Rock Mass and Dust Emissions from Hard Coal Mining as a Sustainability Challenge During Energy Transition—The Case Study of Poland

Purpose: The purpose of this publication is to present the results of an original statistical analysis of the monitoring of environmental parameters of hard coal mining in Poland and to identify the reasons for changes in these parameters. Design/methodology/approach: Planning safe and efficient hard coal mining requires continuous and ongoing analysis of the environmental parameters of mining operations. The presented analysis of selected environmental impacts of hard coal mining is based on information reported by mining companies. Data was obtained from the reports of mining companies and the website https://polskirynekwegla.pl/. Findings: The cessation of coal mining will not fully stop greenhouse gas emissions from the previously mined deposit. This article analyzes changes in annual greenhouse gas and particulate matter emissions. The text identifies the most important reasons for the changes in the environmental impact of mining operations. Research limitations/implications: The analysis was conducted for the period from 2013 to 2024. One small private Polish mining company does not report its indicators, so the data presented in the article only applies to other hard coal producers. However, due to the limited scope of this company's operations, the aggregated picture of the sector differs little from reality. Practical implications: The presented analysis of selected environmental aspects of hard coal mining in Poland can help prepare a strategy adapting the hard coal mining sector to the dynamic changes in the fossil fuel market and new environmental challenges. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the EU, and thus by Poland, is necessary to slow the growth of unfavorable climate change. Social implications: Halting, or even limiting, the ever-increasing global warming will be possible through the decarbonization transformation of economies. Originality/value: The collected information on the environmental conditions of mining operations can help prepare potentially effective scenarios for the transformation of hard coal extraction in Poland and can also be used in the restructuring of mining in other countries.

In the course of management, three basic resources are used: material, financial and human resources. However, the last of the above resources - employees, is a demographic and unpredictable resource that rarely performs what is required by the employer or supervisor, loyally and with appropriate commitment. Therefore, effective methods of motivating employees are needed, and in mining enterprises with a small range of other incentives, the most common incentive should be a financial factor. For this to happen a remuneration structure should include, among others, a variable bonus based on the work results obtained by an employee or related to the effects of the entire enterprise. With rational rules for its allocation, it can be one of the key elements of improving production efficiency in mining enterprises. Well-designed remuneration should stimulate employees to work and develop. Analysing the structure of an average wage of a physical underground worker in a randomly selected mining company in Silesia, such pro-effective structures have not been found, which is a very unfavourable situation. In addition, in the search for the incentive nature of these wages, the changes in their amount have been analysed in the light of changes in the volume of hard coal production and labour productivity in hard coal mining in Poland.

In order to implement the provisions of the INSPIRE Directive, it is necessary for the Member States of the European Union to take appropriate measures to enable combining in a uniform manner spatial data deriving from different sources and sharing use of them by many users and many applications. Spatial data regarding underground hard coal mining in Poland should also be available in the national spatial reference system. Mining enterprises run a cartographic resource in the different rectangular flat coordinate systems. The standard transformation procedure does not provide the required accuracy because these are areas affected by mining activity, and the stability of points is limited, hence, studies were undertaken. The result is the development of software that can be used in Geographic Information Systems to transform spatial data from a system used in mine to the national system. The article described shortly a chosen coordinates systems used in Polish underground mines, elaborated procedure for selection of the degree and the type of a transformation polynomial in the transformation task. It presents its practical application of procedure for the area of one of hard coal mines using the author’s software elaborated in the results of above-mentioned research.

Several natural threats characterize hard coal mining in Poland. The coexistence of methane and rock-burst hazards lowers the safety level during exploration. The most dangerous are high-energy bumps, which might cause rock-burst. Additionally, created during exploitation, safety pillars, which protect openings, might be the reason for the formation of so-called gas traps. In this part, rock mass is usually not disturbed and methane in seams that form the safety pillars is not dangerous as long as they remain intact. Nevertheless, during a rock-burst, a sudden methane outflow can occur. Preventing the existing hazards increases mining costs, and employing inadequate measures threatens the employees’ lives and limbs. Using two longwalls as examples, the authors discuss the consequences of the two natural hazards’ coexistence. In the area of longwall H-4 in seam 409/4, a rock-burst caused a release of approximately 545,000 cubic meters of methane into the excavations, which tripled methane concentration compared to the values from the period preceding the burst. In the second longwall (IV in seam 703/1), a bump was followed by a rock-burst, which reduced the amount of air flowing through the excavation by 30 percent compared to the airflow before, and methane release rose by 60 percent. The analyses presented in this article justify that research is needed to create and implement innovative methods of methane drainage from coal seams to capture methane more effectively at the stage of mining.

