Chinese scientists propose turning abandoned coal mines into underground farms

Researchers from Shanxi province have proposed converting China's 12,000 abandoned coal mines into agricultural experimental units, per a paper in China Mining Magazine. The underground spaces offer controlled environments protected from weather and climate change, with access to geothermal energy. The goal is to test farming methods for extreme environments, including space.

Bottom line — China's 12,000 abandoned coal mines could become underground farming labs, per researchers.

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• The proposal comes from the Shanxi Province Coal-based Resources Green and High-efficiency Development Engineering Center, published in China Mining Magazine, per ScienceAlert and SCMP.
• An estimated 15,000 mines will be closed by 2030, representing about 7.2 billion cubic meters of unused space, according to SCMP and NewsBytes.
• The feasibility study assessed structural safety, ventilation, drainage, and monitoring systems, concluding some mines are suitable, per ScienceAlert.
• Researchers highlight advantages: insulation from surface weather, natural disasters, and the ability to precisely control light, heat, water, air, and carbon dioxide, per ScienceAlert.
• Geothermal energy could provide sustainable heat for crops, and contaminated groundwater could be treated and reused for irrigation, per ScienceAlert.
• The paper cites the Callio project in Finland as a successful mine conversion example, per ScienceAlert.
• The aim is not traditional farming but constructing an agricultural scientific platform for extreme and enclosed environments, including potential space applications, per ScienceAlert.
• The researchers wrote that 'with climate change intensifying globally, the stability and sustainability of traditional land agricultural systems are facing severe challenges,' per SCMP and NewsBytes.

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