The Ecological Impact Of Coal Mining Environmental Sciences Essay

The Ecological jar Of combust archeological site env contractmental Sciences EssayThe goal of sear archeological site is to economically remove coal from the ground. Coal is set for its energy content, and since the 1880s is widely utilise to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production.Coal is the most important fogy fuel around the world and vital for its energy security. In the cognitive process of development, coal excavation is genius of the major industries, which is contri notwithstandinging accidentally towards the contaminant of the environment. The power celestial sphere is the salientr consumer followed by industrial sector (steel and cement manufacturing units). It also assures the energy supply which is important for any countries development. Coal is still remains natural in producing a diverse and balanced energy mix. It is a major fuel generating electricity worldwide . Coal is poised with different toxics which effect the environment and one of the key take exceptions coal industries is facing today.Coal is slight hard-hitting and energy efficient compargond to other fossil fuels and pollutes more as well. The main concerns is to focus at the regional level to do with the environmental impacts on air, pee, land, forest, climate and the costs of mitigating these. Even with these concerns coal ordain remain a future mainstay. The coal mine industry finds it difficult to meet current submit as a bridge to meet future goal through the enhancement of knowledge and technology. The challenge is to apply the right technology in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way 1..Environmental IssuesMost of the mining operations carried out subway and surface taps desire drilling, blasting, extraction transportation and suppression. These operations damage the environment and ecology to an unacceptable extent. Sometimes rapid and uncheck ed activities results in air, piddle and disruption contaminant, land degradation, health hazards, loss of forest wealth and factory farm land, drying of wells, rehabilitation problems lending to large scale leaf environmental harm 2. Environmental issues should observe and controlled by appropriate planning and study. A balance is indispensable between mining and environment. In addition, callable to excessive mining, chances of accidents increase which lead to misery and tragedy 2. refer of exploit on Air QualityAir pollution happened in mines due to the runaway emissions of particulate matter matter and gases including methane, sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide. mine operations produce a stack of dust. The drilling, loading, transporting, blasting, hauling, and crushing generally produce dust in major operations. They dust sources in mines place be categorized as primary sources that generate the dust and secondary sources, which disperse the du st and carry it from role to place called as fugitive dust 2.Opencast mining has severe impact on air pollution as comp atomic number 18d to underground mining. In underground mining men suffer from dust inside underground mine workings. But opencast mining create much more air quality deterioration in respect of dust and gaseous pollutants. It creates air pollution problem not only indoors the mining premises but also in surrounding residential ara affecting large air quality.High levels of suspended particulate matter increase respiratory diseases such as continuing bronchitis and asthma cases while gaseous emissions contribute towards global warming besides causing health hazards to the heart-to-heart population 2. The dust which is uncontrollable creates serious health hazards and also affects the productiveness creating poor visibility, increased charge cost, breakdown of equipment and ultimately deteriorates the ambient air quality in and around the mining site. The dus t can also pollute nearby prove waters and stunt crop growth by blend and clogging the pores of the jells 2. Besides polluting the environment, the generation of dust means the loss of charmings, which act as road bug out binders. The vehicular traffic on haul roads has been identified as the most important casing of fugitive dust emissions 2.The increase in the earths surface temperature due to the presence of certain gases in the melodic line called greenhouse effect 3. These gases are building up by human activities by extracting diverse minerals from the earth. The flame of coal produces CO2 like other fossil fuels, this gas affect the greenhouse effect which is cogitate to global warming.The coal combustion produces gaseous emissions of nitrous oxides ( dark) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) that produces ground level ozone and acid rain. SO2 and dark gases react in the aureole with oxygen, water and other chemicals to form acid-forming compounds. Ground level ozone (O3) is mainly responsible for smog that forms a brown haze over cities. Ground level ozone is formed when NOx gases react with other chemicals in the atmosphere and is enhanced by strong sunlight 3. Emissions of SO2 and NOx are termed trans-boundary air pollution because the environmental impacts from the production of these gases are not restricted by geographical boundaries 2. stupor of Mining on Water politicsMining activities not only use a lot of water but it also affect the hydrological regime in the region and can affect the water quality.Disturbance to hydrologic regimeThe deep and large opencast mines have greater impact on the hydrologic regime in the region. With deforestation over the mine leasehold and changes brought about in the watershed characteristics, water flow in many streams in mining regions, is known to have dwindled and some perennial streams have turned into seasonal worker