Coal Mine Spoil Research Articles

PLFA Profiling of Coal Mine Spoil: An Integrated Approach for the Assessment of Ecological Restoration

Coal mine overburden spoil created aftermath of mining activities represents disequilibrated geomorphic system. The pedodiversity including its link with biodiversity and landscape ecology describe the spatial diversity has emerged as functional determinants of ecosystem processes. Being the driving force mediating soil processes, ecosystem restoration through mine spoil genesis is monitored based on the shift in microbial community structure in different age series coal mine spoil. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis is culture-independent approach, which provides a set of molecular markers to determine microbial community composition and discriminate microbial communities of different origin. PLFAs are synthesized during microbial growth, rapidly degraded following cell death and reliably reflect living microbial communities. Relative distribution of 51 PLFAs revealed significant variation in microbial community structure across the sites with Shannon diversity index varies from 1.5265 (OB0) to 2.0139 (OB15) and Pielous evenness index from 0.4110 (OB0) to 0.5260 (OB15). Fungal to bacterial ratio exhibited an increasing trend from OB0 (0.055) to OB15 (0.348) over time, which revealed the sign of mine spoil genesis. The principal component analysis and redundancy analysis discriminate different age series coal mine spoil into independent clusters, which evaluated the broad scale patterns of microbial community structure influencing the pace and progress of mine spoil genesis.

Invasive weed‐based biochar facilitated the restoration of coal mine degraded land by modulating the enzyme activity and carbon sequestration

Excessive growth of invasive weeds in reclaimed coal mine sites are undesirable as they compete for nutrient with the planted species. To overcome this problem, these invasive species may be converted to biochar and used as an amendment during reclamation. Objectives of the present study are to prepare biochar from invasive weeds and apply as amendment in an 8‐year‐old reclaimed mine spoil (RMS) and study the changes in spoil physio‐chemical properties, enzymatic activity, and C‐stock. Biochar was prepared at 450°C and applied at 10 t/ha (BC10) and 20 t/ha (BC20) in field condition. The result showed that biochar ameliorates RMS physio‐chemical properties significantly with respect to moisture content (+27%), available‐N (+3%), exchangeable‐K (+15%), and cation exchange capacity (+35%) in BC20 compared to control. Geometric mean of enzymatic activities index increase in BC10 (8) and BC20 (10.2) compared to control (5.8) indicating improved microbial activities. BC20 had significantly high recalcitrant carbon, which indicates higher C‐sequestration potential by biochar application. Additionally, the total C‐stock increased by 13 and 91% at BC10 and BC20, respectively. CO2 sequestered increased by 13% at BC10 and 91% at BC20 amendment. In‐situ production and surface application of biochar at 20 t/ha will cost 239 USD/ha. The study concluded that invasive weed biochar has the potential to improve the spoil nutritional properties (N & K), increase C‐stock and C‐sequestration potential in coal mine spoil.

