The Department of Mining Engineering participated in the 19^th Student Colloquium of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM), which took place on 7 November 2023. Final-year student, Ingrid Maubane, was selected to represent the Department at the colloquium. Her project, titled “The use of soundless chemical demolition agents in large-scale in-situ rock-breaking applications in the mining industry”, earned her second place in the mining engineering discipline. She was the only student from South Africa in the top three, competing against 13 students from South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Discussing her research, Ingrid explained that soundless chemical demolition agents are powdery chemicals mixed with water and poured into drilled holes. These demolition agents fracture the surrounding rock when the generated expanding pressure on the walls of the holes exceeds the tensile strength of the rock. These chemicals are currently used in small-scale rock-breaking applications to fragment boulders, but have not been tested in large-scale applications. As such, the project evaluated whether these expansive chemicals can be applied in the mining industry to fragment large volumes of in-situ rock. This was done by conducting five trials using Nex-Pand powder at various mining sites. Four of the conducted trials were successful in fragmenting the rock, with the largest area of in-situ rock broken being 1 590 m². The trials proved that soundless chemical demolition agents can be used to fragment large volumes of in-situ rock in the mining and construction industries.

The study was fuelled by the negative environmental effects that result when explosives are used to break the rock. Although explosives have been the most efficient and cost-effective rock-breaking method to date, their use often results in the generation of air blast, ground vibrations, fly rock, noise and noxious fumes. Ground vibrations and air blasts often cause damage to buildings and infrastructure.

One of the mining sites at which she conducted tests had a coal seam within 500 m of a nearby community, so the reserves could not be extracted using traditional blasting methods. This demonstrated the need for non-explosive rock-breaking alternatives such as soundless chemical demolition agents to fragment large volumes of in-situ rock and replace explosives in areas closer to communities and sensitive infrastructure.

Ingrid has ambitions of becoming a mining researcher so that she can contribute to the safe and economic extraction of minerals.

The Department of Mining Engineering participated in the 19^th Student Colloquium of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM), which took place on 7 November 2023. Final-year student, Ingrid Maubane, was selected to represent the Department at the colloquium. Her project, titled “The use of soundless chemical demolition agents in large-scale in-situ rock-breaking applications in the mining industry”, earned her second place in the mining engineering discipline. She was the only student from South Africa in the top three, competing against 13 students from South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Discussing her research, Ingrid explained that soundless chemical demolition agents are powdery chemicals mixed with water and poured into drilled holes. These demolition agents fracture the surrounding rock when the generated expanding pressure on the walls of the holes exceeds the tensile strength of the rock. These chemicals are currently used in small-scale rock-breaking applications to fragment boulders, but have not been tested in large-scale applications. As such, the project evaluated whether these expansive chemicals can be applied in the mining industry to fragment large volumes of in-situ rock. This was done by conducting five trials using Nex-Pand powder at various mining sites. Four of the conducted trials were successful in fragmenting the rock, with the largest area of in-situ rock broken being 1 590 m². The trials proved that soundless chemical demolition agents can be used to fragment large volumes of in-situ rock in the mining and construction industries.

The study was fuelled by the negative environmental effects that result when explosives are used to break the rock. Although explosives have been the most efficient and cost-effective rock-breaking method to date, their use often results in the generation of air blast, ground vibrations, fly rock, noise and noxious fumes. Ground vibrations and air blasts often cause damage to buildings and infrastructure.

One of the mining sites at which she conducted tests had a coal seam within 500 m of a nearby community, so the reserves could not be extracted using traditional blasting methods. This demonstrated the need for non-explosive rock-breaking alternatives such as soundless chemical demolition agents to fragment large volumes of in-situ rock and replace explosives in areas closer to communities and sensitive infrastructure.

Ingrid has ambitions of becoming a mining researcher so that she can contribute to the safe and economic extraction of minerals.