Much of the coal and gold mining industry of New Zealand is small scale.
Funding is tight and mechanisation limited.
The country has many well documented small coalfields (some with significant
outcropping) and alluvial gold deposits. These are generally remote, difficult
to access (physically and otherwise) and of submarginal value (largely a
consequence of size when viewed for extraction by traditional techniques). The
industry is also burdened by environmental and bureaucratic constraints. The
above over simplified setting suggests to the Author, a newcomer to New Zealand,
the opportunity to consider some novel concepts based on technology and
techniques developed overseas or borrowed from other industry sectors. The
objective being to make viable in economic and environmental terms projects that
might otherwise be stillborn if considered for exploitation by conventional
means.
The paper mainly discusses 2 concepts focusing on the application of augers
for exposed high wall or outcrop coal and micro-tunnelling augers for alluvial
gold extraction. These may be considered high mobility 'container' (as in
shipping container) packaged, or 'non invasive' mining systems.
It is stressed that these are but concepts and have yet to be subjected to
rigorous financial or engineering scrutiny. This could only follow their
acceptance by, and input from, New Zealand miners.
There will also be brief mention of a new modular conveyor system which might
have application within the concepts or existing small scale mineral extraction
operations and mention of a project currently in progress to apply tangible
'sustainability' to underground coal mining.