In only a few decades, the Swedish mining industry has passed several milestones in its quest to become a safe, more climate-friendly and productive industry.
The Swedish mining sector has achieved several significant milestones in its effort to develop into a safe, more environmentally friendly, and productive business in just a few decades. At the same time, the difficulties facing this frequently criticised sector of the economy are getting worse. Major improvements are still needed if the sector is to become fossil-free by 2045 and meet the rising demand for metals at the same time. This holds for the mining sector as well as for all of trade and industry and at the societal level.
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The first Wi-Fi to be put in a mine globally was done in 2012 by Swedish mining companies. The ability to interact digitally underground dramatically altered the conditions for production control, opening up new opportunities to, for example, manage machinery remotely, which might boost both productivity and miner safety. These new conditions have led to some of the mining industry's most significant advances in recent years.
Sweden has been a global leader in advancing this technology because of its high cost of living, stringent safety regulations, and harsher environmental regulations. The Swedish mining industry is in a unique position as a result of requirements for increased productivity and a zero vision for work-related deaths in an industry that has historically been associated with significant risks for the employees and where the work in many less developed countries still puts the workers' lives at risk. Researchers claim that society's perception of the Swedish mining industry has not kept up with the fact that it is now a high-tech enterprise that, along with the rest of the Swedish industry, shapes the growth of the mining industry globally.
Along with the mining firms themselves, numerous other providers of mining equipment are world leaders in their respective fields. The industry's innovation path touches all sectors of both old and new industries. Developing a sustainable industry is also of utmost importance. According to the industry's "Roadmap for a Sustainable Mineral and Mining Industry," which was submitted to the government in April 2018, production will be fossil-free by 2045, even though the mining and mineral industry currently contributes to about eight per cent of Sweden's overall carbon dioxide emissions.
Iron ore, metals, lime, and cement are refined using hydrogen processes. Present technology will need to be improved upon, and there will also be changes in technology. Under the HYBRIT project, the iron and steel sector is investing in hydrogen as a reducing agent, but solutions for the production of other metals and minerals without the use of fossil fuels also require research and development. On the other hand, a lot of work is already being done to switch over to electric machinery from diesel-powered ones. It is intended that by switching to biofuel in areas where electricity cannot be used, the entire industry would be fossil-free by 2035 for machinery and internal transportation. Digitisation has enabled mining to be automated and streamlined in addition to optimising processes like ventilation in mine galleries, which has helped cut down on overall energy and fuel use.
Although mining for minerals and ores has grown quickly and is now developing even more quickly, we have just begun to scratch the surface of what is needed and feasible to accomplish. Future mines will be secure and free of fossil fuels. The active mining sites will not require any work to be done that requires people to be present. It is capable of operating in conjunction with the local community and is environmentally sustainable. Swedish Mining Innovation's projects and initiatives range from inventing cutting-edge methods for recycling metals to discovering ways to help local reindeer herders herd their animals without being disturbed by mining traffic. The mining sector must address not only the technological obstacles and environmental objectives but also the political and social agendas of the local community. No one wants a mine in their backyard, even though everyone needs metals. Long-running disputes have resulted from various land interests being at odds with the mining firms' intentions for expanding mining.
It is precisely the growing demands for a green transition that have elevated the mining industry to the top of the agenda in politics and business since it was viewed as a company in liquidation at the end of the 20th century. Wind energy, electric vehicles, charging stations, solar cells, and other forms of green technology all require metals, which are only available from mining. Currently, only three per cent of the world's metal is produced in Europe, but 25 per cent is consumed. Add to that the reality that almost all of the specialised metals needed in modern technology are produced outside of the EU, frequently in nations with significantly worse ethical and environmental standards than Sweden. High-performance batteries necessary for climate-smart technologies, for instance, need cobalt and lithium to be produced.
From a sustainability perspective, recycling is crucial to the development of Swedish and international mining. Nowadays, recycling accounts for 90 per cent of all mined iron ore and a sizable share of all mined copper. The ReeMAP project, which would see Boliden develop a fossil-free industrial park for the recycling of mining waste and the manufacturing of essential raw materials, has garnered a lot of interest. Boliden is the largest recycler of electrical junk in Europe. The technology is still insufficient to recycle particular metals, and since the created metals are already in use, fresh metals and minerals will need to be mined from the Earth's crust for a considerable amount of time.
