Field Investigation of Face Spall in Moderate Strength Coal Seam at Vang Danh Coal Mine, Vietnam

Face spall in moderate strength coal seam occurs less frequently but can be more severe and takes a longer time to remedy compared to face spall in the weak coal seam. This paper presents a field investigation of face spall in moderate strength coal seam at Face I-8-1, Vang Danh coal mine, Quang Ninh coal field, Vietnam. The leg pressure of shield support and face condition were monitored within two months, and on-site remedial measures to the spall were discussed. The monitoring results confirmed that the front and rear leg pressure profiles are consistent with world-wide observations. The coal face condition in actual operation was found to be more stable than that in project design. The face spall occurred along face dip direction, but mostly in small extent of less than 0.5 m deep and during transitional time between working shifts. Proper ground control near gate ends by using higher capacity shield supports and supplemental hydraulic props was identified to improve face stability in the area. On-site remedial measures proved their efficiency in small to moderate face spall extent. For main roof rupture-associated face spall, technical measures have been applied but they need further investigation to clarify their effectiveness. The paper’s results can be consulted to improve longwall face stability control in similar coal seam conditions.

Determination of Ground Subsidence by Sentinel-1 SAR Data (2018-2020) over Binh Duong Quarries, Vietnam

Mining-induced subsidence is often determined by field survey methods, e.g., using total station or global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology. The advantage of these methods is high accuracy, but they are usually employed in a small-scale areas. Radar technology has been developed and applied to determine surface subsidence over a large area at a few millimeters accuracy. In this paper, 24 Sentinel-1B SAR images are used with the Permanent Scatter Interferometry (PSInSAR) method to determine the land subsidence of the Tan My-Thuong Tan quarries and surrounding areas in Binh Duong province, Vietnam. The results are compared with the average annual subsidence of 20 GNSS surveying points from January 2018 to March 2020. The correlation coefficient of annual average land subsidence of the two methods is bigger than 0.8, indicating the feasibility of applying the InSAR Sentinel-1 data processed by the PSInSAR method to determine the mining-induced subsidence of ground surfaces over quarries and surrounding areas.

Study on Acidity and Neutralizing Ability of Ions in the Chemical Composition of Rainwater

The acidity in rainwater is mainly controlled by the presence of H2SO4, HNO3 in combination with the ability to neutralize cations in rainwater. pH is an important value in the evaluation of acidity in rainwater. The research used a series of rainwater quality monitoring data from 2005 to 2018 in Vietnam. The research showed that the average pH distribution at 23 stations ranged from 5.83 ± 0.62. The rains with pH <5.6 appear in all years at the research stations. Considering the ability of acid neutralizing to various ions shows that Ca2+ is the main contributor to acid neutralization processes in rainwater, followed by Mg2 +, NH4+, and K+. While Ca2+ always play the highest acid neutralizing role at all stations; Depending on each station, Mg2+ and NH4+ ions play a role in neutralizing acidity in rainwater. The research also shows a match between the trend of H+ concentration and the tendency of cations to contribute to acid neutralization in rainwater.

Tectonic Structure and Relationship with Sinkhole Harzard in Bang Lung Area, Cho Don District, Bac Kan Province

By integration of remote sensing images analysis, geology, geomorphology, hydrogeology, geophysical method, and drilling data, the paper illustrates the structure tectonics, causes, and initial mechanism of a sinkhole forming in Bang Lung, Cho Don, Bac Kan province. The NE-SW normal slip faults are an essential fault system in the area, which created Bang Lung graben valley. This fault system also forms large fracture zones, creating advantage conditions for the groundwater runoff both vertically and horizontally to eroded and dissolved carbonate rock-forming underground karst caves. These are favorable natural conditions for forming a sinkhole. The sinkhole hazard in the Bang Lung area is initiated by some main factors such as tectonic activity, thickness, and characteristics of unconsolidated sediment layers, groundwater fluctuation, karst caves, and human activities. The most human impacts are mining exploitation and agricultural cultivation that promote sinkholes occurring faster and earlier. The horizontal and vertical movement of groundwater dragged the material on the ceiling karst caves into ground spaces. Thereby, weakening the cohesion of the unconsolidated sediment above caves leads to gravitational unbalance and creates a sinkhole. This study has also shown potential sinkhole areas in Bang Lung, which helps the authorities and local people in sinkhole prevention and mitigation mission.

Study on Adsorption of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution by Biochar Derived from Mimosa Pigra Plant

Biochar from mimosa pigra was studied to remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The properties of biochars were determined using Fourier Transform Infrared, scanning electron microscope, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller. The biochar achieved the yield of 24.62 % at 500 oC pyrolysis. The specific surface area of ​​the biochar is 285.53 m2/g, the total pore size is 0.153 cm3/g and the ash content is 2.79%. The optimal dose of removing MB of the biochar is 5 g/L and the optimal pH is 2 - 10. MB removal reached over 80% in the first 30 min, followed by a stable period of 120 to 360 min reaching over 90% of removal. Maximum adsorption capacity reached 20.18 mg/g at 25 oC. MB adsorption data is suitable for kinetic models in order: Avrami > Elovich > PSO > PFO. The adsorption process may comprise physical and chemical adsorption andmultiple stages.

