[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/ga\/article\/modal\/5863\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAutomation cutting waste in coal mining\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile Europe is investing heavily in sustainable energy generation technologies to help cut greenhouse gases, coal still accounts for about a third of electricity production in the EU.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the past 50 years, coal mining has declined across Western Europe as supplies have run dry and as a result of cheaper imports. However, Eastern Europe still has a strong coal mining industry, and Poland and the Czech Republic now have more working miners than the rest of the EU combined.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS), set up after the 1951 Treaty on the European Community for Steel and Coal expired in 2002, is leading the strategy to improve the safety, productivity and green credentials of coal and steel production \u2013 a vital part of the EU\u2019s target of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent compared with 1990 levels by 2020.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe problem is that coal mines in Europe have traditionally been less productive than their overseas counterparts because the depth and geological structure made automation more difficult.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, the EU-funded NEMAEQ project has managed to develop fully automated shearer loader equipment \u2013 the vast machinery used to cut deposits at the coalface - that works in Europe\u0027s deep mines, minimizing waste.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new equipment reduces the need for manual operation in \u2018long wall\u2019 mining, the process by which a long wall of coal is mined in a single strip. The project also looked at developing better monitoring systems to improve maintenance in the mines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018A more efficient production would lead to reduced carbon dioxide emissions because no energy is wasted,\u2019 Wolfgang Schneider, project officer at the RFCS, said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The automation reduces labour costs and increases machine running time as the equipment is more reliable. At the same time, working conditions for the miners are improved,\u2019 he added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESchneider said the automated machinery NEMAEQ has put in place at German producer RAG needs one operator instead of two, and almost doubles productivity compared with classic machines, from 60 tonnes of coal per man per shift to 110.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs well as miners, the project also benefits the region\u2019s mining equipment manufacturers that need to offer the most modern technology to compete with lower-cost competitors from overseas. They are able to show that their machinery has been tested in the harsh environment of Europe\u2019s deep coal mines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The project has fully proven that, even in a very difficult and challenging environment, the automation of mining procedures is now possible,\u2019 Schneider said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESteel production\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe steel sector has a turnover of about EUR 150 billion in the EU and is a vital supplier to the construction, transport, automotive, shipbuilding and mechanical sectors, among others. But figures from the World Steel Association show that on average 1.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide are emitted for every tonne of steel produced.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EWhen it comes to steel, where the bulk of its funding is allocated, the RFCS concentrates on research into improving the early stages of steel production, where the most severe issues\u0026nbsp;\u2013 harmful emissions and greenhouse gases, dust, and ultra-fine particles - are most present.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u2018The automation reduces labour costs and increases machine running time as the equipment is more reliable. At the same time, working conditions for the miners are improved.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EWolfgang Schneider, project officer at the RFCS \u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of the most promising technologies being developed can recycle components released during the burning process back into the furnace to be used as a reducing agent, cutting the amount of coke needed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe technology, called a Top Gas Recycling Blast Furnace, has been developed by the ULCOS project, funded by the RFCS and involving a consortium of European companies and research institutes. The project is pinning its hopes on technology like this to help it cut carbon emissions in steel production by\u0026nbsp;50 %.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, that\u2019ll only happen on the condition that this and other technologies can be combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS)\u0026nbsp;\u2013 in which emissions are trapped and stored, usually underground, in a place from which they cannot escape into the atmosphere.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe problem is that CCS is still in its infancy and that means there is some way to go before the technology can deliver the huge savings in emissions that it promises.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the meantime, ULCOS has identified technologies that may be less ambitious but are further along the path to industrial use.\u0026nbsp;Swapping coal for charcoal, which contains less sulphur and can be made from biomass, will produce smaller \u2013 but still valuable \u2013 savings in carbon dioxide emissions, for example.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-2nrywokko36ueqwwfzapkpkpi0symyccoeuvjj5kipk\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-2NrYWOkKo36uEqwwFzAPkpkpi0SyMYCCoEUvJJ5kIpk\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]