streams and others have receded 2. The most important impact in large and deep opencas t mine is on the ground water regime of the region. The water canvasping into the mine and collected in the mine cesspit is partly employ up in the mine and the excess amount is discharged into the surface waste pipe system 1. The water used up in the mine for spraying on haul roads, conveyors, at loading and unloading points, bunkers etc. are doomed by evaporation. A deep mine is promising to have longer haul roads requiring more spraying water. The water used for green belts and orchard areas are also lost by evapo-transpiration 2. A part of the water discharged into the surface drain system seeps into the ground and partially replenishes the loss of ground water caused by mine seepage but the proportion is generally very low.Many countries face the problem of over exploitation of ground water resources results in alarming lowering of water table 2. The major focus is taken to estimating the water need and the mines for future to apply constraints on water use and discharge .The opportunity to re-use the water for imbibing or agriculture purposes from surface and underground mines. Women in particular should be protected from potentially diminished water supplies. Mining companies should be a partner with the community in integrated water management. If mining diminishes the local water supply, whence that water needs to be replaced 2.To reduce the impact on the surface water bodies and surface drainage system, the surface layout for the underground and opencast should be planned and well managed. Underground and opencast mines should be planned with provisions for the development of underground and surface water bodies so that in the post mining period water in sufficient quantity is available for various uses 2. In both the opencast and underground mines water is pumped out of the mines. This water should be planned for preaching so that the want for domestic and industrial uses can be met.Acid Mine DrainageAcidic water alter the water severely and produces water pollution problems. Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) refers to distinctive types of waste bodies that get up from the weathering and leaching of sulphide minerals present in coal and associated strata 2. Environmental effects of AMD let in contamination of drinking water and disrupted growth and reproduction of aquatic plants and animals. Effects of AMD related to water pollution include the killing of fish and loss of aquatic life and corrosion of mining equipments and structures such as barges, connect and concrete materials 1.AMD is the most persistent pollution problems in mines of North Eastern Coalfield. Generally, water quality characteristics of acidulent mine water reflect high acidity and high hardness along with high iron and sulphate contents 2. Various toxic trace/ heavily metals become soluble in acidic water and may be presenting significant to concentration levels depending upon their accessibility in the source material 1. as luck would have it the c onsiderable majority of coal mining areas are safe and only in a fewer localized areas problem of AMD exists. AMD cripples the economy of mines due to compliance of stringent environmental standards and involves huge cost send in its management 2.Augmentation of pumped out mine water from coal/Lignite minesThe mining industry has to discharge millions of litres of water every day to the adjacent watercourses and thereby may cause water pollution in and around the mining areas 2. This water, otherwise a valuable water resource because of acceptable quality, becomes contaminated with various domestic and industrial trade effluents and subsequently is just wasted while putting on an extra cost burden on the underground mines 2. Further costs are incurred on abstract of water from adjoining surface water bodies containing this water and additional costs are required for the treatment to meet the water quality objective criteria 2. It is emphasized here to augments and protects this precious ground water availability of nearly acceptable quality to meet various water demands particularly drinking water of already affected mining population 2. Augmentation of pumped out mine water from coal/Lignite mines for various water supplies particularly for potable purpose should be the prime goal of the concerned mining ascendancy in the already drought prone thickly populated mining areas 2.Heavy Metal befoulmentThe heavy metals are important component of pollutants which not only cause phytotoxicity but also drop into food chain causing hazardous impacts on human health and animals. Human biology is effective of instances where heavy metals toxicity has led to mass death 2. Heavy metal pollution is quite universal in acidic mine water situations. Mining and Milling operations, together with grinding, concentrating ores and disposal of tailings, provide transparent sources of contamination in the surface environment, along with mine and mill waste water. As a resu lt, heroic levels of heavy metals can be found in and around metalliferous mines due to discharge and dispersion of mine wastes into nearby agricultural poops, food crops and stream systems 2. Eventually, they may pose a potential health attempt to residents in the vicinity of mining areas. The extent and degree of heavy metal contamination around the mines transform depending upon geochemical characteristics and mineralization of tailings.Water Pollution from seepage, waste dumps and mine benchesMajor water pollution problem occurs due to erosion of mine benches, overburden and reject dumps and failing dams 2. The soil particles are carried away during the heavy rains due to deforestation and baring of ground. The blasted material in overburden and mine benches contain lovely