SFedU scientists have developed a new system that allows monitoring the environmental situation throughout the enterprise in real time, including hard—to-reach bulk and alluvial soils. The development is patented and ready for implementation at mining enterprises in Russia.

The mining industry is one of the most environmentally hazardous. Waste rock dumps, tailings ponds (huge storage reservoirs with toxic waste), acidic drainage waters - all this creates a tremendous burden on nature for decades to come. The problem is compounded by the fact that existing monitoring systems are either stationary or do not take into account the specifics of "bulk" and "alluvial" man-made landscapes, which are constantly changing.

"Our solution closes a critical niche. This is not just a "smart" data collection system — it is a full—fledged environmental sustainability management center capable of simulating the situation in real time and issuing a ready-made action plan to eliminate the consequences," comments one of the authors of the invention, Head of the Department of Soil Science and Land Resources Assessment of the Southern Federal University, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Tatiana Minkina.

The monitoring system created as part of the implementation of the strategic technological project "Technologies of Soil Bioengineering" of the SFedU Priority 2030 program (national project "Youth and Children") in the Intelligent Agroecosystems research laboratory is the first development that allows real-time monitoring of pollution throughout the enterprise, including hard—to-reach man-made soils. It includes three key components.

The first is virtual simulation. The system not only collects data from sensors, but also predicts the spread of pollution using digital models. This allows you to see where toxic substances are moving even before they reach critical points.

The second is mobile labs. The system includes mobile laboratories capable of freely moving through man-made areas. This is not found in any existing analog, and it is this that makes it possible to control hard-to-reach areas of landfills and tailings dumps.

The third is the automation of decision—making. The unique solution selection unit independently calculates the optimal ways to reduce maximum permissible emissions (MPI) and concentrations (MPC). Based on these calculations, the system offers specific engineering solutions, from process adjustments to land reclamation.

Why is this important? In Russia, thousands of hectares of land have been disrupted by mining operations. Every year, enterprises spend billions of rubles on environmental control and pollution control. However, without a system that sees the full picture in real time and knows how to predict the development of the situation, these costs are often ineffective.

The development of the SFedU allows not only to save resources, but also to prevent environmental disasters, such as breakthroughs of dams or pollution of groundwater.