IOTA-Based Distributed Ledger in the Mining Industry: Efficiency, Sustainability and Transparency.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Computer Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• The mining industry faces challenges in verifying sustainable practices and regulatory compliance.
• Existing traceability systems often lack robust data integrity and transparency mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a traceability framework for the mining industry using IOTA distributed ledger technology.
• To enable the certification and labelling of sustainable material production.
• To enhance data validation for emission compliance.

Main Methods:

• Integration of IOTA-based distributed ledger technology with a mining industry framework.
• Utilization of decentralized identifiers (DIDs) for data encryption.
• Anchoring data hashes on the IOTA explorer.
• Implementation of an Industrial Internet of Things platform (IIoTp) for sensor data collection.
• Real-world evaluation within the European Commission funded project DIG_IT.

Main Results:

• A functional traceability framework demonstrating the integration of DIDs and IOTA for secure data management.
• Successful encryption of environmental parameters (pH, turbidity, conductivity, emissions) and anchoring of hashes.
• Demonstrated ability to validate adherence to regulatory standards through recorded data.
• Development of tailored dashboards for end-users to verify emission compliance.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework offers a robust solution for enhancing transparency and trust in sustainable material production within the mining sector.
• The integration of IOTA and DIDs provides a secure and verifiable method for tracking environmental data.
• The system facilitates regulatory compliance and empowers stakeholders with accessible data validation tools.