scholarly journals Air Pollution Emissions 2008–2018 from Australian Coal Mining: Implications for Public and Occupational Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Hendryx ◽  
Mohammad Saidul Islam ◽  
Guang-Hui Dong ◽  
Gunther Paul
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Nitrogen Oxides ◽  
Coal Mining ◽  
Coal Dust ◽  
Coal Mines ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Exposure Limits ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Mining Sites

Occupational exposure limits for respirable coal dust are based on exposure during working hours, but coal miners may experience additional community-based exposures during nonworking hours. We analyzed Australia National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) data for the years 2008–2018 to estimate air pollutants (metals, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter ≤ 10 micrometers (PM10) and ≤2.5 micrometers (PM2.5)) originating from coal mines. PM10 levels from community-based air monitors in Queensland and New South Wales were also compared between mining and nonmining communities. Results indicated that tons of coal mined increased over the study period, and that levels of particulate matter, metals, and nitrogen oxides increased significantly over time as well. Coal mines accounted for 42.1% of national PM10 air emissions from NPI sites. PM2.5 from coal mines accounted for 19.5% of the national total, metals for 12.1%, and nitrogen oxides for 10.1%. Coal mining occurred in 57 different post codes; the 20 coal-mining post codes with the highest PM10 emissions were home to 160,037 people. Emissions of all studied pollutants were significantly higher from coal mining sites than from other types of NPI sites. Results from community-based air monitoring stations indicated significantly higher population PM10 exposure in coal mining communities than in nonmining communities. The health of the public at large is impacted by coal mining, but to the extent that miners also live near coal mining operations, their total exposure is underestimated by consideration of exposure only during working hours.

scholarly journals Seasonal Assessment of Groundwater Contamination in Coal Mining Areas of Balochistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 6889
Author(s):  
Ayesha Ayub ◽  
Sheikh Saeed Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Coal Mining ◽  
Coal Mines ◽  
Physicochemical Analysis ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
Quality Of Water ◽  
Who Standards

Balochistan is a semi-arid region. The assessment of water quality is very important, as the majority of people depend on groundwater for drinking purposes. The present study involves the quality assessment and mapping of drinking water in the five selected major coal mining sites in the four districts of Balochistan. A total of 50 samples were collected from these five coal mining sites in two seasons: i.e., summer and winter. A physicochemical analysis was carried out for groundwater samples: i.e., pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solid (TDS), CO3, HCO3-, Cl-, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Hg, Ni, and Zn. Thematic maps were used to depict the spatial distribution of significant variables and were compared with WHO standards (2011) during both seasons. The majority of parameters crossed the safe permissible limit of WHO standards. The water quality index (WQI) was calculated for the whole monitoring data obtained from both seasons from the perspective of drinking water in each of the selected sites. Moreover, a principle component analysis (PCA) and correlation matrix was carried out for the data analysis in order to identify the source of pollution and correlation among the variables. The results suggested that the overall quality of water from the selected coal mining sites deteriorated due to the overexploitation of coal mines and mining activity. The current investigation provides a comprehensive picture of the current status of water quality in and around the selected coal mines of Balochistan.

scholarly journals Reduction of Dust in the Longwall Faces of Coal Mines: Problems and Perspective Solutions

2021 ◽  
pp. 84-97
Keyword(s):  
Coal Mining ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Coal Mines ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Dust Concentration ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Coal Production ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Dust Composition ◽  
High Dust

Despite the increasing reliance on alternative and renewable energy sources in recent years, coal is set to continue being the most vital element of the global energy sector. The world coal supply (1,070 billion tons) shall last for 130 years with the current mining levels. In contrast to some large countries (such as the USA and Germany) reducing their coal production and consumption, Russia plans to increase the coal production levels as part of its strategy regarding the future of the coal mining industry. The annual volume of coal output is more than 440 million tons, 1/3 of which is extracted underground. The current and projected levels of underground coal mining present a set of issues pertaining to elevated dust concentration in the air and increased dust dispersion. High dust concentration in the air leads to damage to the skin, mucous membranes and respiratory organs of workers. Also, with high dust content, visibility in the longwalls decreases, the risk of injury and accidents increases. The present article deals with the formation of detrimental dust conditions that happen in the course of cleaning and preparatory mining operations in coal mines. The article reviews the international practices on dust reduction in coal mining operations and provides an overview of studies on dustiness levels and airborne dust composition in longwall faces of coal mines. It also presents mathematical models dealing with projections on dust composition, including projections on most hazardous dust particles the size of 0.1-10 and 0.1-35 μm. The article also presents a newly developed wetting method showing increased effectiveness.

scholarly journals Comparison of Methane Control Methods in Polish and Vietnamese Coal Mines

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 01004
Author(s):  
Marek Borowski ◽  
Zbigniew Kuczera
Keyword(s):  
Coal Mining ◽  
Coal Dust ◽  
Coal Mines ◽  
Hard Coal ◽  
Control Methods ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Methane Drainage ◽  
Hazard Control ◽  
Preventive Actions ◽  
Coal Deposits

