Coal Mine Research Articles

Temporal and spatial evolution law of landslide induced by overlying strata fracture in coal seam mining under slope landform: A case study of mountain land mining area in Southwest China

Temporal and spatial evolution law of landslide induced by overlying strata fracture in coal seam mining under slope landform: A case study of mountain land mining area in Southwest China

Hierarchical Coordinated Optimization and Energy Management Control for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Heavy-Duty Truck Platoon in Coal Mine Transportation System

Hierarchical Coordinated Optimization and Energy Management Control for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Heavy-Duty Truck Platoon in Coal Mine Transportation System

Path Planning for Coal Mining Masonry Robots Combined with Trajectory Optimization

Path Planning for Coal Mining Masonry Robots Combined with Trajectory Optimization

Temperature and humidity monitoring and communication system for coal mine working based on LoRa

Temperature and humidity monitoring and communication system for coal mine working based on LoRa

Model test study on the rainfall erosion mechanisms and reclamation potential of open-pit coal mine dump soil improved by fly ash and polyacrylamide

Increasing the soil erosion resistance is one of the core issues in slope erosion control and ecological environmental restoration of open-pit coal mine (OPCM) dumps. In this study, fly ash (FA) and polyacrylamide (PAM) were used to improve the soil quality of an OPCM dump, and an indoor physical model was constructed to investigate the water and soil loss characteristics of the improved soil via simulated rainfall experiments. Scanning electron microscopy and Pore and Crack Analysis System software were employed to systematically investigate the erosion resistance mechanisms of the improved soil qualitatively and quantitatively. Finally, the improved technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) method was adopted to evaluate the reclamation potential of the improved soil. The results revealed that under the action of PAM (PAM and PAM–FA), the average erosion rate of the slope decreased by more than 90 %. Compared with that in the control group, when FA was applied alone, the slope erosion rate first decreased and then increased with increasing FA content. Upon PAM addition, the erosion pattern changed from the splash erosion stage, cave erosion stage, gully erosion stage, and tensile slip stage to the splash erosion stage and cave erosion stage. However, no obvious change in the runoff pattern. Erosion and runoff patterns are generally affected by the amendment type, addition concentration, porosity, pore shape, pore direction and hydrological environment. The erosion resistance mechanism of the improved soil entailed the formation of more stable soil aggregates via filling, cementation, skeleton support generation, and flocculation of FA and PAM. In addition, the optimal soil improvement was achieved when FA and PAM were added at levels of 16 % and 0.01 %, respectively. The obtained research results could be used for erosion control and ecological environmental protection of coarse-grained soil slopes in mining areas, highways and other fields and could be widely applied.

Coal Mine Generated Pit Lakes in Abandoned Mining Areas in Raniganj Coal Field: Characteristics and Ecological Significance

Coal mine-generated pit lakes in the Raniganj Coal Field (RCF) are a unique and complex ecological phenomenon resulting from historical mining activities. These pit lakes, formed by the intersection of open-pit mines with the water table, exhibit diverse characteristics and play a significant role in post-mining landscapes. This review explore the morphological features, water quality, ecological significance, and restoration strategies associated with these pit lakes and the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of their importance and inform sustainable management practices.

Coal mining project management in a dynamic environment: addressing parametric and srtuctural uncertainties

Coal mining project management in a dynamic environment: addressing parametric and srtuctural uncertainties

Optimal allocation of technical reclamation and ecological restoration for a cost-effective solution in Pingshuo Opencast Coal Mine area of China.

Limiting adverse consequences of mining activities requires ecosystem restoration efforts, whose arrangement around mining areas is poorly designed. It is unclear, however, where best to locate ecological projects to enhance ecosystem services cost-effectively. To answer this question, we conducted an optimized ecological restoration project planning by the Resource Investment Optimization System (RIOS) model to identify the restoration priority areas in the Pingshuo Opencast Coal Mine region in Shanxi Province. This region features notable mining activity, agricultural land use, and urban development. We found that the land use changes were primarily influenced by human activities such as mining and urbanization, as well as ecological interventions from 1986 to 2022, during which the area of industrial and construction land continuously expanded. The RIOS model was configured using input data such as land use, digital elevation models (DEM), and biophysical coefficients. Ecological restoration objectives were selected, including Erosion Control for Drinking Water Quality, Erosion Control for Reservoir Maintenance, Nutrient Retention, and Baseflow. Investment optimization scenario simulations revealed that over 90% of ecological projects in the Pingshuo Opencast Coal Mine are distributed in the low-slope areas (0°-15°). Four types of technical reclamation and ecological restoration projects, i.e., agroforestry, grass strips, riparian management, and terracing, exhibit strong preferences for specific locations. Riparian management and agroforestry tend to be distributed on soil dumps; terracing and grass strips tend to be distributed in the upstream agricultural areas of rivers and junctions of watershed gullies and slopes. The model prioritized areas based on ecological restoration goals and stakeholder interests, optimizing locations that would maximize ecological benefits while addressing the objectives. Moreover, depending on the different goals of ecological restoration in the mining area, investment plans that maximize benefits for stakeholders should range between 3 and 6 million dollars. While the restoration strategies in this study were designed for the Pingshuo region, they hold potential for other mining areas with similar biophysical conditions, surrounding ecosystems, and mining scales. The RIOS model adjusts its recommendations based on specific input data, making it adaptable and broadly applicable to other mining area. The results of this study positively contribute to alleviating the conflict between ecosystem protection and socioeconomic development in mining areas, scientifically regulating ecological restoration activities, and enhancing ecosystem services. Our results provide evidence that ecological restoration interventions contribute measurably to restore the degraded ecosystems in the mining areas.

