Coal remains a major component of global fuel supplies, accounting for 27% of all energy used worldwide and making up 38% of electricity generation. It plays a crucial role in industries such as iron and steel. But concerns about air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions cloud the future of coal. This paper shed the light on current and future coal production and demand in developed and developing countries.

The article addresses the problems of coal-bed methane drainage efficiency and prevention of methane explosions. The authors present the analysis of the current coal bed knowledge and understanding. The existing ideas and methods of research into coal beds are described. The article also contains the analysis of the effect of vibrowaves and electromagnetic methods on coal beds. The fundamentals of the theory of the electron-wave effect with respect to coal beds are described. All physical and chemical processes going in a coal bed are based on the internal energy of coal atoms. The formation and accumulation of methane in a coal bed results from the growing rock pressure and increasing electron-wave thermal energy. Electromagnetic emission from an external source into a coal bed would enhance the efficiency of gas drainage and prevent sudden outbursts of methane.

The authors analyze the experimental evidence on the relation of gas emission rates in production faces and stress-strain behavior of the rock mass face area. Rock has been monitored by parameter of the artificial acoustic wavelet, coefficient of relative strains K and spectrum resonance frequencies. Equations for K coefficient dependence and methane concentration in the return air have been developed. The respective correlation ratios, regression equations and determination factors have been calculated.

Based on the results of health-related studies the article describes the formation and environmental pathways of harmful agents in the air of working zones in the process of development and production operations in mines operating self-propelled machinery with diesel engines. Despite relatively short time (at most 20% of a working shift) of self-propelled machinery operation in heading processes, high concentrations of exhaust components are detected also during drilling and development processes. In production stopes the level of air contamination in working zones increases in the course of a working shift. The exposure of mine workers servicing the machinery with diesel engines to dust-gas mixture in the mine air causes toxic-dust injury of bronchi.

The article discusses issues related to the history and patterns of development of belt, plate and scraper conveyors, discusses the design, analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of each of them, summarizes and draws conclusions.

The article contains a brief description of the available current methods of prevention of groundwater ingress into underground structures from watered rock mass. An exclusive construction technology is proposed for the creation of underground watertight barriers (UWB), such as groundwater dam. The author shows an opportunity of such UWB construction for the protection of the Mir underground mine run by the ALROSA Group against brines coming from the Metegero-Ichersky aquifer system. UWB volumetric parameters of 5 m horizontal thickness are given, with interval breaking of the structure height. Concept-based opportunity is also shown of the construction of underground watertight reservoirs for in-situ leaching by this method.

Big data formation and using has become one of the most important directions in the XXI century technology development. This led to approaches revision for modeling objects and processes, as well as predicting their state with changing environmental factors and operating conditions. In the article we have discussed the Big data accumulation opportunities and prospects in the mining industry, in particular the mining facilities state monitoring.

The authors describe the results of application and characteristics of the method of route geometry parameters design calculations. The article also presents case studies of the Topocad package application in mine surveying in construction of main line tunnels from Ramenky Station to Lomonosovsky Prospekt Station of Moscow Metro. The analysis has been made of the advantages of the Topocad software package as compared with similar software packages and calculation methods.

This article is dedicated to the Centenary of the birth of prof. Vladimir V. Rzhevsky – member of the USSR Academy of Sciences and RAS, Dr. Sc. (Eng.), Chairperson of the Surface Mining Technology, Mechanization and Management Department, great manager of the mining science and mining higher education – Rector of the Moscow Mining Institute (1962–1987). His life in the memories of his colleagues and contemporaries about his deeds and ideas resembles a mosaic picture formed by varicolored fragments of stones and glass. His image is that of a man of true wisdom, warrior, teacher and creator.

Over the past decade, commodity prices reached both historic highs and historic lows, mining companies engaged in both significant acquisitions and consolidation, and operational realities shifted profoundly in the face of a digital revolution. That theme holds true over the past year as well. After hitting the bottom of the cycle, prices for many commodities have been slowly recovering, driven by Chinese government stimulus and improved demand in both developed and emerging economies. In many respects, the mining sector is once again poised for growth. It also catalyzed some important changes in the industry, changes which are likely to have long-lasting effects.