Air Pollution Report

Air Pollution Report

Name Of the company: Coal India Ltd. Location Of the Mine: Piparwar, Dist. Chatra, Jharkhand Overview
Coal is the worlds most abundant and important source of primary energy. Reserves of coal are spread worldwide through out some hundred developed and developing countries, sufficient to meet global needs for the next 250 years. It is an important fossil fuel for generation of electricity and for other industrial purposes. Coal mining is now an essential part of civilization. Traditionally, coal mining and coal fired power plants are considered to be the most polluted industry. The following project contains a basic study of the air pollutants emitted into the air by the coal mines situated in Piparwar, Jharkhand. It also contains the steps taken by Coal India Ltd to address these issues.

Location
The project is located in North Karanpura coalfields in the disrict of Chatra in the State of Jharkhand, India. The project is situated in between the latitudes of 23 42 38 N & 23 4445 N and the longitudes of 85 03 15 E. The project is connected by road from Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Chatra which are at adistance of approx. 70 km. and 65 km. respectively. The nearest Railway station is Ray on Barkakhana Daltenganj section of E. Railway.

Capacity
Coal (ROM) 6.5 Mt 7.400 Mt Coal (washed) 5.525 Mt 5.525 Mt OBR 3.5 m CU.m 4.1 m CU.m Grade of Coal Coal (ROM) F Coal (Washed) 34% ASH

Air Pollution Caused By the Mine

Air Pollution is mainly due to fugitive emissions of particulate matter and gases including methane(CH4),sulphur dioxide(SO2) and oxide of nitrogen(Nox).The mining operations like drilling ,blasting,movement of heavy earthmoving machinery on haul roads,collection,transport and handling of coal,screening,sizing and segregation units are the major sources of such emissions.Underground mine fire is also a major source of air pollution in some coal fields. High levels of suspended particulate matter(SPM) increase respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis and asthma cases in the region around Piparwar while gases emissions contribute towards global warming besides causing health hazards . Methane emission from coal mining depends on the mining methods,depth of coal mining,coal quality and entrapped gas content in coal seams.

Impact of Mining on Air Quality

Air pollution in coal mines is mainly due to the fugitive emissions of particulate matter and gases including methane, sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monooxide. The major operations producing dust are drilling, blasting, hauling, loading, transporting and crushing. Basically, dust sources in mines can be categorized as primary sources that generate the dust and secondary sources, which disperse the dust and carry it from place to place called as fugitive dust. Opencast coal mining is more severe an air pollution problem in comparison to underground coal mining. In underground coal mining, men suffer from coal dust inside underground mine workings. But

opencast mining creates much more air quality deterioration in respect of dust and gaseous pollutants. It creates air pollution problem not only within the mining premises but also in surrounding residential area affecting abundant air quality. High levels of suspended particulate matter increase respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis and asthma cases while gaseous emissions contribute towards global warming besides causing health hazards to the exposed population. The vehicular traffic on haul roads has been identified as the most important cause of fugitive dust emissions and can contribute as much as 85% of the dust emitted from an opencast coal mine. Mitigation: The following measures can be adopted for minimizing the generation of dust in the mining and associated activities. Use dust extractors with drills. The blast design should be optimized for obtaining proper fragmentation and then minimizing the dust generation. Use suitably designed water sprays at the transfer points to suppress the dust. Control and manage the generation of dust on the haul roads, either by suitable spraying or by using appropriate chemicals. Use air pollution control systems in the washeries and enclosed coal handling plants Plan for the development of green belts around the areas having mining and associated activities. Plan for the formation of soil stacks and overburden dumps in such a manner that the contribution of these activities towards the concentration of SPM in the ambient air is minimum.

The following page contains Air Quality Report collected by two sampling stations:Tola across Bentinala and Benti Village for the period 20-01-2011 to 21-01-2011.

CENTRAL MINE PLANNING AND DESIGN INSTITUTE LTD. AIR QUALITY REPORT
Name of the Company Name of the Area Name of the Project Quarter Ending CCL Piparwar Ashoka OCP Mar'2011

Name of the Sampling Station Tola across Bentinala Date of Sampling SPM RPM SO2 NOx 20/01/2011 - 21/01/2011 143 95 10 39

Name of the Sampling Station Benti Village Date of Sampling SPM RPM SO2 NOx 20/01/2011 - 21/01/2011 175 85 < 10 40 SPM: Suspended particulate matter It consists of mist, dust, fumes and smoke. Common chemicals that constitute SPM are nickel, arsenic and lead. RPM: Respirable particulate matter Particles 10 microns or less in diameter are defined as respirable particulate matter or PM 10

AIR POLLUTION MANAGEMENT

The following are the steps taken by CCL India in Piparwar and other mines to control pollution and its effects: Water is continuously sprinkled on the haul/transportation road for dust suppression. Water is not simply dropped on the roads but in its place it is sprayed into air in a very thin spray with the help of high pressure jet pumps so that not only the dust is prevented from rising into the air but the dust which is already in the air is suppressed. Two water tankers of 28000 litres capacity fitted with high and some private contractors, tankers are also engaged in this work. Permanent water sprinkling arrangement have been provided at the sidings. Permanent water sprinkling arrangement at all the transfer points of the belt conveyors. Permanent water sprinkling at till the crushing stations. Regular grading and compaction of the roadways. Thick plantation barrier around mining area and roadways. Proper maintenance of dust suppression/collection device of drilling equipments. Planned blasting to keep minimum dust creation. Biological reclamation of the spoil heaps.

Plantation Details
Year Till 1990 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 No. of Plants 25000 40000 93000 242000 250000

1995-96 1997-98 1996-97 1998-99 Total

3450 00 314565 305000 191530 18,06,095

Reclamation
The Piparwar mine has been planned with the provision of reclamation of the decoaled area. The reject coal from the CPP which doesnt have any market at present; and the OBR excluding top soil and sub soil is used for filling the decoaled area of the mine. Effort is made to put the CPP reject always at the bottom except in cases of emergency. The heap is levelled and over this a layer of subsoil [about 2.0 m thick] is laid; and finally it is topped with the topsoil [about 2.0 m thick]. The whole operation is carried out keeping in mind the view to create a good landscape. After allowing this filling to settle down for a period of about two years, it is handed over to the forest department for afforestation. Till now 108 hectares of reclaimed land has been afforested. It has been planned that in no case more than 50 hectares. of decoaled area will remain unreclaimed.

Acknowledgements Mr. C S Azad, Chief Engineer, Electrical and Mechanical Department, Central Coal Fields Ltd, Ranchi MINENVIS-Newsletter on the Envis Nodal Centre, By Indian
School Of Mines, Dhanbad