Tectonic Stress Distribution in the Song Tranh 2 Hydropower Reservoir: Implication for Induced Earthquake

The Song Tranh 2 hydropower reservoir was built in Tra My area, Quang Nam province, composing magmatic and high-grade metamorphic rocks of the northern part of the Kon Tum massif. Since the reservoir was put into operation, induced earthquakes have occurred in the Song Tranh 2 hydropower reservoir and its vicinity. Tectonically, the northwest-southeast to east-west striking faults developed strongly. Detailed analysis of slickensides and attitude of faults occurring in the studied area have shown that the northwest-southeast striking faults are reactivated as dextral ones during the Pliocene-Quaternary up to the present day. Based on the geometric distribution of the fault network, kinematic characteristics, and the youngest tectonic stress regime, we computed the distribution of tectonic stress in the studied area. Computation results show two positive anomalies of stress directly related to the northwest-southeast faults numbered 2, 10, 11a, 11b and sub-latitude striking fault numbered 1. These faults run in line with the local river channels and are likely to reactivate and generate induced earthquakes.

Environmental Factors Influencing Chlorophyll-a Concentration in Tri An Reservoir, Vietnam

Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) has been used extensively as an essential indicator of trophic state in the assessment and monitoring of surface water quality environments. The environmental factors can influence Chl-a concentrations; thus, to determine the relationship between Chl-a concentration and factors. The research was carried out in dry season (March 2016) and wet season (September 2016) in Tri An reservoir, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam and performed by Spearman's correlation analysis and Linear regression analysis. The result showed that Chl-a varied between 12.84 and 783.51 µg/L and was quite different a cross stations in two surveys. Factor analysis and the best models revealed the association of strong physico-chemical with Chl-a concentration. The Chl-a was significantly positively correlated with Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and negative with Nitrate (NO3-) in the dry season, while in the wet season the positive relationships between Chl-a concentration and Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Temperature and a strong negatively correlated with Phosphate (PO43-) correlation were found. This relationships inferred that the nutrients brought by the influx of reservoir into the study area have contributed to control the growth and abundance of phytoplankton. Thus, the importance of environmental factors in structuring Chl-a concentration may be used to guide the conservation of the aquatic ecosystems in the reservoir.

Study on Adsorption of Nickel and Methylene Blue in Aqueous Solution by Magnetic Carboxylate-Rich Carbon

In this study, magnetic carboxylate-rich carbon material (Fe3O4@CRC) was synthesized via a low-temperature carbonization method and applied as an adsorbent for adsorption of Ni(II) ions and methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. The synthesized Fe3O4@CRC was characterized by various techniques (XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM, TEM, EDX, VSM, and BET). The adsorption kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics, and the effects of key adsorption factors, including the pH value, initial adsorbate concentration, contact time, adsorbent dose and temperature were investigated in detail. The results showed that Fe3O4@CRC exhibited a high adsorption capacity for MB and Ni(II) with the maximum adsorption capacity of 187.26 mg/g and 106.75 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption of MB and Ni(II) on Fe3O4@CRC was a spontaneous and endothermic process, and was best described with the first-order kinetic model, Freundlich (for MB) and Langmuir (for Ni(II)) isotherm models. In addition, Fe3O4@CRC could maintain a high adsorption capacity after many consecutive cycles. Therefore, the Fe3O4@CRC material can be used as a highly efficient adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals and dyes from wastewater due to the advantages of high adsorption performance, easy separation, and good reusability.

Survey and Assessment of Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Reducing the Health and Environmental Risks of Vegetable Production Activities inBinh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City

The paper presents the current state of using pesticides and Willingness to Pay (WTP) to reduce vegetable producers’ health and environmental risks in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. This study used random sampling method by investigating 60 households (30 normal farm households and 30 VietGAP households). The main contents cover assessment on the impacts of using pesticides, conducting WTP surveys to reduce health and environmental risks due to exposure to pesticides and analyzing marginal effects related to the Log - Lin regression model. Regarding the current, the normal vegetable producers tended to use more pesticides and exceed recommended doses compared to VietGAP group. The regression model explained 86,0 percent of the changes in farmers' WTP. The estimation results of the affecting factors to WTP showed that the variables such as agricultural promotion (X3), income (X4), amount of group I&II pesticides (X5), the frequency of exposure of group I&II pesticides (X7), and dummy variables GAP (GAP) were statistically significant (p<0,05). Therefore, the study proposed relevant solutions to reduce health and environmental risks in vegetable production for the safe use of pesticides.

Diversity of Terrestrial Molluscs in Ngoc Son-Ngo Luong Nature Reserve, Hoa Binh Province (Mollusca: Gastropoda)

Ngoc Son-Ngo Luong Nature Reserve composes of a large variety of natural habitats, such as limestone forest, limestone karsts, caves and isolated limestone hills. Therefore, this area is expected to have a high species diversity, especially for the terrestrial molluscs. A total of 56 species was recorded, of which 12 were recorded in Hoa Binh Province for the first time. The data on terrestrial molluscs in this study could be considered as a scientific basis to carry on systematic research.