Methane hazard often occurs in hard coal mines and causes very serious accidents and can be the reason of methane or methane and coal dust explosions. History of coal mining shows that methane released from the rock mass to the longwall area was responsible for numerous mining disasters. The main source of methane are coal deposits because it is autochthonous gas and is closely related with carbonification and forming of coal deposits. Degree of methane saturation in coal deposits depends on numerous factors; mainly on presence or lack of insulating layers in cover deposit that allow or do not on degasification and easily methane outflow into surroundings. Hence in coal mining there are coal deposits that contain only low degree of methane saturation in places where is lack of insulating layers till high in methane coal deposits occurring in insulating claystones or in shales. Conducting mining works in coal deposits of high methane hazard without using of special measures to combat (ventilation, methane drainage) could be impossible. Control of methane hazard depends also on other co-occuring natural dangers for which used preventive actions eliminate methane hazard. Safety in mines excavating coal deposits saturated with methane depends on the correct estimation of methane hazard, drawn up forecasts, conducted observations, hazard control as well as undertaken prevention measures. Methane risk prevention includes identification and control methods of methane hazards as well as means of combating the explosive accumulation of methane in longwall workings. The main preventive actions in underground coal mines are: effective ventilation that prevents forming of methane fuses or placed methane accumulation in headings ventilated by airflow created by main fans and in headings with auxiliary ventilation, methane drainage using drain holes that are drilled from underground headings or from the surface, methanometry control of methane concentration in the air; location of the sensors is defined by law, additional ventilation equipment used in places of lower intensity of ventilation and places where methane is concentrated.

scholarly journals Allocation of the geo-dynamically hazardous zones during intensive mining of flat-lying coal seams in the mines of SUEK-Kuzbass JSC

2019 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 01022
Author(s):  
Evgeny Yutiaev ◽  
Anatoly Meshkov ◽  
Anton Popov ◽  
Arcady Shabarov
Keyword(s):  
Rock Mass ◽  
Coal Mining ◽  
Coal Mines ◽  
Coal Industry ◽  
Comprehensive Approach ◽  
Underground Coal Mining ◽  
Coal Seams ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Technological Level ◽  
The Cost

Hazardous and ineffective mines were closed, and a number of underground and strip mines of a modern technological level were built as a result of the restructuring of the coal industry in Russia. However, safety in the coal mines continues to be one of the urgent issues nowadays. In underground coal mining, the main types of risks are processes occurring in the rock mass as a result of mining operations. It is necessary to realize timeous and the most accurate prediction of harmful events, which occur during a development of coal fields, to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of coal mining. The most optimal and, at the same time, comprehensive approach to predicting possible natural hazardous events in the process of modern coal mining are considered in this article. The results of implementation of integration of different methods of geodynamic and geomechanics researches are presented in this paper.

Whole-Body Vibration Exposures in Undeground Coal Mining Operations

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 914-918
Author(s):  
D. Lynas ◽  
R. Burgess-Limerick
Keyword(s):  
Coal Mining ◽  
Underground Mining ◽  
Coal Mines ◽  
Whole Body Vibration ◽  
Electrical Equipment ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Mining Equipment ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Body Vibration ◽  
Underground Coal Mines

Studies conducted on surface coal mining equipment have identified whole-body vibration as a significant hazard. Operators of underground mobile equipment, particularly shuttle cars and transport vehicles, are likely to be exposed to significant levels of whole-body vibration. To date, measuring whole-body vibration from underground mining mobile equipment has been difficult due to the strict guidelines governing the use of electrical equipment in underground mines. This paper presents data obtained from two low-methane coal mines using an iOS application installed on iPod Touch devices. The majority of measurements taken from a range of mobile plant and equipment in use at the underground coal mines exceeded the ISO2631.1 Health Guidance Caution Zone. Further investigations are being undertaken to develop a thorough understanding of whole-body vibration exposures to which operators of mobile equipment used in underground coal mines are exposed and the opportunities for application of this information to assist mine site safety, health and risk management processes.

scholarly journals Design features of coal mines ventilation using a room-and-pillar development system

2020 ◽  
Vol 245 ◽  
pp. 531-538
Author(s):  
Sergey Kobylkin ◽  
Alexander Kharisov
Keyword(s):  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Coal Mines ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Development System ◽  
Mining Sites ◽  
Emergency Rescue ◽  
Current Design ◽  
Endogenous Fire ◽  
Ventilation Scheme

The safety of mining operations in coal mines for aerological factors depends on the quality of accepted and implemented ventilation design solutions. The current “Design Manual of coal mine ventilation” do not take into account the features of room-and-pillar development systems used in Russia. This increases the risk of explosions, fires, and gassing. The detailed study of foreign experience in designing ventilation for the considered development systems e of coal deposits allowed to formulate recommendations on the ventilation scheme organization for coal mines using a room-and-pillar development system and the procedure for ventilation during multi-entry gateroad development. Observations have shown that the use of the existing Russian procedure for airing mining sites with a room-and-pillar development system complicates the emergency rescue operations conduct. Low speeds and multidirectional air movement, difficult heat outflow, and the abandonment of coal pillars increase the risk of occurrence and late detection of endogenous fire. The results of numerical modeling have shown that the installation (parallel to the drifts) of ventilation structures in inter-chamber pillars will increase the reliability of ventilation by transferring the ventilation scheme from a complex diagonal to a complex parallel. It will also reduce the amount of air required for the mine site and the total aerodynamic drag. The research made it possible to formulate requirements for the design procedure for coal mines ventilation using a room-and-pillar development system, which consist in the order of working out blocks in the panel, and also the additional use of ventilation structures (light brattice clothes or blowing line brattice).

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