Physiological adaptability of three gramineae plants under various vegetation restoration models in mining area of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Large-scale coal mining activities on the QTP have affected the natural grassland ecosystem which will take decades to recover. Therefore, looking for an effective vegetation restoration method is the most effective way to restore the ecosystem. In this study, we explored the effects of three vegetation restoration modes (coal mine spoils planting (CK), organic fertilizer planting (OF), and cover soil planting (CS)) on the five cold-resistance related physiological indices of three native Gramineae plants (Elymus nutans, Poa crymophila and Festuca sinensis) growing in three different habitats (shady slope, sunny slope, and flat slope). The higher contents of soluble sugar (SS) in the Elymus nutans (213.46 mg/g) and Festuca sinensis (202.84 mg/g) were recorded under the CS treatment in the sunny slope habitat. The FP contents of Elymus nutans (421.31 μg/g), Poa crymophila (310.06 μg/g), and Festuca sinens (288.45 μg/g) were higher under the CK treatment in the flat ground habitat. The higher (P < 0.05) content of chlorophyll (Chl) was recorded in the Elymus nutans (2.13 mg/g) under the CS treatment in the sunny slope habitat compared to the other two plants. We observed lower MDA contents in the Elymus nutans (3.19 nmol/g) and Festuca sinensis (3.56 nmol/g) under the CK treatment growing in the shady slope habitat. In the shady slope habitat, the H2O2 contents of Elymus nutans (15.86 μmol/g), Poa crymophila (6.78 μmol/g), and Festuca sinensis (8.76 μmol/g) under the CS treatment were significantly lower compared to other treatments. Based on membership function method, the low-temperature adaptability order of the three restoration plants from strong to weak was Elymus nutans > Festuca sinensis > Poa crymophila. While the effectiveness order of the three vegetation restoration models in alpine mining areas from good to bad was CS > OF > CK. This study will provide a theoretical and guiding significance to evaluate the effectiveness of different restoration methods, formulate optimal restoration strategies and guide the sustainable restoration of the damaged ecosystems of the alpine mining areas.

The Clean Water Act and biosolids: A 45‐year chronological review of biosolids land application research in Colorado

The 1972 U.S. Clean Water Act set forth the generation of biosolids. In Colorado, biosolids land application research began in 1976 and continues today. Pastureland research suggested that sewage effluent could effectively be land applied to benefit aboveground plant growth and to polish water prior to reaching receiving waters. Forest wildfire-affected ecosystems can also benefit from biosolids applications; application rates of up to 80 Mg ha-1 can lead to greater plant establishment, soil microbial activity, and nutrient turnover and reduced nutrient and heavy metal concentrations in runoff below livestock and USEPA drinking water standards. Long-term (24-yr) observations in oil shale-mined lands showed that biosolids (up to 224 Mg ha-1 ) can have a positive effect on microbial-mediated nutrient cycling and, in turn, on aboveground plant community structure. Biosolids applications of up to 40 Mg ha-1 in high-elevation shrubland ecosystems, dominated by Mo-containing shale deposits, can aid in reducing imbalances between Mo and Cu in soils and plants; excessive plant Mo, when consumed by ruminants, can lead to molybdenosis. Biosolids and lime applications (both at 224 Mg ha-1 ) have been shown to improve long-term reclamation success on acid-generating, heavy metal-containing fluvial mine tailings. Thirty years of grazing land research, focused on soil and aboveground plant benefits, illustrate that soil health and plant productivity can be improved to the greatest extent at biosolids application rates close to 10 Mg ha-1 . Finally, 40 yr of dryland agroecosystem research (a) have helped identify biosolids N fertilizer equivalency (∼8kg N Mg-1 ) and thus dryland winter wheat application rates (e.g., 4.5-6.7 dry Mg ha-1 ); (b) have identified first-year mineralization rates of 25-32%; (c) dispute the "time bomb" theory by showing that plant metal uptake follows an exponential rise to a maximum; (d) showcase economic return to producers via increased wheat grain protein content; (e) suggest that biosolids-borne proteins and their degradation products are labile C and N sources; (f) have led to long-term tracking of micronutrients and heavy metals in soils and revealed that plants-soil concentrations will not lead to groundwater degradation and that plants are safe for human consumption; and (g) have shown that biosolids provide Zn, helping to overcome soil deficiencies and enhancing Zn biofortification in wheat grain. This latter point is important because ∼2 billion people globally suffer from Zn deficiencies. Forty-five years of research in Colorado have proven that biosolids can enhance environmental quality, improve soil health, and produce healthy food products.

