Carbon emission assessment and control measures for coal mining in China

Abstract

Coal is the most important primary energy in China. Although the proportion of coal in China's total energy consumption continues to decline it will still be the main energy in China for a long time in the future. As the largest contributor to China's greenhouse gas emissions, the energy conservation and emission reduction of coal industry will be the most critical step for China to cope with global climate change and solve environmental problems at present and in the future for a long time. The object of this study was coal mining in China. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to quantify carbon emissions in whole process of coal mining, including mining, ventilation, drainage, power consumption, transportation, and post-mining activities. The analysis result shows that the carbon emissions of producing tons of coal are 164.403 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per ton. The analysis further emphasizes that the methane contributes the most, accounting for 62.21% of the total emissions, and plays an important role in the full life cycle of coal mining. Therefore, it presents a potential to mitigate the environmental impact of coal mining, and its main task is to recover and recycle methane. Based on the technical level, this study puts forward the low-carbon development countermeasures for coal enterprises. Then the technical system of methane emission control and utilization is constructed from three aspects: coal-bed methane development, gas extraction, and utilization and gas utilization. Finally, a trinity resource utilization system of coal mine gas is constructed. This study hopes to help practitioners to realize the importance of coal mine methane to the coal mining process. If the efficient resource utilization of methane be realized, it could not only save energy and reduce emissions in coal enterprises, but also promote the safety production of coal mines and improve the economic benefits of coal mines. It is also of great significance for optimizing China's energy structure, realizing low-carbon transformation, and safeguarding China's strategic energy security.