration. From the outset of design, these projects should be implemented to demonstration project standards, including: Recording and retaining survey results on the pollution characteristics of large-scale solid waste, environmental baseline conditions, and hydrogeological conditions; Recording and retaining historical monitoring data from existing projects based on on-site conditions; Analyse the differences and impacts of various material types, backfilling methods, and impermeability conditions on backfilling effectiveness; conduct long-term monitoring of changes in characteristic pollutants in soil and groundwater; based on the above data and information, conduct scientific retrospective assessments and predictions, explore and improve environmental risk assessment methods and parameters, and establish replicable and scalable best practices and case studies.
3.3 Understand the basic situation and develop and utilise resources in an orderly manner through step-by-step classification
Conduct a special campaign to investigate and rectify general industrial solid waste in a step-by-step and classified manner, clarify the historical storage and annual production of typical solid waste, and utilise the basic information on mines from departments such as natural resources and emergency management to understand the basic information characteristics of the proposed backfilling sites, including their number, distribution, hydrogeological conditions, climate and geography, and the sensitivity of the surrounding environment. At the local level, further refine backfilling technical guidelines based on solid waste types to guide the分类 development and utilisation. Prioritise the use of backfilling sites with low environmental risks and non-ferrous metals.