Comparative soil restoration potential of exotic and native woody plantations on coal mine spoil in a dry tropical environment of India: A case‐study

AbstractOverburden excavated during opencast mining has poor soil properties due to non‐salvage and inversion of soil profiles. The soil properties of such overburden are often improved by biological reclamation techniques such as planting suitable plant species; however, the performance of species varies from site‐to‐site. Therefore, this article aims to evaluate the effects of woody plantations on coal mine spoil's physicochemical and biological properties. We synthesised the available data from previous studies conducted on 5‐year‐old plantations in the Singrauli Coalfields of India. These plantations have monocultures of eight species, in which four were exotic (Acacia auriculiformis, Casuarina equisetifolia, Cassia siamea and Grevillea pteridifolia) and four were native species (Albizia lebbeck, Albizia procera, Dendrocalamus strictus and Tectona grandis). We compared the soil properties under exotic and native species plantations to evaluate the effect of species and origin. The Wilcoxon's test showed that the clay content (p = 0.000), ammonium‐nitrogen (p = 0.002), phosphate‐phosphorus (p = 0.000) and microbial biomass nutrients (C, N and P; p = 0.000) were significantly higher under native plantations than the exotic plantations. Further, we observed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.86, p &lt; 0.001) between soil organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon for native species. We also found that microbial biomass nutrients are negatively associated with nitrification rates and positively associated with nitrogen mineralisation rates. Overall, our study suggested that exotic species plantations are not as effective as native species in mine spoil rehabilitation. Thus, native species plantations should be promoted while restoring degraded coal mine habitats in a dry tropical environment.

Effects of Soil Amelioration and Vegetation Introduction on the Restoration of Abandoned Coal Mine Spoils in South Korea

In order to ecologically restore coal mine spoils, tolerant species were selected through vegetation surveys on the abandoned coal mine spoils and natural forests established on the poor environment similarly to there. In addition, tolerant species were selected through cultivation experiments in the laboratory. Many C4 plants were included among the tolerant species selected through cultivation experiments. Soil was ameliorated by applying commercial organic fertilizer that can improve both physical and chemical properties of soil at the same time. Vegetation introduced for restoration was prepared by combining plant species tolerant to the degraded environment of coal mine spoils and the reference information. The treatment with a soil ameliorator improved the chemical properties of soil, such as the pH and nutrient contents, and promoted the growth of sample plants significantly. However, additional improvements were required compared with the chemical properties of healthy forest soil. The sites restored by ameliorating soil and introducing tolerant species showed a more similar species composition to the reference sites compared with the afforested and non-restored sites in both lowland and upland areas. However, such restoration did not play a significant role in increasing species diversity or excluding exotic plants. In this respect, more active restoration is recommended.

Diversity of culturable microfungi of coal mine spoil tips in Svalbard

The fungal complexes of the coal mine spoil tips around the settlement Barentsburg (Svalbard) were studied. Samples were taken from coal mine spoil tips with different ages (formed, 10-years, 30-years and 50-years). Arctic tundra soils were used as the control. The indicators of change were the species composition, diversity level, dominant groups of species and isolate density of fungal communities. The harsh arctic conditions and the inhospitality of the rock substrate determined the relatively low diversity of microfungi. Only 15 species of microfungi were identified in the samples from formed spoil tip, while in the samples from 50-year-old tip the number of microfungi species increased to 29. The average density of microfungi (CFU/g) for all sampling depths of the coal mine spoil tips was low. But this indicator increased with the age of spoil tips. The density of microfungi isolates also increased with depth in the coal mine spoil tips. The composition of the dominant species of microfungi changed with the age of the spoil tips increased. The convergence of the microfungal complexes of spoil tips and control arctic soils indicates gradual increase stability of mycobiota in disturbed areas.

