Mining activities have indirect and direct environmental impacts, the extent and level of risk of which depend on factors such as the environment, the stage of operations, or the type of ore being extracted. Mining can have various consequences, such as air quality, impact on organisms, soil, water, biodiversity, and resource utilization (Geological Survey of Finland, 2015). A high-quality environmental monitoring system makes monitoring various parameters easy and processes a vast amount of data to provide essential and critical information.

Up-to-date information, reduced manual workload, and ability to analyze dependencies

What makes an automated environmental monitoring system particularly useful for mining experts?

1. Observations and observation points are displayed on a map, which helps to understand the big picture.
2. Fragmented and scattered data can be brought into one system, facilitating data integration and processing.
3. The information is always up to date.
4. Automation reduces manual work, minimising the possibility of human error and associated risks.
5. Predictions of parameter development with alarms help in planning and anticipation of operations.

A versatile and continuously developing product range

Well-designed and implemented automatic monitoring and data management promote environmental impact monitoring. With an environmental monitoring system, risks can be monitored throughout the entire process, from production to mine closure and aftercare. Solutions for environmental monitoring and data reporting help to collect, manage, and report timely data effectively while saving time and resources.

The product range of automatic monitoring includes pH, electrical conductivity, flow, water level, and temperature monitoring, weather stations, and real-time camera images. For data management, you can use services for automating the calculation of cumulative watercourse discharges, calculating flow-weighted averages, and importing sampling points, field observations, DWG, and aerial images onto the same map background.

Source: Geological Survey of Finland (2015). Good practices for environmental impact assessment of mining projects. Available at: http://tupa.gtk.fi/julkaisu/tutkimusraportti/tr_222.pdf

Effective water management is a critical aspect of mining operations. Water can be found in various forms at mining sites, including natural conditions, groundwater, surface water, process water, and rainwater. As mining regulations become more stringent, continuous improvement in water management is required, rather than just addressing acute problems as they arise.

Real-time visualisation of current water amounts in the mine

To simplify the comprehensive nature of water management, it is helpful to gather as much relevant water-related data as possible in a single system. FinMeas Online is a system that can integrate data from various sources into a single user-friendly platform. Measurement data, such as reservoir water levels and volumes, incoming and outgoing water flows, seepage from dams, groundwater levels, precipitation, and site and surrounding area discharge rates, can all be imported into the FinMeas Online system. Visualisations provide a comprehensive overview of the situation, such as how much water is present in the reservoirs and how much space is left for more water.

Essential information supports decision making

With all necessary measurement data in the system, advanced computations can automatically calculate cumulative amounts and changes on a monthly basis. The system can also assist in water balance calculations, such as reservoir water levels and volumes. For example, users can easily determine how much water has accumulated in reservoirs over the past month, how much rainwater has fallen within the mining site, and how much water has left the site as discharge during the same period. Automation eliminates the need to manually compute data from various sources to generate an accurate overview of the water situation. Moreover, customised threshold levels and alert parameters can be set for all values, triggering automatic notifications if data deviates from the set parameters.

The implementation of infrastructure projects always requires careful planning. In urban environments, the challenge is increased by the fact that the best plots are often already in use. Climate change and the extreme conditions that follow, with their significant fluctuations, put both the soil and structures under intense pressure. Work is therefore carried out in increasingly challenging ground conditions and closer to existing buildings. Safety on the construction site and the surrounding infrastructure cannot be compromised.

Well-designed automatic monitoring helps manage uncertainty and improves the reliability by providing real-time, accurate information on the behavior of soil and structures.

SUBJECT 1: Excavations next to existing structures

Deep trenches always cause movements next to the trench. When movements occur, the repair costs of the existing adjacent structures are usually very high. Automatic monitoring can minimise the risks of excessive settlements and movements. The greatest benefit of monitoring is avoiding very high repair costs.

SUBJECT 2: Piling work on a built-up area

Depending on the piling method, piling can cause significant soil displacement along the path of the piles and thus movements near the piling area. Piling work also causes an increase in soil pore pressure. By monitoring movements and pore pressure, piling work can be directed so that no damage is caused to the environment.

The greatest benefit of monitoring is ensuring the smoothness of the piling work and avoiding repair costs.

SUBJECT 3: Road, street, or railway embankment work in soft sand

Many old embankment structures were built on soft ground without proper foundation reinforcement. These structures often have stability and settlement problems and risks. Monitoring can ensure the current operation of the structure, especially when new construction is carried out or when old structures are repaired near such a structure.

The greatest benefit of monitoring is continuous situational awareness of the performance of a risk structure and ensuring usability without interruptions.

SUBJECT 4: New substructure solution

The circular economy, carbon footprint reduction, and resource efficiency have significantly increased the importance of innovative solutions in infrastructure construction. Experience with the use of recycled materials, new circular economy solutions, and new foundation reinforcement methods is often minimal. Therefore, predicting their behaviour is very difficult and involves risks. These risks can be identified, verified, and managed through monitoring.

The greatest benefit of monitoring is continuous situational awareness of the performance of a new structure and ensuring usability without interruptions.

An unrecognised risk is more likely to materialise

While it may not be possible to completely eliminate all risks associated with infrastructure construction, they can still be managed. Identifying risks is crucial because an unrecognised risk is more likely to materialise than a recognized, monitored, and thus managed risk.

Bruk Dejenie, a graduate from Aalto University, was recently awarded the best geotechnical thesis of the year by the board of the Finnish Geotechnical Society. The winner was announced on 3 November at the Geotechnical Day, and Dejenie received an award from FinMeas Oy for his work on the "Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Capacity of Stabilized Malmi Clay".

