Assessment of natural resource potential of territories disturbed by mining works in the context of effective use of post-technogenic landscape

Abstract

In the article, the concepts of natural resource potential, post-technogenic landscape, and anthropogenic transformation are defined. The difference between quantitative and qualitative changes in the natural ecological system is considered. The types of resource waste and natural resources promising for use are analyzed. An assessment of the natural resource potential of the territories affected by mining operations is presented. The assessment is carried out on the example of the Kryvyi Rih iron ore complex. The use of renewable energy sources is considered as the most important prospects for the development of post-technogenic landscapes in mining regions, the main advantages of using renewable energy sources are determined. In the context of the effective use of post-technogenic landscapes, the potential of solar energy and wind power plants (wind turbines) was investigated. Calculations of the efficiency of the use of renewable energy sources in the territories disturbed by mining operations are given. A comparison of the efficiency of wind turbines (electricity production) in the conditions of Kryvbas dump sites with vertical and horizontal wind power plants is made taking into account the height of the location. Evidence is presented regarding the feasibility of using windmills with a vertical axis of turbine rotation. It is established that vertical wind power plants can produce electricity 7 times more than traditional (horizontal) ones. The main factors that determine the need for the development of non-traditional sources of energy in Ukraine are determined. The possibility of using post-technogenic landscapes for nature conservation, recreational and tourist purposes is considered. Examples of the use of the natural resource potential of territories disturbed by mining operations during open-pit mining operations are given, and the use of disturbed lands in the coal industry is discussed. Possibilities of involving post-technogenic landscapes in the economic activity of mining regions are considered. In the article, the authors prove that the degree of transformation of the natural resource potential of territories disturbed by mining operations determines the possibility of reclamation or use of these territories for the needs of society. Keywords: natural resource potential, territories affected by mining operations, landscape transformation, renewable energy sources, solar energy, wind power plants, vertical windmills, horizontal windmills, reclamation of territories, use of post-technogenic landscapes, man-made landscape.