Conveyor belt

The conveyor belt, which is driven by an electric motor, is located at the exit of the inclined conveyance heading of the Prosper-Haniel colliery.
It was put into operation in 1986 and consists of a 3.5 km-long connection between the 6th underground level and the coal processing plant on the surface. The mined coal is hauled centrally to the surface by use of this conveyor belt. Likewise, the backfill (left-over rock) is transported back underground, where it is delivered to a different part of the mine.
The sounds of the conveyor belt are made by the electric motor and the movement of the conveyors. These sounds will be heard at the Prosper-Haniel colliery until 2018. Then, anthracite coal mining in Germany will come to an end.

Sound recordist: Konrad Gutkowski
Photographer: Konrad Gutkowski/Julian Blaschke