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The aim is to develop an ecological cost accounting model for optimizing pit limits and slope angles in open-pit mining.

July 9, 2026Applied SciencesOpen Access

An Ecological Cost Accounting Model for Open-Pit Mining: Application to Ultimate Pit Limit Optimization and Slope Angle Optimization Potential Assessment

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The aim is to develop an ecological cost accounting model for optimizing pit limits and slope angles in open-pit mining.
Developed a model based on the DPSIR framework to integrate ecological costs with profit.
Monetized costs including land occupation, ecosystem degradation, and post-closure reclamation.
Generated candidate pit limit schemes for a large iron mine considering various slope angles.
Ecological costs for the candidate schemes ranged from USD 1160 million to USD 1350 million, with land occupation costs comprising 67.3%.
The economic–ecological comprehensive benefit peaked at smaller open-pit scales upon including ecological costs.
Average profit increases of USD 41.38 million and USD 35.32 million per 1° slope angle rise were observed in Zones 4# and 3#.

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Randomized trial measures ecological costs in open-pit mining to optimize pit limits and slope angles, suggesting better design strategies.

Zhu et al. (2026) studied this question.

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Randomized trial measures ecological costs in open-pit mining to optimize pit limits and slope angles, suggesting better design strategies.