Bryophytes adapt to open-pit coal mine environments by changing their functional traits in response to heavy metal-induced soil environmental changes.

Plants have unique adaptability to heavy metal pollution. However, the adaptation strategies of bryophytes are still unclear. In order to better understand the response of bryophytes to different heavy metal and the adaptation mechanisms of different species to heavy metal pollution, we studied soil physicochemical properties, distribution of heavy metal elements, ecological risk assessment and the community structure, functional characteristics of bryophytes in large open-pit coal mines in Inner Mongolia. The results indicate that: (1) The soil in three open-pit mining areas currently does not pose an ecological risk from the heavy metal pollution, but high concentrations of Zn and Hg are found in most parts of the study area; (2) The presence of a single heavy metal drives the distribution of specific taxa of bryophytes. Apart from Hg, Pb, and Zn, all the other heavy metals significantly impact the community structure of bryophytes; (3) With the exception of Pb and Hg, all the other heavy metals have an influence on the functional traits of bryophytes; 4) Different taxa of bryophytes will adapt to changes in soil environments caused by heavy metal pollution by altering their functional traits (blades, leaf cells, or plant size).

Quantitative Assessment of Work-related Hand-arm Vibration Exposure Among Workers in the Construction, Underground Coal Mining, Wood Working, and Metal Working Industry: The German Hand-arm Vibration Study

Quantitative Assessment of Work-related Hand-arm Vibration Exposure Among Workers in the Construction, Underground Coal Mining, Wood Working, and Metal Working Industry: The German Hand-arm Vibration Study

Comparative study on the performance of different carrier-based perovskite exhaust gas removal agent for diesel vehicles in underground coal mines

Comparative study on the performance of different carrier-based perovskite exhaust gas removal agent for diesel vehicles in underground coal mines

Different hydrogeological characteristics of springs associated with abandoned coal mines in well-developed karst area

Different hydrogeological characteristics of springs associated with abandoned coal mines in well-developed karst area

Development Law and Prevention Methods of Mining-induced Ground Cracks: A Review

ABSTRACT Mining-induced ground cracks in coal mining areas pose a significant threat to the ecological environment and the safety of individuals and property. To achieve sustainable development in mining environments and resource utilization, it is crucial to elucidate the formation mechanisms, types, development laws, research methods, and prevention strategies associated with ground cracks. In this paper, we classify mining-induced ground cracks based on various research purposes. Relevant research methods are summarized, and we systematically review the research progress on the development law of different mining-induced ground cracks. The unique development patterns of ground cracks in the Aeolian sand area of the western mining region in China are analyzed, highlighting a double cycle. Simultaneously, we explore prevention methods for mining-induced ground cracks. Results indicate that the evolution law and formation mechanism of mining-induced ground cracks are influenced by various geological and mining factors, showing complexity, diversity, and unity. However, research methods have their limitations. Building upon these findings, we propose a monitoring and analysis systems for mining-induced ground cracks to enhance real-time monitoring, data processing, and subsequent analysis. It is recommended to make further efforts in seven aspects. These endeavors aim to better comprehend the intricate behavior of ground cracks in coal mining areas, providing a theoretical reference for land ecological restoration.

An index-based approach to evaluate ecological environment in various surface coal mines using Google Earth Engine

An index-based approach to evaluate ecological environment in various surface coal mines using Google Earth Engine

Coal mining subsidence on soil nutrients and enzymes of artificial forest in northern China

Coal mining subsidence on soil nutrients and enzymes of artificial forest in northern China

Preparation and performance evaluation of an efficient microbial dust suppressant for dust control in disturbed areas of blast piles in open-pit coal mines.