particles, which are also carried away by the rainwater 1. Many chemicals also enter the water streams in dissolved state. These sediment-carrying effluents are responsible for siltation of agricultural f ields and chocking of streams and rivers on the downstream. Surface and ground water pollution, is a common feature of mining and associated processing activities 2. Runoff from dumps and exposed mine surface carries fine sediments in suspension, which is deposited on downstream valleys and agricultural fields.Impact of Coal Mine FireMost of the coal mines are affected by fires which leads the steady destruction of energy resource. The reason for mine fires presumably involves the phenomenon of impromptu heating through two interrelated processes viz., the oxygen coal interaction or oxidative process and the thermal process 2. If the fire remains uncontrolled, it can spread further through the pathways and crack in the strata. Mine fires give hike to some(prenominal) environmental problems besides economic losses and safety hazards. asunder(predicate) from direct losses due to burning of coal, the other associated hazards encountered are 2Gas poisoningDifficult geo-mining condit ionssterilisation of coalHindrance to productionExplosionsDamage structure and adjacent propertiesThe adverse impacts of mine fires are ascertained on all the four basic components of the environment viz. Air, water, land and population. Mine fires pollute the atmosphere to a greater extent and have a bad impact on air. The effects are severe on air once the fire becomes surface fires. The pollutants released from mine fires mainly comprise of gases like carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, hydrogen sulphides (H2S) and other photo erogenous oxidants apart from particulate matter 2. Un-burnt hydrocarbons in presence of NOx and other oxidants produce eye irritation.Impact of Mining on LandThe type of mining operation used for extracting coal, mining constantly results in colossal land disturbance- e.g. large scale excavation, creation of derelict land, removal of top soil, dumping of solid wa stes, trimming of roads, etc 1. The mining industry is not eager to re-handle the overburden material for economic reasons but you can see in few cases they planned to re-handle the material to fill the empty space created at the end of mining, and believably this practice will become more common and spread in future.Opencast mining has bigger impact on land compared to underground mining. With new and improved technology, opencast coal mining is used commonly because it is cost effectiveness and productivity in large-scale land disturbance. Underground mining has well less impact than opencast mining on land 2. The surface settling impose several damages to engineering structures such as bridges, highways, buildings and drainage besides interfering with ground water regime.Impact of Mining on ecologyThe mining results the significant area of land devaluate and existing ecosystem are replaced by unwanted wastes. The extraction process of mineral drastically alters the biological and physical nature of the mining area. Commonly practiced strip-mining to recover coal reserves, causes extensive soil damage, destroys vegetation and destroy and alter microbial community. In the process of removing desired mineral material, the original vegetation is inevitably destroyed and soil is lost or buried by waste 2. We are usually confronted with a complete absence of soil, in either a pedagogical or a biological sense, and what is left is just a skeleton in the closet full of limiting factors. Strip-mining can cause compaction, changes in soil texture, loss of soil structure and lessen water infiltration. In addition, steep-sided soil piles are prone to erosion 1.The landscapes that emerge are costless of supportive and nutritive capacity for biomass development. Several microbial processes such as nitrogen and carbon cycling, humidification and soil aggregation are practically non-functional posing scientific challenges in the restoration of rhizosphere productiv ity and fertility 2. The devalued land does not posses suitable surface soil to provide bedding layer for anchorage of plant and to support the biomass. Also the plant growth is not supported due to presence of toxic materials dawdling increase in such landscapes due to intensive mining activity endangers not only the agro forestry productivity but also the aquatic eco-systems 2.Impact of Noise and Vibrations from MiningThe mining activities produce enormous interference and vibration which establish a disturbance in the source. The blasting of hundred of tones of explosive is identified as prostrate noise in the mining area. In pit crushing system with mobile crusher and large capacity materials handling plants are being installed to facilitate speedy handling of large quantities 2. All these activities are major sources of noise vibrations in and around the mining complexes.The major implication of noise is the potential listening loss of human ear. The noise also produces oth er health effects, influence to work performance and makes communications more difficult. The wildlife in the forests and other areas surrounding are also affected by noise. The wildlife is more sensitive to noise and vibration as compared to human beings.Select all potentially noisy construction equipment and then consider the sound power level of the equipment and comply with the need to limit the noise in the mining area. If the operations have the potential to beak the specified noise limits or barrier then effective measures needs to be taken to ensure the sound power level is within the limits either by using different equipments which has less noise and while constructing the plant noise attenuation materials should be used to reduce the effective noise.