Evaluation of Modelling and Remote Sensing Tools for Improving Air Quality in Surroundings of Open Pit Mines

In this contribution, three techniques related to modelling and remote sensing were tested to answer questions and satisfy requirements from air quality managers in the mining sector: (1) What are appropriate emission factors for blasting operations in copper mines? (2) How can we know the concentration of particulate matter in the next few hours in advance? (3) How can we generate a heat map of the particulate matter levels over the mine and nearby populations? These techniques were evaluated for one of the most relevant open pit mines in southern Europe, the Riotinto Mine, Huelva (Spain). The results obtained suggest that these techniques can efficiently improve the management of air quality in mining activities.