Herbaceous vegetation under planted woody species on coal mine spoil acts as a source of organic matter

The present study was conducted to examine the status of herbaceous biomass development under rehabilitated coal mine spoil by establishing indigenous woody species in India's northern dry tropical region. Since mining activities for coal and minerals are prime industrial activities in this region; therefore, through these activities, a significant size of dry tropical forest ecosystems is destroying at unprecedented rates. Thus, the primary objective of the present study was to understand the influence of planted woody species on herbaceous biomass development. Estimation of herbaceous biomass was accomplished once in 1995 and 2007 under plantation stand of four native woody species. Among planted woody species, maximum herbaceous biomass was quantified at the 5th-year stand of Tectona grandis and lowest at the 17th-year stand of Dendrocalamus strictus. Family Poaceae contributed the maximum in herbaceous biomass production across all plantation stands. A declining trend was observed in herbaceous biomass production as the age of plantation stand increases, reflecting the impact of stand characteristics such as woody species basal cover and canopy cover on herbaceous vegetation development. Herbaceous biomass was positively correlated with species diversity at both ages of plantation stands, emphasising the facilitative role of species for organic matter build-up in disturbed habitats. However, increased competition between herbaceous species for space, nutrients and decreased penetration of light through the closed canopy of planted woody trees significantly influences herbaceous diversity under plantation stand.

Diversity of microfungi of coal mine spoil tips in the Magadan Region, Russia

Diversity of microfungi of coal mine spoil tips in the Magadan Region, Russia

Accelerating soil aggregate formation: a review on microbial processes as the critical step in a post-mining rehabilitation context

One of the most difficult challenges facing the coal mining industry is rehabilitation of open cut mines in the absence of sufficient quality and quantity of topsoil. As a result, the growth medium for rehabilitation of open cut mines is often mine spoil that has poor chemical and structural properties. Microorganisms play a critical role in natural soil forming processes, nutrient cycling and soil aggregate stabilisation. However, soil microbiota and their impact on soil chemistry and structure has traditionally been overlooked in mine site remediation and mine spoil amelioration. Soil bioengineering, using microbial inoculants to modify soil chemistry and structure, is a novel approach that has the potential to positively alter the chemical and physical limitations prevented by mine spoil and improve mine site rehabilitation outcomes. This review focuses on the importance of microbiology in the spoil-to-soil transformation after open cut coal mining and discusses the ways that microbial inoculants could be used to accelerate the amelioration of coal mine spoil during rehabilitation. The work seeks to establish a platform for soil bioengineering approaches to be considered during rehabilitation of open cut coal mines. The review focuses on Australian open cut coal mines but has application for all mines with nutrient limited substrates and/or saline or sodic spoil that is prone to erosion.

Soil biotest results using Azotobacter bacteria: interpretation problems and possible solutions

The aim of the study. The Azotobacter genus is a well-known bioassay for testing the soil environment quality. A large number of these bacteria is considered as evidence of the ecological well-being of a soil. However, a high number of these microorganisms was found in disturbed ecosystems, which means there is a problem of how to interpret the results of the biotest. Therefore the aim of the study was to clarify the causes of this problem and suggest a possible way to solve it.&#x0D; Location and objects of the study. The study was conducted in West Siberia (Russia) in the Priobskoe plateau (54°53'13.5"N, 82°59'36.7E"). Leached сhernozem with different content of organic matter (mortmass) was studied under the following treatments: 1) permanent fallow, 2) wheat cultivation, annual removal of straw from the field + summer fallow, 3) wheat + left straw + summer fallow, 4) wheat +left straw + green manure fallow, 5) grassland. The content of N-NO3, respectively, was equal to 50, 10, 15, 5, 0 mg/kg. Another object was a site at the mining and processing plant "Denisovsky" in South Yakutia (Russia) (56°46'20.23"N, 124°51'06.95"E). Abandoned for a long time (30 years) after coal mining spoils were studied in two variants: without plants and with well-developed vegetation cover. Total SOC content was 1.8 and 5.7%, N – 0.3 and 0.4 %, respectively. &#x0D; Methodology. The direct sowing of single soil aggregates onto the N-free medium containing glucose as C-source was used to cultivate Azotobacter. Glucose (10 mg/g soil) was added to the soil to activate Azotobacter growth. A live culture of bacteria was introduced into the soil at a dose of 1 ml/g to check the viability of Azotobacter in experimental soils. &#x0D; Main results. The status of the microbial community in situ was observed on microbial landscapes obtained by exposing slides in the undisturbed soil for 30 days. The overgrowth of soil lumps in the specified range of options was 0–80–40–0–0% and after glucose addition – 100–80–80–0%. The activation of Azotobacter growth after glucose addition was inversely proportional to the C: N ratio (between the mortmass and the mineral nitrogen). Live Azotobacter culture under grassland developed 2.5 times slower in comparison with the fallow. Similar patterns were found in the study of the soils developed on the coal mining spoils. Activation of Azotobacter growth by glucose (response to stress) was more pronounced in soils with apparently less favorable environment for bacteria. &#x0D; Conclusion. The reason behind misleading interpretation of Azotobacter biotest results was that the original purpose of the test was to assess fertility of arable soils. This role of the indicator bacterium was previously underestimated. It is known that the arable soil belongs to the category of disturbed ones, and the abundance of Azotobacter may indicate instability in the microbial community of the soil. To expand the capabilities of the biotest, the authors propose to supplement the test with a procedure for evaluating the Azotobacter growth response to experimental stress, e.g. C-substrate addition.

