Life cycle assessment of opencast lignite mining

Lukasz Lelek,Joanna Kulczycka

doi:10.1007/s40789-021-00467-9

Abstract

The life cycle phase of fossil fuel extraction is mainly considered in the life cycle assessment (LCA) when evaluating the energy production processes. It is then only one of many unit processes, which contribute to the blurring of mining-relevant results. There are few items in the literature focusing exclusively on the lignite mining phase and analysing the specific mining conditions and associated environmental impacts. The article focuses on the LCA of lignite mining processes on the basis of data coming from a Polish mine. The technology for opencast lignite mining is noted for its high production efficiency, high level of recovery and lower risk as regards the safety of workers when compared with underground mining systems. However, the need to remove large amounts of overburden to uncover the deposit contributes to a much greater degradation of the landscape. Analysing the results obtained, several key (hot spot) elements of the lignite mining operations were distinguished for modelling the environmental impact, i.e.: calorific value, the amount of electricity consumption, the manner in which waste and overburden are managed. As a result there is a high sensitivity of the final indicator to changes in these impacts.

Highlights

The EU’s climate policy, including the European Green Deal announced in 2019, is intended to achieve climate neutrality for the continent
Several key elements of the lignite mining operations were distinguished for modelling the environmental impact, i.e.: calorific value, the amount of electricity consumption, the manner in which waste and overburden are managed
There is a lack of detailed data consistent with the quality requirements of the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology on the basis of which it would be possible to conduct comparative analyses between individual mining enterprises

Summary

Introduction

The EU’s climate policy, including the European Green Deal announced in 2019, is intended to achieve climate neutrality for the continent This is mainly to be achieved through the transformation of the energy sector by reducing the burning of fossil fuels and moving towards a net-zero emissions strategy (The European Parliament 2019) by supporting the development of renewable energy sources together with energy storage e.g. using hydrogen, CO2. The carbon intensity was 270 grammes of CO2 per kilowatt-hour (g CO2/kW h) in 2018, compared with over 400 g CO2/ kW h in the United States, over 500 g CO2/kW h in Japan, around 600 g CO2/kW h in the People’s Republic of China and over 700 g CO2/kW h in India and Australia (IEA 2020) Fossil fuels such as coal still constitute a significant source of energy in the world and in the EU. Under different scenarios it may still remain at a significant level of 25% (Stated Policies 2040 Scenario) or will be greatly reduced to 4% (Sustainable Development 2040 Scenario)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion