Exploitation Of Coal Resources Research Articles

Zoning and management of phreatic water resource conservation impacted by underground coal mining: A case study in arid and semiarid areas

Zoning and management of phreatic water resource conservation (PWRC) impacted by underground coal mining in arid and semiarid areas are important for domestic water for local residents, regional ecogeological environment protection, and mining area planning. Using the Yushenfu mining area as a case study, first, the data of thickness and buried depth of first-mined coal seam, thickness and water abundance of phreatic aquifer, and distance between first-mined coal seam and phreatic water (DBFCSPW) were collected in 203 boreholes to establish thematic maps using ArcGIS software. Subsequently, from the perspective of phreatic aquifer failure mechanism and effective thickness of water-resistant layer, zoning for phreatic water leakage was divided into four areas, i.e., severe, moderate, slight, and no water loss areas. Then, combined with phreatic water storage capacity and first-mined coal seam recoverable reserves, a concept of phreatic water resource conservation coefficient (PWRCC) is proposed. On this basis, zoning for PWRCC was carried out. Finally, combined with phreatic water leakage and PWRCC, zoning maps for PWRC with four grades are presented: first, second, third, and fourth class PWRC. Furthermore, phreatic water resource management methods are proposed based on water resource utilization, coal mining methods, and water-resistant layer reconstruction. The research results are important for the sustainability of water resources and rational exploitation of coal resources.

A New Gob-Side Entry Retaining Approach with Reinforced Filling Gangue Wall in Thin Coal Seam

Gob-side entry retaining technology is an effective method for sustainable exploitation of coal resources and has been widely used in China. However, there are a large surrounding rock deformation and hard support in the gob-side entry retaining. In this paper, take the gob-side entry retaining in thin coal seam from Jiyang Coal Mine as the engineering background. Firstly, using FLAC software to simulate and analyze the deformation and stress distribution of gob-side entry surrounding rock in different schemes. Secondly, a new coupling support method was put forward after taking full consideration of the simulation results and field engineering experiences, namely: “bolt-mesh-anchor” for basic support, single hydraulic props as reinforced support of gob-side entry, and reinforced filling wall with bolts. In-situ engineering practices showed that this method has a good effect on controlling the deformation of gob-side entry surrounding rock and creates the better conditions for normal production of the working face.

Distribution and Evolution Characteristics of Macroscopic Stress Field in Gob-Side Entry Retaining by Roof Cutting

Non-pillar mining technology plays an important role in sustainable exploitation of coal resources. Gob-side entry retaining by roof cutting (GERRC) is a new technique regarding a non-pillar mining method based on the “cutting cantilever beam theory”. In order to study the distribution and evolution characteristics of macroscopic stress field of surrounding rocks in GERRC, and find out differences from traditional pillar retained mining method (PRMM), some key issues about abutment pressure and stress concentration shell were analyzed by numerical simulations. Results show that: (1) distribution characteristics of lead abutment pressure for the two mining methods are basically the same during the primary mining stage; (2) during the secondary mining stage, peak stress in front of mining face of the two modes is close, while the abutment pressure can be transferred more evenly to coal and rock mass far away from goaf when using GERRC, and that is more likely to cause high stress concentration in the coal mass near the goaf when mining with PRMM; (3) for the PRMM, lateral abutment pressure will produce a higher stress concentration in section coal pillar and a high residual stress will be maintained in it when coal masses on both sides of the pillar are extracted; (4) adjacent goafs can be connected to form a wide range of pressure relief region when using GERRC, and shape of distribution of the maximum principal stress appears a semi-space ellipsoidal shell in three-dimensional space, and it is a single arch shape in the section perpendicularly to the mining direction, however, it looks like a “m” shape in that section when mining with PRMM because of the high stress concentration in the coal pillar.

