Groundwater Risk Assessment in the Context of an Underground Coal Mine Closure and an Economic Evaluation of Proposed Treatments: A Case Study

Mining companies are responsible for the impacts that result from their mining activities even after the mining period has ended. At the same time, at the European and international levels, there is a lack of a detailed operational methodology comprising environmental risks during and after closure of underground coal mines. The environmental risk aspects that need to be considered when planning the closure of an underground coal mine and post closure in the broader environmental context are the following: modification of water flow scheme, surface instability, mine gas emission on the surface, and water and soil pollution. In this study, we focus on assessing groundwater risk in the context of an underground coal mine closure and evaluating the selected risk mitigation strategies in terms of performance and cost. The results from this study could be used for developing a final closure groundwater assessment plan by selecting the most feasible treatment alternatives for different environmental impacts, together with the transitional monitoring that could guarantee a hazard level in compliance with land reuse and the use of natural resources. Finally, the cost-efficient monitoring and treatment programs are used to estimate the financial provisions needed to mitigate groundwater risks during underground coal mine closure contexts.

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Reducing the Seismic Vulnerability of Existing Buildings: Assessment and Retrofit

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings9060148 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 148

Author(s):

Tiago Miguel Ferreira ◽

Nuno Mendes ◽

Rui Silva

Keyword(s):

Seismic Vulnerability ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Seismic Events ◽

Existing Buildings ◽

Seismic Risk Mitigation ◽

Risk Mitigation Strategies ◽

Scientific Technical ◽

Cost Efficient ◽

Political Communities

Devastating seismic events occurring all over the world keep raising the awareness of the scientific, technical and political communities to the need of identifying assets at risk and developing more effective and cost-efficient seismic risk mitigation strategies [...]

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Towards sustainability in underground coal mine closure contexts: A methodology proposal for environmental risk management

Journal of Cleaner Production ◽

10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.08.149 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 139 ◽

pp. 1044-1056 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Alicja Krzemień ◽

Ana Suárez Sánchez ◽

Pedro Riesgo Fernández ◽

Karsten Zimmermann ◽

Felipe González Coto

Keyword(s):

Risk Management ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Coal Mine ◽

Mine Closure ◽

Underground Coal Mine ◽

Environmental Risk Management

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Heat Mitigation for Underground Coal Mine Refuge Alternatives Using Cryogenic Air or Borehole Air Supplies

Volume 8: Heat Transfer and Thermal Engineering ◽

10.1115/imece2017-70432 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Lincan Yan ◽

David Yantek ◽

Timothy Lutz ◽

Jeffrey Yonkey ◽

Justin Srednicki

Keyword(s):

Coal Mine ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

Thermal Conditions ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Mine Safety ◽

Apparent Temperature ◽

Health Administration ◽

Underground Coal Mine ◽

Air Supply ◽

Safety And Health

In case of an emergency in an underground coal mine, miners who fail to escape from the mine can enter a refuge alternative (RA) for protection from adverse conditions, such as high carbon monoxide levels. One of the main concerns with the use of both portable and built-in-place (BIP) RAs, especially for hot or deep mines, is the interior temperature rise due to the occupants’ metabolic heat and the heat released by devices such as the carbon dioxide (CO2) scrubbing system. The humidity within the RA will also increase through occupants’ respiration and perspiration, and from the chemical reaction within the CO2 scrubbing system. Heat and humidity buildup can subject the occupants to hazardous thermal conditions. To protect RA occupants, Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations mandate a maximum apparent temperature of 95°F within an occupied RA. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) tested both an air conditioned borehole air supply (BAS) and a cryogenic air supply for RAs in the NIOSH Experimental Mine in Bruceton, PA. The BAS was tested on a 60-person BIP RA, while the cryogenic air supply was tested on a 30-person BIP RA and a portable 23-person tent-type RA. Multiple tests were conducted with both air supplies to assess their ability to cool RAs. The test results show that the BAS and the cryogenic air supply were able to maintain the apparent temperature within the tested RAs under the 95°F limit. The BAS and the cryogenic air supply are potential RA heat mitigation strategies that mines could use to prevent heat/humidity buildup within RAs.

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Environmental and Safety Risks Related to Methane Emissions in Underground Coal Mine Closure Processes

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13236312 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (23) ◽

pp. 6312

Author(s):

Adam Duda ◽

Gregorio Fidalgo Valverde

Keyword(s):

Risk Mitigation ◽

Environmental Risks ◽

Mining Institute ◽

Emission Model ◽

Mine Closure ◽

Gas Emission ◽

Underground Coal Mine ◽

Safety Risks ◽

Underground Coal Mines ◽

The Subject

The closure process of underground coal mines entails specific risks which require a careful liquidation methodology, including the implementation of relevant risk mitigation procedures to identify the key hazards to the environment and humans. As gas represents one of the major risks, it needs to be taken into consideration in the liquidation process. Given its adverse effect on the environment, methane, a greenhouse gas, requires particular attention and may also reach dangerous concentrations in the ground floor areas and basements of buildings as well as in areas where mine closure works are conducted, leading to intoxication, asphyxia or explosions. This paper presents a risk analysis of the methane hazard occurring at the final stage of the closure process of a Polish underground mine. It applies a methane emission model created jointly by the National Institute for the Environment and Industrial Hazards (INERIS) in France and the Central Mining Institute (GIG) in Poland. The analyses and measurements carried out for this paper were conducted within the framework of the Management of Environmental Risks during and after Mine Closure (MERIDA) project. The subject of the study included: the flooding process and how it affects the scale of gas emission from goafs, changes in methane concentration, and changes in the volume of voids.

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