Streszczenie W latach 2001-2010 produkcja oraz liczba funkcjonujących kopalń węgla kamiennego w polskim gór­nictwie węgla kamiennego uległa znacznemu zmniejszeniu. Wydobycie węgla ze 102,78 · 106 Mg ograniczono do 76,15 · 106 Mg. Eksploatacja pokładów realizowana w 43 zakładach górniczych w roku 2001, na skutek likwidacji oraz połączenia kopalń, w roku 2010 dotyczyła 29 kopalń. Liczba 30 kopalń metanowych w roku 2001, w których wydobywano węgiel na poziomie 72,37 · 106 Mg, wroku2010 wynosiła21 kopalń, produkujących 52,18 · 106Mg węgla. Pomimo spadku produkcji węgla oraz malejącej liczby kopalń w Polsce wentylacyjna emisja metanu z pro­cesów eksploatacji węgla kopalń metanowych od roku 2001 wzrosła o około 50 m3/Mg. W miarę upływu lat, wysiłki na rzecz odmetanowania niosą jednak pozytywny skutek. Pomimo wzrostu „strat" metanu w procesie odmetanowania, z roku na rok zwiększa się ilość metanu ujętego systemami odmetanowania. Z rozeznania i przeglądu literaturowego dotyczącego zagadnień związanych z emisją metanu w Polsce wynika, że w 2009 roku opublikowano Raport Krajowej Inwentaryzacji Emisji i Pochłaniania gazów ciep­larnianych za rok 2007. Z Raportu Krajowej Inwentaryzacji... wynika, że brak jest danych szczegółowych dotyczących wskaźników emisji metanu z kopalń węgla kamiennego dla polskiego górnictwa. W związku z tym, przygotowano i obliczono szczegółowo emisje metanu z kopalń metanowych w Polsce. Zastosowana metodyka szacowania metanu wykonana została dla dwóch podstawowych źródeł jego emisji. Obliczono emisję metanu w trakcie procesu eksploatacji węgla jako emisję wentylacyjną oraz emisję z układów odgazowania. Takie podejście wynikało z wytycznych IPCC z roku 2006. Aktualizacja proponowanych metod IPCC (2006) szacowania emisji metanu z układów wentylacyjnych i z układów odmetanowania kopalń węgla kamiennego (czynnych i zlikwidowanych) w Polsce polega na za­łożeniu, że wskaźnik emisji metanu (EF) obliczamy, opierając się na wydobyciu z koplań metanowych oraz rzeczywistych wielkościach metanowości bezwzględnej. Rezultat modyfikacji metody szacowania emisji metanu z procesów górniczych dla polskich metanowych koplań węgla kamiennego to równanie wskaźnika emisji metanu. W górnictwie polskim, od roku 2008 średni wskaźnik emisji z systemu węgla kamiennego utrzymuje się na stałym poziomie około 10 m3 C^/Mg. Uzyskane wyniki obliczeń emisji metanu w całym analizowanym okresie lat 2001-2010, mieszczą się w granicach 402-462 Gg (śr. 441,45 Gg).

Extractive waste is produced at all stages of mining activities – during preparatory and operational works as well as in processes of mechanical processing of coal. In a significant part it comprises a fullvalue commercial product or a material for the land reclamation. Because of considerable amounts of waste generated by the coal extractive and processing industry, legal, technical, ecological and social aspects related to the possibilities of management of stored materials have been analyzed in the article.

