Advances in coal mining technology and sustainable mining techniques

The technology of coal mining has gone through continual evolutions and several revolutionary changes which transformed the methods, equipment, and productivity over the decades. In recent years, advances in technology focused more on the use of communication systems, automation, and data sciences for the health and safety of the miners and optimization of operations. The increased focus on environmental, social, and governance matters has not only added a new dimension of sustainability but also posed new challenges to mining around the globe. However, that has pushed the coal mining industry to modernize and develop sustainable, low environmental impact, yet economic mining techniques. This chapter presents a global outlook of the coal mining industry and discusses important coal mining methods. Furthermore, this chapter also covers some ongoing fast pace technological advancements.