Abstract:
Against the backdrop of China’s goals of peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality, along with the growing demand for critical minerals, this study presents a systematic review of domestic and international literature and engineering cases. Based on the blue mining concept proposed by Langefeld’s team of the Clausthal University of Technology and from the perspective of planning forward, this study organizes key technologies, treatment pathways, and essentials of full-lifecycle management used to transition mines from single-purpose stopes to multifunctional infrastructures. Centered on four guiding principles, i.e., energy, ergonomics, water resources, and circularity, this study reviews the synergetic planning process and key constraints for siting, construction, operation, closure, and repurposing. For the resource development stage, which highlights improvement in energy efficiency and clean energy supply, this study summarizes the cascade utilization of deep geothermal energy; the quality-based segregation, staged treatment, and reuse of mine wastewater; the reutilization of solid waste; and a green energy system featuring source-grid-load-storage synergy. Concurrently, this study highlights the roles of ecological corridors and environmental monitoring in the early warning and joint treatment of compound risks of fugitive dust, wastewater, stormwater and flooding, and noise and vibration. For the closure stage, this study outlines representative repurposing directions, including the synergetic sequestration and reutilization of bulk solid waste, pumped-hydro energy storage based on abandoned mines, underground laboratories, and underground agriculture. For this stage, it discusses the constraint conditions for repurposing mine space as both platforms for artificial hydrological and energy regulation and carriers for scientific research and industrial activities. To improve comparability across mine types and regions, this study further develops an analytical framework for multi-objective coordination by extracting data support that integrates energy-water-material-carbon indicators with a closed-loop monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system and operational and information technology (OT/IT) convergence. Additionally, it summarizes the essentials of systems such as unified permission, standard systems, third-party verification, green finance mechanisms, public information disclosure, and long-term operation and maintenance (O&M) funds. Constrained by different statistical standards adopted in the cases and regional heterogeneity, the benefits of emission reduction, cost, and resilience of the treatment pathways are yet to undergo quantitative modeling, standardized assessment, and demonstration validation based on specific commodities, locations, and engineering conditions. A closed-loop transition from extraction-depletion-sealing to extraction-regulation-regeneration can be achieved using stage-specific configuration optimization and risk management, the predefinition of post-closure usages and revenue channels, and the reshipment of the investment recovery curves.