Surface Subsidence Control Mechanism and Effect Evaluation of Gangue-Backfilling Mining: A Case Study in China

Comprehensive mechanization solid backfilling mining is a new technology developed in China for coal mining and surface subsidence control. Based on a gangue-backfilling project in the Yangzhuang Coal Mine, the characteristics of underlying strata and surface deformation were studied by similar-material simulation method. When the ratio of the sponge to foam was 1 : 3, the mixture can simulate well the deformation characteristics of gangues in the similar-material model. On this basis, the movement and deformation characteristics of the overlying strata caused by gangue-backfilling mining were studied. The findings indicate that compared with caving mining, the expansion coefficient of overlying strata, the interlayer fracture, and the subsidence value were smaller in backfilling mining, with the integral overlying strata subsidence occurring. Meanwhile, the reduction ratio of surface subsidence after backfilling mining was more than 85%, verified by the subsidence-monitoring results. The research outcomes in this paper have significance for coal resource exploitation of similar mines around the world.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF A MINE SUBSIDENCE ON NATIVE VEGETATION OF SOUTH EASTERN COALFIELDS, INDIA

Abstract. This study aims to evaluate the effect of underground coal mining subsidence on the growth of native vegetation. For this study, an underground coal mine of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), India was selected. Changes in vegetation indices were analyzed using three remote sensing data of the previous five years. Three period’s Landsat 8 OLI resolution image data were used to calculate Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) of the years 2014, 2016 and 2018 in QGIS environment. The study showed that the local grassland and forest were affected by the mining exploitation and subsidence but those effects were not significant to have an adverse impact on the same. The short-term mining was having an impact on the vegetation growth but the effects gradually disappeared with the gradual stabilization of the subsided land and in absence of human interference, vegetation recovered well. In long-term, subsidence was not having a major impact on the vegetation growth. Thus, coal resources exploitation and subsidence of the said mine of SECL did not bring out an adverse impact on a wide range of forest and grassland ecosystems, and these ecosystems could carry the partial destruction and ultimately stabilized ecosystems by self-repair.

Evolution of the global coal trade network: A complex network analysis

The evolution of the global coal trade flow among countries impacts coal trade systems operation, coal resource exploitation and global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Several strategies of sustainable development to counteract the impacts of the evolution of the global coal trade network (GCTN) have been proposed. However, the effective implementation of such strategies requires a clear understanding of the evolution of the GCTN and its impacts. This paper focuses on the analysis of the features of the evolution of the GCTN. It builds a complex network model of the global coal trade based on the international coal trade data from 1996 to 2015 and especially explores the evolution of the global coal trade from both continuous time series and comparative perspectives. Through network analysis, the main findings obtained are as follows. (1) The GCTN is scale-free, which means that a tiny minority of countries own many coal transportation partners, and a marked majority of countries own a few. (2) Although Japan, India and South Korea were the top three countries in terms of coal traffic volume in 2015, their intermediate function was weak; Russia and Italy lost their intermediate importance over time. (3) There existed an obvious alteration in that the centre of the network moved to Asia from North America and that the uneven flow distribution of the network became more intense. These results suggest that due to the scale-freeness of the GCTN, global policy makers should establish an international policy environment and strengthen the protection of countries that are important for coal trade, which are defined as key nodes in the GCTN and include the USA, China, and India, to ensure the stable operation of the network and maintain coal transport security. In addition, the findings indicate the huge effects of Asia’s coal consumption on the global CO2 emissions in recent years. Policy aimed at reducing Asia’s CO2 emissions should be adopted for the reduction of global emissions.

Micropore Structure and Fractal Characteristics of Low-Permeability Coal Seams

With the raw coal from a typical low-permeability coal seam in the coalfield of South Junger Basin in Xinjiang as the research object, this paper examined six kinds of coal samples with different permeabilities using a scanning electron microscope and a low-temperature nitrogen adsorption test that employed a JSM-6460LV high-resolution scanning electron microscope and an ASAP2020 automatic specific surface area micropore analyzer to measure all characteristic micropore structural parameters. According to fractal geometry theory, four fractal dimension calculation models of coal and rock were established, after which the pore structure characteristic parameters were used to calculate the fractal dimensions of the different coal seams. The results show that (1) the low-permeability coal seam in the coalfield of South Junger Basin in Xinjiang belongs to mesoporous medium, with a certain number of large pores and no micropores. The varying adsorption capacities of the different coal seams were positively correlated with pore volume, surface area, and the mesoporous surface area proportions, from which it was concluded that mesopores were the main contributors to pore adsorption in low-permeability coal seams. (2) The raw coal pore fractal dimension had a negative linear relationship to average pore size, a positive linear relationship with total pore volume, total surface area, and adsorption capacity, and a positive correlation with the mesoporous surface area proportion; that is, the higher the fractal dimension, the larger the pore volume and surface area of the raw coal. (3) The permeability of the low-permeability coal seam had a phase correlation with the micropore development degree; that is, the permeability had a phase negative correlation with the pore distribution fractal dimension, and there was a positive correlation between permeability and porosity. These results are of theoretical significance for the clean exploitation of low-permeability coal seam resources.

Has China’s coal consumption already peaked? A demand-side analysis based on hybrid prediction models

To deal simultaneously with the environmental problems caused by the current high-intensity exploitation and extensive use of coal resources, it is necessary to perform a scientific prediction of the trend and, especially, the peak of China’s coal demand. Based on the historical data on coal consumption and four primary factors (economic growth, energy structure, investment, and industrial structure) during the period of 1981–2015, this study established a hybrid model for coal demand prediction, using particle swarm optimization and cointegration methods. According to the prediction results combined with the actual statistics, in the business-as-usual scenario, China’s coal demand had peaked in 2014, then a downward trend started with an average annual decline rate of 5.85% for 2016 to 2020. However, future coal demand will keep increasing in the pessimism scenario. And in the optimism scenario, coal demand will decline much faster than the business-as-usual scenario. Sensitive analysis on four influential factors shows that coal demand is more sensitive to changes in investment and industrial structure, and more emphasis should be put on the supply and the demand side of coal industry.

Deformation Damage and Energy Evolution Characteristics of Coal at Different Depths

As coal mining is extended to greater depths, it is found that the mechanical behavior of deep coal differs from the mechanical behavior of shallow coal, resulting in a significant increase in accidents. To explore the characteristics of deformation damage and energy evolution of coal at different depths, coal samples from depths of 300, 600, 700, 850, and 1050 m at the Pingdingshan Coal Mine were acquired. The effects of depth on the in situ stress environment and physical properties of coal were considered, and triaxial compression experiments on 128 coal samples were conducted on this basis. The results show that as the depth rises up, the elastic modulus of coal gradually increases, reaching a maximum of 6.88 GPa in the range of 700–850 m. Poisson’s ratio, the strength, and the volume strain at failure increase nonlinearly, reaching a maximum of 0.48, 129.7 MPa and 0.81%, respectively, at the depth of 1050 m. With increasing depth, the elastic energy and dissipated energy increase more rapidly, and the corresponding peaks of 1050 m are 1.84 times and 3.1 times that of 300 m, respectively. The dissipated energy causes a more significant internal structural change in deep coal, thereby leading to more prominent macroscopic failure in the deep. From the perspective of energy conversion efficiency, it is mainly the accumulation of elastic energy at the pre-peak stage, followed by the release of elastic energy and a rapid increase in dissipated energy at the post-peak stage. The efficiency of accumulation and release of elastic energy decreases significantly in deep coal, while the generation efficiency of dissipated energy increases sharply. These results provide a useful reference for the safe and efficient exploitation of deep coal resources.

Research on the Evaluation Model and Suggestions of Coal Resources Mining Level in China

As the basic energy resource of China, coal is a reliable energy supply provided for the national economy and social development. But with the adjustment of economy and energy structure, the coal industry now is facing some prominent issues such as overcapacity, low production efficiency, high pressure of production safety and environmental protection. According to the characteristics of coal industry, the evaluation model and indicators system of coal mining level based on four dimensions of production safety, production efficiency, resource recovery and environmental protection were established, and the weight of each indicator was determined. Considering the indicator values of America’s coal industry to be the standard, coal mining level of China, America, Australia and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China were evaluated and analysed comparatively. Based on the analysis of the development environment of China’s coal industry under the new situation, five suggestions for improving the level of coal resources exploitation and promoting the green and sustainable development of China coal industry were put forward.

Controls of natural fractures on the texture of hydraulic fractures in rock

Hydraulic fracturing plays an important role in the exploitation of oil, shale gas and coal seam gas resources – all of which contain natural fractures. We systematically explore the role of the pre-existing texture of such natural fractures on the form of the resulting stimulated reservoir volume (SRV). A blocky discrete element model (DEM) coupled with fluid flow is used to explore this response. Numerical predictions for the evolution of fluid pressure and fracture width at the well are compared with first-order analytical approximations of the zero-toughness solution (FMO). We then construct four typical joint system models separately comprising orthogonal, staggered, diagonal and randomly oriented joints and conduct the virtual hydraulic fracturing simulations via DEM. This defines the influence of structure on breakdown pressure and fracture propagation and allows the analysis of the main factors that influence behavior and resulting SRV. Results for the four forms of jointed rock mass show that: (1) the aggregate/mean extension direction of the fractures is always along the direction of the maximum principal stress but significant deviations may result from the pre-existing fractures; (2) there are negative correlations between the maximum fracture aperture with both Poisson ratio and elastic modulus, but the breakdown pressure is only weakly correlated with Poisson ratio and elastic modulus; (3) an increase in injection rate results in a broader fracture process zone extending orthogonal to the principal fracture, and the breakdown pressure and interior fracture aperture also increase; (4) an increase in fluid viscosity makes the fractures more difficult to extend, and the breakdown pressure and interior fracture aperture both increase accordingly.

Study of the Human-Driven Mechanism of LUCC in the Shenfu Mining Area, NW of China

Taking the Shenfu mining area, located in the northwest of China, as an example, temporal and spatial changes of land use/cover and its human-driven mechanism were analyzed based on the land use and MODIS NDVI data. The results show that: (1) by the implementation of the Grain for Green Project (GGP), the area of cultivated land decreased, and grassland increased. By the exploitation of coal and other resources and the development of social and economic levels, the area of construction land increased. (2) The vegetation cover level in the mining area significantly increased from 2000 to 2015, and the implementation of GGP and the increase of precipitation were the main reasons. (3) The driving force of land use to forest land and grassland could increase the level of vegetation cover, such as with the GGP, and the promotion of cultivated land and construction land will lead to the reduction of vegetation cover level, such as with urban expansion and mining area construction caused by population growth and industrial development.

Development of a New Gob-Side Entry-Retaining Approach and Its Application

Gob-side entry retaining plays an important role in the sustainable exploitation of coal resources and has been widely used in coal mining. However; some disadvantages, such as high labour intensity and low efficiency of wall construction, have gravely restricted the application of this technique. To solve this issue, this paper developed a new gob-side entry retaining approach including a lightweight and high-strength foam concrete and a mortise-and-tenon structure hollow-block wall. The experiment results show that the preparation of foam concrete with a density of 1200 kg/m3; with uniaxial compressive strength greater than 15 MPa, can be realized by the chemical-foaming method. The method is performed by adding silica fume, slag and fly ash to a system of “cement and sand” structure collocation and by optimizing the proportioning of the materials. The density of foam concrete is reduced by 50% relative to that of common concrete which can greatly reduce the weight of the blocks. Compared with the conventional gob-side entry-retaining wall the new wall structure has many advantages. For example, it can improve stability by increasing the width-to-height ratio of the wall and save 44.44% of the material, and at the same time; it can save manpower and improve labour efficiency. Finally, the new approach was tested in the 3203 gob-side entry-retaining working face in a Chinese coal mine and the application effect proves that the new approach is well suited for entry retaining. The wall structure and parameters are reasonable. This work can contribute to the sustainable and efficient exploitation of underground coal resources.

Coal Deformation, Metamorphism and Tectonic Environment in Xinhua, Hunan

This article discusses in detail chemical composition, molecular structure, microstructure phenomena, estimate of the palaeo-stress, paleo-temperature and the strain rate to deepen the knowledge for the correlation of coal deformation and metamorphism with structural environment in Xinhua Hunan by coal quality analysis, XRD and SEM methods, which provide dependable theoretical foundation for coal resource exploitation and utilization. The results show that 1) d002 value of six coal samples is from 3.36 to 3.39 nm, coal resolved itself into aphanitic graphite with the increase of coal rank during coalification, which is characterized by graphite flakes, and the crystallite size is from 50 nm to 250 nm; A certain degree of 3R-structure content is increases and the crystallite size is extend with the coalification process, but RH-structure content is decreased; 2) the tectonic environment of research area belongs to the ductile-brittle deformation, which was characterized by low temperature, low stress, high strain rate; 3) Tianlongshan magmatic intrusion provided heat source, its side-extrusion made the molecules structure of coal ordering, distance between layers decreased, finally it caused the formation of aphanitic graphite.

High-grade highways deformation and failure laws in mining area – a case in Nantun Coal Mine, China

ABSTRACTHigh-grade highways constitute an important transportation infrastructure in coal mine areas in China. The surface subsidence caused by coal mining under high-grade highways poses a serious threat to the safety of high-grade highways. It is imperative to study the influence of mining-induced surface subsidence on high-grade highways. Zouji high-grade highways connect Zoucheng city and Jining city and pass over Nantun Coal Mine. Hence, coal resource exploitation in Nantun Coal Mine negatively affects high-grade highways. The 7328 working face belongs to the upper layers of No. 3 coal of Nantun Coal Mine. A field survey of deformation monitoring points above No. 7328 working face and a field investigation of high-grade highways damage area are performed to examine the subsidence relationship between high-grade highways pavement and surface, high-grade highways deformation and failure characteristics. The results are as follows: (1) the pavement subsidence is essentially consistent with the surface subsidence. When the pavement produces an uplift, the pavement subsidence is lower than surface subsidence. (2) Due to the discontinuous deformation of uplifts and cracks, the inclination curves exhibit obvious fluctuations. (3) The pavement cracks occur in the tensile area. The generation and development of pavement cracks mainly occur prior to the working face advances under the high-grade highways. Advances in working face increases the surface movement and deformation although the cracks width exhibits only a slight change. (4) The pavement uplifts occur in the compression deformation zone. The measured uplift height is between 5 and 15 cm, the length is between 5 and 12 m and the width is between 2 and 9 m. The horizontal profile of uplift generally corresponds to a long and narrow oval. (5) Given a strong stiffness and anti-deformation ability, the kerb also experiences compression failure within 24 h, and this mainly includes folding fracture or comminuted fracture. It is expected that the results of the study can guide coal exploitation under Zouji high-grade highways and provide an experimental reference for coal exploitation under high-grade highways in other mining areas.

A Cascade Disaster Caused by Geological and Coupled Hydro-Mechanical Factors—Water Inrush Mechanism from Karst Collapse Column under Confining Pressure

The water inrush from karst collapse column (KCC) is a cascading, vicious cycle disaster caused by geological and mining activities, that can cause serious casualties and property losses. The key to preventing this risk is to study the mechanism of water inrush under confining pressure. Aiming at the investigationg the characteristics of the KCC named X1 in Chensilou mine, a series of methods, including connectivity experiments, water pressure monitoring tests in two side-walls, and numerical simulations based on plastic damage-seepage (PD-S) theory have been developed. The methods are used to test the security of the 2519 mining area, the damage thickness, pore water pressure, and seepage vector in the X1. The results indicate that the X1 has a certain water blocking capacity. In addition, with the decrease of confining pressure and increase of shear stress, deviatoric stress could cause the increase of permeability, the reduction of strength, and the reduction of pore water pressure in KCC. Therefore the increased effective stress in the rock will force the rock to become more fractured. Conversely, the broken rock could cause the change of stress, and further initiate new plastic strains, damage and pore water pressure until a new equilibrium is reached. This cascading water inrush mechanism will contribute to the exploitation of deep coal resources in complex geological and hydrogeological conditions.

Analysis and Optimization of Entry Stability in Underground Longwall Mining

For sustainable utilization of limited coal resources, it is important to increase the coal recovery rate and reduce mine accidents, especially those occurring in the entry (gateroad). Entry stabilities are vital for ventilation, transportation and other essential services in underground coal mining. In the present study, a finite difference model was built to investigate stress evolutions around the entry, and true triaxial tests were carried out at the laboratory to explore entry wall stabilities under different mining conditions. The modeling and experimental results indicated that a wide coal pillar was favorable for entry stabilities, but oversize pillars caused a serious waste of coal resources. As the width of the entry wall decreased, the integrated vertical stress, induced by two adjacent mining panels, coupled with each other and experienced an increase on the entry wall, which inevitably weakened the stability of the entry. Therefore, mining with coal pillars always involves a tradeoff between economy and safety. To address this problem, an innovative non-pillar mining technique by optimizing the entry surrounding structures was proposed. Numerical simulation showed that the deformation of the entry roof decreased by approximately 66% after adopting the new approach, compared with that using the conventional mining method. Field monitoring indicated that the stress condition of the entry was significantly improved and the average roof pressure decreased by appropriately 60.33% after adopting the new technique. This work provides an economical and effective approach to achieve sustainable exploitation of underground coal resources.

Classification of the type of eco-geological environment of a coal mine district: A case study of an ecologically fragile region in Western China

Western China is characterized by abundant coal resources but it also faces the problems of poor water resources and fragile ecological environment, which have become more prominent due to the large-scale exploitation of coal resources in recent years. Shennan coal mine district is located at the border area between the Loess Plateau and Mu Us Desert of Northern Shaanxi province, which belongs to the typical arid and semi-arid ecologically fragile region of Western China, The geological features and ecological environmental characteristics of this district show wide variations with spatial distribution. However, intense coal mining activities will inevitably lead to further deterioration of the already fragile ecological and geological (eco-geological) environment, making recovery increasingly difficult. Therefore, investigating the different characteristics and classifying the types of the eco-geological environment are of great significance to in selecting appropriate mining methods, which would help in realizing coordinated exploitation of coal resources and environmental protection before coal exploitation. In this study, based on the remote sensing and geographic information system technology, Landsat8 remote sensing image, regional geological data, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), borehole data, hydrological data were analyzed. Furthermore, the eco-geological environment of the study area was classified into three types with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, surface elevation, terrain slope, surface lithology, geomorphic type, and hydrographic net are selected as the main control factors to classify eco-geological environment type. Each control factor was quantified using ArcGIS, with the aid of MATLAB 2014b as the computing platform, eco-geological environment of study area is classified into three types combining weighted fuzzy C-means (WFCM) clustering algorithm and the weight of each main control factor determined by fuzzy Delphi analytic hierarchy process (FDAHP) method. Finally, the classification of the eco-geological environment was verified through a field survey of the Hongliulin coal mine, and the results showed high accuracy.

Green and Sustainable Mining: Underground Coal Mine Fully Mechanized Solid Dense Stowing-Mining Method

China produces and consumes most of coal in the world. This situation is expected to continue within a certain period in the future. Currently, Chinese coal industry is confronted with several serious problems relating to land resource, water resource, environmental, and ecological sustainability. Coal resource exploitation causes the permanent fracture and movement of strata structure, which have caused the fracture and collapse of overlying strata and further led to the subsidence of ground surface as well as the seepage of water in aquifers around the coal seam, which has resulted not only in the loss of land and water resources, but also in serious threats and accidents to underground mining. On the other hand, mining and mineral-processing wastes are one of the world’s long plagued concerns among solid wastes. Coal gangue, as the major waste with a huge amount of discharge, has not only occupied the land, but has also contaminated the ambient land resources and hydrological environment, and further led to ecological system destruction and degradation. What is more, in China there are large amounts of coal—located under railways, buildings, and water bodies—which are unavailable with traditional mining methods. These problems are obviously threaten the concept of green sustainable development. This paper introduces a novel developed solid dense stowing mining method, which is able to significantly reduce or event eliminate the corresponding damages caused by underground mining behavior and realize green and sustainable development. The novelty of this research work is realizing the automation and synchronization of mining and material stowing with an appropriate compaction ratio for adequate support of goaf roof. It can improve the stability of rock strata and the safety and efficiency of underground mining. We also studied and designed a perfect stowing material by using coal gangue and fly ash with appropriate proportions under different particle size gradations. By implementation of the above-mentioned methods in China, the solid dense stowing rate of mined seam areas have reached more than 95% and the overburden strata movements have been reduced to extremely low level which had nearly no damages to above buildings. The solid dense stowing mining method has also realized the reuse and recycling of coal mine solid wastes. Meanwhile, considerable previously unavailable coal resources under buildings, railways, and water bodies have been made available for exploration, which could extend the life of coal mines and increase the sustainability for coal industry and the environment. Ultimately, this method is a reliable way to realize green and sustainable mining. The strata structure protection, the surface subsidence prevention, and coal mine solid waste disposal have been realized at the same time.

Analysis and Prevention of Geo-Environmental Hazards with High-Intensive Coal Mining: A Case Study in China’s Western Eco-Environment Frangible Area

This study seeks to address the problems of major geo-environmental hazards caused by high-intensive coal mining in China’s western eco-environment frangible area including strong mining pressure, surface subsidence, soil and water loss, and land desertification. Using the high-intensive mining at the Xiao-jihan Coal Mine, this paper investigates the compaction characteristics of aeolian sand-based backfilling materials, and then the evolution of water-conducting fractures and surface deformation laws with different backfill material’s compression ratios (BMCRs) by using physical simulation and numerical simulation analysis methods. This study presents the technical system of water-preserved and environmental protection with rapid-backfilling methods in China’s western eco-environment frangible area. The backfill coal mining technique and application prospects are assessed and discussed. The results will be helpful for coordinated development of coal resources exploitation and environmental protection in China’s western eco-environment frangible area.