Open-pit coal mining creates large rock piles as a result of removing overlying strata. When disturbed by loading operations and wind, these rock piles release considerable dust, leading to significant environmental pollution. This study aims to develop an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method for dust control in disturbed areas of open-pit coal mines, using Sporosarcina pasteurii as a microbial dust suppressant to explore its potential application and development. Laboratory experiments were conducted to simulate the growth characteristics of Sporosarcina pasteurii in the microenvironment of blast pile dust. The effectiveness of the microbial dust suppressant was evaluated under conditions of impact disturbance and rainfall erosion through wind and rain erosion tests. Results showed that under optimal conditions, the wind erosion resistance of treated samples improved significantly, with an increase of 98.24%, 86.99%, 64.08%, and 40.98% after 1, 2, 3, and 4 impact disturbances, respectively. Additionally, rain erosion resistance improved by 75.55% after 35min of simulated rainfall. The growth conditions of Sporosarcina pasteurii in blast pile dust leachate were similar to those in sterile water, demonstrating robust growth and consistent urease activity of 7.78mmolL⁻1min⁻1 after 24h. The mineralization product was calcite-type CaCO3 with uneven particle sizes. This work confirms the feasibility of microbial dust suppressants for managing dust in disturbed areas of open-pit coal mine blast piles, offering a promising approach for dust control in such environments.

The Mineralogical Composition and Mechanical Characteristics of Selected European Coal Mining Waste Samples and Their Experimental Correlation

The Mineralogical Composition and Mechanical Characteristics of Selected European Coal Mining Waste Samples and Their Experimental Correlation

UAV-MSSH: A novel UAV photogrammetry-based framework for mining surface three-dimensional movement basin monitoring

Monitoring the surface three-dimensional movement caused by underground coal mining is a critical and challenging task. Despite many methods have been proposed in previous works, they focus more on the subsidence, with insufficient discussions on the horizontal displacement and the underlying coupled mechanisms between them. To address these issues, we introduce a novel UAV photogrammetry-based framework for mining surface three-dimensional movement basin monitoring, named UAV-MSSH. This framework consists of two branches: vertical subsidence and horizontal displacements. For the subsidence branch, we propose an improved cloth simulation filtering algorithm based on slope zone indexing (CSFS) to model high-precision subsidence basins. In the horizontal displacement branch, we develop a probability integral prediction prior-guided COSI-Corr (PIM-CC) method for displacement detection by bridging the gaps between the horizontal displacement and subsidence. Employing this framework, we monitored the surface three-dimensional movement using the UAV oblique photogrammetry method at a working face in western China. The accuracy evaluation results with net station GNSS data show that the RMSE of the subsidence basin is 161 mm, the relative error is 3.1 %, and the RMSEs of the east–west and north–south components are 99 mm and 85 mm, respectively, which demonstrates the effectiveness and practicality of our proposed UAV-MSSH framework in mining surface monitoring tasks. This study establishes an innovative and proven methodology for UAV monitoring in the mining field, which is valuable for safe production, disaster warning, and ecological restoration.

Respiratory symptoms after coalmine fire and pandemic: A longitudinal analysis of the Hazelwood Health Study adult cohort.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the effects of extreme but discrete PM2.5 exposure from a coal mine fire on respiratory symptoms abated, persisted, or worsened over time, and whether they were exacerbated by COVID-19. We analysed longitudinal survey data from a cohort residing near a 2014 coalmine fire in regional Australia. A 2016/2017 survey included 4,056 participants, of whom 612 were followed-up in 2022. Items included respiratory symptoms, history of COVID-19, and time-location diaries from the mine fire period, which were combined with geospatial and temporal models of fire-related PM2.5. Longitudinal effects of fire-related PM2.5 were examined using a mixed-effects logistic regression model. Exacerbation due to COVID-19 was examined using a logistic regression model. PM2.5 exposure was associated with chronic cough and possibly current wheeze, chest tightness, and current nasal symptoms 2-3 years post-fire, and chronic cough and current wheeze 8.5-9 years post-fire. Further, the association between PM2.5 and chronic cough and possibly current wheeze appeared to increase between the survey periods. While there were no detectable interactions between PM2.5 and COVID-19, PM2.5 exposure was associated with additional respiratory symptoms among participants who reported a history of COVID-19. In summary, medium-duration exposure to extreme levels of fire-related PM2.5 may have increased the long-term risk of chronic cough and current wheeze. While the COVID-19 pandemic started several years after the mine fire, contracting this illness may have exacerbated the effect of fire-related PM2.5 through development of additional respiratory symptoms.

Failure mechanism analysis of ultra-large-section soft-rock roadway in kilometer deep coal mine and its collaborative control of “grouting-anchoring-pouring”

Failure mechanism analysis of ultra-large-section soft-rock roadway in kilometer deep coal mine and its collaborative control of “grouting-anchoring-pouring”