Phosphogypsum is a by-product obtained during the production of phosphoric acid. Over 100 million tons of phosphogypsum are produced annually world-wide, most of which is dumped. In countries of the European Union, dumping of waste products is a last resort and not the recommended means of disposal.For years, ecologically and economically sound means have been sought for the use of bulk amounts of phosphogypsum, including in farming, the construction industry and in the production of building materials. This study provides an analysis of the potential for use of phosphogypsum in hard coal mining for: (i) precipitation of radioactive components from underground mine waters; (ii) suppression of coal dust explosions; and (iii) filling of underground mine workings.In addition, the study presents an overview of the following areas: (i) a review of methods of phosphogypsum utilisation; (ii) an analysis of Polish laws regulating the application of phosphogypsum in underground mines; and (iii) an analysis of hard coal mining from the point of view of the potential use of phosphogypsum.

The article describes an attempt to assess the electrostatic properties of mechanical friction-induced sparking. Such sparks are the cause of numerous accidents in hard coal mines. The article summarizes accidents in hard coal mining in Poland in recent years. In most cases, the initials were mechanical sparks. Mechanical sparks contain energy, a part of which is related to their excess electrostatic charge, whereas the other part is of a different origin (kinetic or thermal energy, for example). The article tries to estimate how much of this energy is energy impact generated by electrostatics impact. It is hard to measure the dynamic electrostatic parameters like electric charge. Authors select four measuring methods. This test methods are prepared based on authors knowledge of electrostatic parameters and European standards dedicated to measure the electrostatics parameters. These circuits were prepared for four different spark parameters. Measurement methods of electrostatic field of sparks stream are not able to measure field potential of sparks. The measuring instruments do not have such a fast response time, adequate to the speed of the sparks. Spark generation and parameter measurement experiments were performed. The only method to determine the amount of electrostatic charge on sparks is to measure the entire charge by collecting sparks at the measuring electrode. The measuring system requires that the entire stream of sparks falls on the electrode. Tested transferred electrostatic charge of stream of sparks is about 10 nC. It means that this charge can be an effective ignition source for some explosive atmospheres. Electrostatic charge with Certain methods were rejected as inadequate following result analysis. A claim for one of the methods was submitted to the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland.

The raw materials sector plays a key role in the Polish economy. The mineral raw material industry encompasses many different, sometimes highly specialized activities, such as exploration, mining, hauling, mineral processing, metallurgy and metal refining, as well as risk assessment, management (environmental, financial, legal) and marketing. The purpose of the article is to identify the market gap for business for entities or individuals in the mineral resources sector in Poland. Taking into account the European Union regulations which enforce the closure of hard coal mines in Poland by 2050, it is reasonable to identify such a gap in the raw materials area, especially since the current situation may turn out to be a new revival of the raw materials market after the pandemic period. Based on the NACE classification, a key area was identified, which is dedicated to potential entrepreneurs in the mineral resources area. Based on an internal analysis, the sectors directly related to the RM field in Poland were distinguished. Narrowing down the analyzed sections, leading areas were indicated that offer significant employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people who will be made redundant (often in groups) as a result of the phasing out of hard coal mining in Poland. As part of the article, the identification and analysis of key trends that have a significant impact on the functioning of companies, the industry, the region or the country, as well as threats, challenges and opportunities that may arise in the near future, was carried out. What is more, a number of scientific, research or development projects implemented in the area of mineral raw materials in the years 2010–2019 were analyzed. The authors present an innovative approach to defining the gap in the mineral raw materials sector in Poland in what regards conducting business activity, as well as an in-depth analysis of the sector in terms of enterprise development opportunities (creation of new start-up companies) and its directions. It should be mentioned that the presented research is the first attempt to analyze this issue in Poland.

The actual situation of hard coal mining in Poland has been presented. In particular, these factors, which have impact on the competiveness of mining sector were highlighted and need of its improving has been stressed. Outlining present situation of hard coal mining an attention was paid to its specific threats. The primary analytical material is based on the results of questionnaire conducted among 92 specialists and experts from the mining sector. The questions were related to chances and threats for development of hard coal mining in Poland. The factors determining them were grouped in such domains as economy, technology, geology, social and law aspects. Moreover, the special attention was paid to the problem of increasing and high costs of coal production which constitute significant threat for the financial and economic situation of the mining enterprises. Also the adverse influence of these high cost on the competitiveness of Polish hard coal with other world producers and with other energy carriers was emphasized. The conclusions summarize the achieved results of analysis.

