Synergy between Drilling/Blasting and Loading/Hauling for CO2 Emissions Combined Reduction

摘要

Greenhouse gas emissions are now an essential issue for extractive industries. Actually, lowering ofquarry energy consumption and CO2 emissions participates to answer both environmental and financialissues. The “EE-Quarry” European project, supported by the European Commission (EE stands forEnergy Efficient), develops a new and highly effective modelling and monitoring Energy ManagementSystem technique to improve Energy Efficiency and move to a low CO2 emission rate in the nonmetallicmineral industry.Within this framework, we have developed two software modules that allow quantifying CO2 emittedby: drilling and blasting on one hand, loading and hauling on the other.These two modules can be used in combination in order to study the interactions between theseoperations. In particular, we studied the impact of a better fragmentation on loading and hauling.The modules were calibrated thanks to field data collected in European quarries (Greece, UK andFrance). They allow a more global approach of CO2 emissions generated by open pit exploitations.Especially, one can carry out simulations to optimize this essential couple of operations (drilling/blasting– loading/hauling), while ensuring that the global energy consumption and CO2 emissions areminimized.We performed field tests in various French quarries to control our modules and the results they provide.Thus, if the positive impact of a better fragmentation on loading/hauling productivity might soundtrivial, we have shown that such blasting improvements do not imply an increase of CO2 emissions andcan actually lead to reduce them, depending on quarry configurations.