Mitigating environmental impacts of phosphate blasting through optimized techniques in northeastern Algeria
摘要
Phosphate mining in the Jebel El Onk region of northeastern Algeria exerts measurable environmental pressures, particularly through blasting operations. This study demonstrates that optimizing blasting parameters can substantially reduce harmful emissions and ground vibrations while maintaining effective rock fragmentation. Dust emissions were lowered from 365.05 m3 to 274.34 m3, while gaseous emissions decreased significantly: NO₂ from 428.40 m3 to 281.02 m3, NO from 856.00 m3 to 562.05 m3, and N₂ from 1071.00 m3 to 702.57 m3. Vibration velocities were similarly reduced, from 7.32 mm/s to 5.42 mm/s in limestone benches and from 5.45 mm/s to 2.93 mm/s in phosphate-bearing formations. The Kuz–Ram fragmentation model further indicates that optimized blasting yields high-quality fragmentation, with out-of-size rates as low as 1.3% in phosphate layers and 1.8% in limestone. The investigation integrates field data, empirical models, and land-use/land-cover (LULC) analysis to assess the broader ecological consequences of mining. Results reveal pronounced landscape transformations driven by extraction activities, including vegetation loss, soil degradation, and habitat alteration. These changes highlight the dual impact of mining: localized atmospheric and seismic disturbances caused by blasting, as well as cumulative ecological pressures associated with land cover modification. Overall, the findings underscore both the scale of mining-related environmental change and the potential for targeted optimization to mitigate its footprint. By aligning efficient rock fragmentation with reduced emissions and vibrations, this study provides practical strategies that support more sustainable resource extraction and informed management of phosphate mining in arid and semi-arid environments.