Assessment of microbial biomass pool in chronosequence coal mine spoil used as biomarker of mine spoil genesis

Extensive coal mining activities result mine spoil generation dumped in form of overburdens altering biogeochemical cycles and land degradation. Mine spoil generated after post-mining activities associated with heavy metal toxicity inhibit microbial growth. Being deficient in available nutrients due to lack of biologically rich topsoil, mine spoil represents a disequilibrated geomorphic system and poses problems for revegetation and restoration of coal mine spoil. Mine spoil genesis influencing ecosystem functionality demands physicochemical characterization and spatial distribution of microbial biomass pool in chronosequence coal mine spoil. Progressive improvement in clay, hydrological regimes, OC, TN and EP microbial biomass pool and BSR over time was evident from the study. Time dependent increase in integrating quotients was used to monitor the progress of mine spoil genesis. Decline in microbial metabolic quotient over time revealed the progress of mine spoil genesis. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed the contribution of physicochemical attributes influencing variability in microbial biomass. The shift in physicochemical properties and microbial biomass correlated well with the extent of land degradation, which can be used as effective biomarkers for monitoring the pace and progress of mine spoil genesis. The fresh coal mine spoil to attain soil features of nearby forest soil through mine spoil genesis shall take approximately 29.15 years. The study paves the way of greater understanding not only in the direction to design appropriate management strategies for ecosystem restoration but also to improve soil quality for sustainable development.

Ecological performances of exotic and native woody species on coal mine spoil in Indian dry tropical region

Coal extraction by opencast mining involves the dumping of overburden or mine spoil as large heaps. These large heaps of overburdened materials can act as a serious threat to ecological integrity and, therefore, overall societal well-being. Plantations are often employed to establish revegetation and management of mine spoil, thus mitigating the effects of mining on the environment. However, the performance of plant species can be highly variable due to environmental and species-specific effects. Therefore, the present paper's primary objective is to compare exotic (Acacia auriculiformis, Cassia siamea, Casuarina equisetifolia and Grevillea pteridifolia) and native (Albizia lebbeck, Albizia procera, Dendrocalamus strictus and Tectona grandis) species' performance on the coal mine spoils. Previous studies on the Singrauli coalfields allowed us to compare the growth performance, standing biomass, and net primary production (NPP) of four exotic and four native species plantations. Our results showed that native species have significantly higher survival, stem diameter, biomass, and NPP than exotic woody plantations. Thus, exotic species might not be useful in mine spoil rehabilitation than the native species. Overall, this study suggests that native species are useful for mine spoil rehabilitation despite the faster growth of exotic species.