Carbon dioxide emissions to a minimum

The focus of Dejenie's research was on the ability to absorb carbon dioxide in different types of stabilising agents in clay under laboratory conditions . Various low-carbon emission, recycled material-based stabilising agents, in addition to Malmi clay, were also used in the study. This groundbreaking research is a preliminary study for future research that will test carbonation using multiple stabilising agents and quantities. The results of this study will also be used in extensive laboratory and field tests in the future.

The award-winning thesis combines a modern and current perspective that has been studied through literature and several laboratory tests. This work is part of an effort to minimise energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in soil improvement projects, allowing the geotechnical design sector to take a leading position in implementing more environmentally sustainable projects.

FinMeas thesis prize awarded for the ninth time

The FinMeas Oy thesis prize for the best final thesis in geotechnical engineering was awarded this year for the ninth time. All universities teaching geotechnical engineering, including Aalto University, Tampere University, and the University of Oulu, participated in the competition. Bruk Dejenie was chosen as the winner, while Antti Rahko from Tampere University and Paula Liisanantti from the University of Oulu also made it to the top three.

Contact information:

Bruk Dejenie, Aalto University, bruk.dejenie@ramboll.fi

Sami Ylönen, CEO, FinMeas Oy, tel. 040 715 3264

Please note that there is no open online publication of the thesis available.

For more information on Geotechnical Day, please visit https://sgy.fi/toiminta/geotekniikan-paiva/. The Finnish Geotechnical Society SGY is a community of designers, researchers, contractors, builders, and equipment and material suppliers actively working in soil and foundation construction. 

The real-time measuring of soil and rock structures is a fairly recent invention. Conventional manual measuring is expensive and subject to errors, and it is therefore not performed often. However, it is even more expensive to not take measurements at all. In a worst-case scenario, accidents can lead to personal injuries, and their financial effects can often become significant. By using automatic monitoring, these accidents can be avoided and it also has other major benefits. This article lists five of the most important reasons why automatic monitoring is beneficial both in soil and rock construction.

1. Automatic monitoring increases safety at the worksite

Safety is improved as up-to-date information is always available. This way information on changes is received proactively and corrective measures can be taken in time, before changes lead to accidents and damages. Due to up-to-date information, changes can also be linked to their causes more specifically than before, which helps to understand causal connections.

2. Measurements reduce costs

By using automatic measurements, structures can be optimised without having to prepare for all uncertainties. For example, measuring anchor forces in support walls can significantly reduce the number of anchors needed. Therefore, increased safety and reduced costs are achieved at the same time. Costs are reduced also because it is no longer necessary to read measurements on site. Due to automatic remote monitoring, measuring devices can also be placed in fairly inaccessible locations.

3. Automatic monitoring streamlines work

Traditional manual measurements take up a lot of man-hours. Automating the measurements saves not only money, but also working hours. An automatic monitoring system takes care of the measurements effortlessly, so one can concentrate to other tasks at the worksite. Unlike manual measurements, the automatic measuring devices do not have to be checked on-site. With efficient monitoring, unpredicted situations like accidents can be avoided, and it is easier to stay on schedule.

4. Official regulations are easier to meet

Structures at the construction sites do not always behave as planned. When designers are given measurement data, they can create better structural designs than before. Respectively, in the case of extensive repair work, adequate measurement data and an analysis of the current status made on the basis of the data help in the preparation of a more detailed repair plan.

Automatic measurements can enhance the safety of both construction sites and surrounding buildings. This is extremely important especially in major cities, which are densely built and where the rock resources have also already been built for the most part. With the help of measurements, contractors can prove that their operation has not damaged the surrounding buildings of a construction site or the environment, if necessary.

5. Documentation is generated and saved automatically

When using automatic monitoring, also the documentation of the measurement data is generated automatically. No one has to make the documents, as the system produces them independently. The documents can also be found from one place, for example from a file on your own computer. This makes it easy to view them again whenever needed.

1. The risk of personal injuries

In a worst-case scenario, construction site accidents can lead to personal injuries. According to a study by the Finnish Transport Agency, excavation collapses cause 1-3 fatal accidents a year (“Danger lurks underground” research project on excavation safety. Finnish Transport Agency). By using automatic monitoring, it is possible to get real-time information and minimise the risks of these kinds of accidents. For example, information on the possible changes in an excavation’s support walls is received as soon as they take place. This way, corrective measures can be taken in time, before changes lead to accidents and damages.

2. The risk of financial losses

Structures at construction sites do not always behave as planned, and the financial effects caused by accidents can often become significant. With automatic measuring, already small changes in the structures can be detected. This way, dangerous situations can be prevented in time before they lead to accidents. When designers receive measurement data, they can create better structural designs than before and make sure that the structures are correctly sized. Wrong sizing leads to excessive costs – with monitoring, the structures can be optimised, which decreases the expenses.

3. The risk of liability to compensate

The construction site is responsible not only for its own safety, but also for the safety of the surrounding buildings and the environment. If something happens to the environment, it is not always easy to name the one who is liable to compensate. With the help of automatic measurements, the contractor can prove if their operations have caused damages to the environment of the site or not.

4. The risk of scattered information

When using automatic monitoring, also the documentation of the measurement data is generated automatically. No one has to make the documents, as the system produces them independently. The documents can also be found from one place, which makes it easy to view them again whenever needed.

5. The risk of delays due to unexpected situations

Unexpected situations like accidents can delay a construction project considerably. Automatic monitoring provides up-to-date information of ground and structure behaviour, which increases predictability. When accidents can be prevented, also delays can be avoided.