Chinese Scientists Propose Turning Abandoned Coal Mines Into Farming Laboratories
It makes more sense than you might think.
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Researchers in China’s Shanxi Province have proposed an innovative solution for the country’s thousands of abandoned coal mines: converting them into underground farming laboratories. With over 12,000 inactive mines scattered across the nation, scientists see an opportunity to repurpose vast tunnel networks and existing infrastructure for agricultural research and experimentation.
The subterranean environment presents both challenges and advantages for farming operations. While underground spaces lack natural sunlight and rainfall, they offer precise environmental control and protection from weather fluctuations and climate-related disasters. Researchers from the Shanxi Province Coal-based Resources Green and High-efficiency Development Engineering Center conducted a comprehensive assessment examining structural safety, ventilation systems, drainage capabilities, and the feasibility of managing artificial lighting, temperature, humidity, and atmospheric conditions necessary for crop cultivation.
The team identified additional benefits of underground farming, including potential access to geothermal energy as a sustainable heat source and the possibility of treating contaminated groundwater for irrigation purposes. Rather than attempting large-scale food production, the proposed facilities would function as controlled research platforms for testing innovative growing methods in extreme environments. According to the researchers’ findings published in China Mining Magazine, suitable mines could host these experimental agricultural units once proper safety infrastructure and environmental management systems are established.
With projections indicating approximately 15,000 closed mines by decade’s end, representing billions of cubic meters of unused space, the proposal offers a practical application for site rehabilitation. Insights gained from underground farming experiments could eventually inform agricultural approaches for remote regions and future space exploration missions.
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Originally reported by Sciencealert →
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