Controls of Wetting and Drying Cycles on Salt Leaching from Coal Mine Spoils

Controls of Wetting and Drying Cycles on Salt Leaching from Coal Mine Spoils

Eco-Restoration of Coal Mine Spoil: Biochar Application and Carbon Sequestration for Achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 15

Open cast coal mining causes complete loss of carbon sink due to the destruction of vegetation and soil structure. In order to offset the destruction and to increase sequestration of carbon, afforestation is widely used to restore these mine spoils. The current field study was conducted to assess the ecosystem status, soil quality and C pool in an 8 years old reclaimed mine spoil (RMS), compared to a reference forest (RF) site and unamended mine spoil (UMS). Biochar (BC) prepared from invasive weed Calotropis procera was applied in this 8 year RMS at 30 t ha−1 (BC30) and 60 t ha−1 (BC60) to study its impact on RMS properties and C pool. Carbon fractionation was also conducted to estimate inorganic, coal and biogenic carbon pools. The C stock of 8 year old RMS was 30.98 Mg C ha−1 and sequestered 113.69 Mg C ha−1 CO2. BC30 and BC60 improved the C-stock of RMS by 31% and 45%, respectively, and increased the recalcitrant carbon by 65% (BC30) and 67% (BC60). Spoil physio-chemical properties such as pH, cation exchange capacity, moisture content and bulk density were improved by biochar application. The total soil carbon at BC30 (36.3 g C kg−1) and BC60 (40 g C kg−1) was found to be significantly high compared to RMS (21 g C kg−1) and comparable to RF (33 g C kg−1). Thus, eco-restoration of coal mine spoil and biochar application can be effective tools for coal mine reclamation and can help in achieving the UN sustainable development goal 13 (climate action) by increasing carbon sequestration and 15 (biodiversity protection) by promoting ecosystem development.

Modelling of Salt Leaching from Coal Mine Spoils at Two Scales

Modelling of Salt Leaching from Coal Mine Spoils at Two Scales

Effect of invasive weed biochar amendment on soil enzymatic activity and respiration of coal mine spoil: a laboratory experiment study

Effect of invasive weed biochar amendment on soil enzymatic activity and respiration of coal mine spoil: a laboratory experiment study

Additions of optimum water, spent mushroom compost and wood biochar to improve the growth performance of Althaea rosea in drought-prone coal-mined spoils

Ecosystem degradation as a result of coal mining is a common phenomenon in various regions of the world, especially in arid and semi-arid zones. The implementation of appropriate revegetation techniques can be considered crucial to restore these degraded areas. In this regard, the additions of spent mushroom compost (SMC) and wood biochar (WB) to infertile and degraded soils have been reported to enhance soil fertility and plant growth under water (W) deficit conditions. However, the combined application of W, SMC and WB to coal mine degraded soils, to promote Althaea rosea growth and facilitate subsequent restoration, has not been explored yet. Hence, in the current study a pot experiment was carried out by growing A. rosea on coal mine spoils to assess the influence of different doses of W, SMC and WB on its morpho-physiological and biochemical growth responses. The results indicated that several plant growth traits like plant height, root length and dry biomass significantly improved with moderate W-SMC-WB doses. In addition, the simultaneous application of W-SMC-WB caused a significant decrease in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (by 7–56%), superoxide anion (O2●‒) (by 14–51%), malondialdehyde (MDA) (by 23–46%) and proline (Pro) contents (by 23–66%), as well as an increase in relative water content (by 10–27%), membrane stability index (by 2–24%), net photosynthesis rate (by 40–99%), total chlorophylls (by 43–113%) and carotenoids (by 31–115%), as compared to the control treatment. The addition of SMC and WB under low-W regime enhanced leaf water use efficiency, and soluble sugar content, also boosting the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase in leaf tissues, thus reducing the oxidative stress, as proved by low levels of H2O2, O2●‒, MDA and Pro contents. Finest growth performance under optimum doses of W (60% field capacity), SMC (1.4%) and WB (0.8%) suggest that revegetation of A. rosea with the recommended W-SMC-WB doses would be a suitable and eco-friendly approach for ecological restoration in arid degraded areas.

