Result description
The Key Exploitable Result of the Hydrocoal Plus project is the HBM technology tested under the conditions of OPM Belchatów. This allows us to conclude that the project implementation has brought the HBM technology to a technological readiness level (TRL) of 7-8. Conducted market analysis of the feasibility of using the HBM technology for lignite mining indicates significant potential for its use in the future.Taking into account the European Union’s policies regarding limiting the extraction and consumption of fossil fuels and reducing CO2 emissions, HBM technology should be treated as a transitional technology in the period of implementation of the European Green Deal EGD.
Addressing target audiences and expressing needs
- Business partners – SMEs, Entrepreneurs, Large Corporations
- I/we wish to transfer my/our IPR to an interested party
- Expanding to more markets /finding new customers
The HBM Technology is on TRL 7-8 for brown coal deposits extraction.
It is expected to reach highier TRL for brown coal or evaluate the efficiency of HBM technology for mining other deposits.
- Public or private funding institutions
- Other Actors who can help us fulfil our market potential
R&D, Technology and Innovation aspects
The HBM Technology was tested (demonstrated) in operating open pit mine. Further steps are industrial application or evaluation of the technology efficiency for other deposits.
The HBM technology is scalable. Thanks to the modular nature of the technical solutions, the production volume can be adjusted by the number of working HBM installations. Also important is the very fast availability time compared to open-pit mining. Investment expenditures for starting the production are also relatively low.
During the project realisation the concept of HBM technology aplication in full mine scale was developed. The sequence of technological operations and their coordination have been defined, allowing, on the one hand, to maintain safety at work, and on the other hand, to optimize the quantity of purchased technical equipment, such as sets of HBM devices, conveyors, drills, and others. The adopted assumptions also impact the operating costs of the mining facility, especially in terms of staffing needed to simultaneously perform tasks in various phases of mine work.
Lignite mining by open-pit methods requires many years of preparation (removal of significant amounts of overburden) and causes irreversible damage to the earth’s surface. The use of the HBM method eliminates these problems. Conducted environmental impact assessment showed that borehole drilling and casing, lignite hydro-cutting and lignite hydro-crushing unit processes have been identified as crucial unit processes of HBM production, also in environmental performance terms. The crucial unit processes of HBM production utilize water. In order to minimize the water consumption of the HBM production, the water must be put into a closed circuit.