Aspects in Mining & Mineral Science Changing Geological and Mining Conditions in Hard Coal Mines in Poland as Mining Activities Progress Eugeniusz Jacek Sobczyk* Associate Professor, Mineral Energy and Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland *Corresponding author: Eugeniusz Jacek Sobczyk, Mineral and Economy Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3968-2312; Submission: January 26, 2022;Published: February 04, 2022 DOI: 10.31031/AMMS.2022.08.000692 ISSN 2578-0255Volume8 Issue4

Target costing as an element of the hard coal extraction cost planning process Striving for the efficiency of activities is of great significance in the management of hard coal extractive enterprises, which are constantly subjected to the process of restructuring. Effective cost management is an important condition of the increase in the efficiency of the researched business entities’ activity. One of the tools whose basic objective is conscious influencing cost levels is target costing. The aim of this article is to analyse the conditions of implementing target costing in the planning of hard coal extraction costs in hard coal mines in Poland. The subject area raises a topical and important problem of the scope of solutions concerning cost analysis in hard coal mines in Poland, which has not been thoroughly researched yet. To achieve the abovementioned aim, the theoretical works of the subject area have been referenced. The mine management process is difficult and requires the application of best suited and most modern tools, including those used in the planning process of hard coal extraction costs in order to support the economic efficiency of mining operations. The use of the target costing concept in the planning of hard coal mine operations aims to support the decision-making process, so as to achieve a specified level of economic efficiency of the operations carried out in a territorially designated site of hard coal extraction.

Methane emissions from coal mines represent a significant environmental and atmospheric challenge, contributing to global greenhouse gas accumulation and impacting local air quality. This study aimed to quantify methane emissions from Polish coal mines, analyze their environmental and economic impacts, and evaluate advanced mitigation technologies to inform sustainable practices and policy alignment with global climate objectives. The study examined methane emissions from hard coal mining in Poland, emphasizing their scale, sources, and implications for the sector’s carbon footprint. A comprehensive overview of measurement methodologies, including direct sampling and advanced monitoring systems, is provided to highlight current capabilities and limitations. Furthermore, innovative capture technologies, such as ventilation air methane oxidation systems and methane drainage techniques, are explored alongside utilization pathways for energy production, including electricity generation and hydrogen synthesis. By integrating quantitative analyses and case studies, the article evaluates the effectiveness of these strategies in reducing methane emissions and improving air quality. The findings underscore the critical role of methane management in transitioning the coal industry toward more sustainable practices and achieving carbon neutrality goals. This study aims to inform policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers by presenting actionable insights into mitigating methane emissions, while fostering the dual objectives of environmental protection and resource efficiency.

High concentrations of HgS, MeHg and toxic gas emissions in thermally affected waste dumps from hard coal mining in Poland

Motivation: This article presents the analysis of work efficiency in hard coal mining in Poland. Labour costs in Polish mining enterprises account for over 40% of the total production cost. For this reason, the labour productivity of employees has a key impact on the final operating profit.Problem statement: In the case of Polish coal companies, the efficiency is the index value of which particular restructuration programs have attempted to increase for years. However, because of the effect of overstaffing and a decrease in hard coal exploitation, the task was impossible.Approach and results: In this article the effects of the latest recovery programme have been presented, the production efficiency index has been determined; the rate of changes in production volume has been presented as well as the employment figure and the average salary in the Polish mining industry in the recent decade. Moreover, the prognosis of the employment figure using the ARIMA and ARMAX class model was conducted.Conclusions: It should be noted that in the last four years a significant reduction in the employment figure has been onserved in the hard coal mining industry. This figure has been adjusted to the production volume level. This, in turn, has positively influenced the work efficiency coefficient level.