Sustainable Open Pit Mine Design

There is an increasing interest among practitioners to incorporate sustainability issues in evaluating the projects. However, it is a complex task to deal with the conflicting aspects of sustainable development. Nowadays, most of the minerals are produced by surface mining methods; and one could say that the economic, social and environmental impacts of these operations are closely related to Ultimate Pit Limit (UPL), and it may have a significant contribution on the sustainability of the mining community. UPL determination is a strategic decision and it requires a Decision Support System to evaluate and understand the outcome of each alternative for optimal decision-making. This book, therefore, discusses the concept of sustainable development generally and in the field of mining engineering. It provides the models for determination of cut-off grade and UPL with respect to the concepts of sustainable development. Reading of this book is especially recommended for those who are interested in responsible and sustainable mining.