Exogenous melatonin reduces water deficit-induced oxidative stress and improves growth performance of Althaea rosea grown on coal mine spoils.

Coal mining activities are responsible for significant land degradation and often long-term irreversible effects on ecosystem functioning. To better understand how coal mined sites could be re-vegetated and ecosystem functioning restored, we address the role of the signalling hormone melatonin, which controls plant growth and development under adverse environmental conditions. We assessed the effects of exogenous melatonin on the plant species Althaea rosea by measuring morphological growth attributes, photosynthetic efficiency, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative damage and antioxidant defence developed by the seedlings when grown on coal-mined spoils under various water regimes. Water deficit and negative effects of coal mine spoils significantly decreased morphological growth attributes (i.e. plant height, root length and dry biomass), gas-exchange traits (i.e. net photosynthesis rate, inter intercellular concentration of CO2, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and water use efficiency) and photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoid contents) by increasing the ROS-induce oxidative damage and decreasing antioxidant enzyme activities of A. rosea seedlings. However, melatonin applications increased photosynthetic performance and antioxidant enzyme activities and decreased hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde contents and ultimately improved growth performance of A. rosea in coal-mined spoils. Overall, our findings show how the application of optimum water (63.0 %field capacity equivalent to 1.67 mm day-1) and melatonin (153.0 μM dose) significantly improves the re-vegetation of coal-mined spoils with A. rosea. Our study provides new insight into melatonin-mediated water stress tolerance in A. rosea grown on coal-mined spoils, and this strategy could be implemented in re-vegetation programmes of coal mine-degraded areas under arid and semiarid conditions of the north-western part of China and perhaps across other arid areas worldwide.

Monitoring the aerosol solids deposited in snow in the area affected by the technological road of the Gorlov anthracite mining pit (Novosibirsk region, Russia)

The aim of the study. To monitor and assess the chemical composition of the solid aerosols deposited in the snow in the area affected by the technological road of the Gorlov anthracite mining site. Location and time of the study. The study was conducted in the Iskitim district of the Novosibirsk region (54.58o N, 83.57o E) in 2018–2020. Methodology. The content of total solids in snow was measured by gravimetric method after filtering the melted snow sample through the filter with 0.22 µm mesh size. Micromorphology of the solids was studied by using scanning electron microscope Hitachi TM-3000 (Japan) with attached EDS detector console Bruker Quantax 70 for the element analysis of the surface. The carbon content, С/Н and C/N ratios were determined by dry combustion using the СHN-analyzer (Perkin Elmer 2400 Series II, USA). The content and composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were determined by gas chromatography using Agilent Technologies АТ 6890N with AT 5975N mass-selective detector and AT 7683B autosampler. Main results. The article presents the results of the three-years long study of the solids accumulated in snow along the technological road in the north of the Gorlov anthracite basin. The influence of the automobile road used for the anthracite transportation was shown to reach as far as 2000 m in all directions. The snow cover was found to accumulate from 1.4 to 1131.6 g/m2 of deposited aerosol solids. Those solids were mostly represented by coal particles, the carbon content ranging 26.5–64.1% and increasing with the distance from the road. The aerosol solids, accumulated in snow, were found to contain significant amounts of PAH, including the carcinogenic ones. In the snow samples collected at 25–2000 m off the road, carcinogenic PAH content was found to be 9–13000 times higher than at the control site remoted from the road. Conclusion. The presented study helped to elucidate the factors, contributing to decreasing the spread of the anthracite solids during automobile transportation. Such spread can be attained by a) establishing wide multi-storeyed forested protective belts along technological automobile roads; b) compulsory covering of the loads in the coal-transporting vehicles; c) decreasing the speed limit of the vehicles; and d) taking into consideration a wind rose while projecting locations new automobile roads and coal mining spoils.