Geochemical and mineralogical evaluations of coal,shale,and mine waste overburden from Makum coalfield of the Northeast India

The Cenozoic-age Makum coal from northeastern India offers numerous research opportunities because of its diverse geochemical and geological characteristics.Due to its high sulfur content,the coal has been found to be less useful for industrial purposes.It can,however,serve as a hub for ongoing research on coal-based derivative products.The aim of this research work is to investigate the mineralogical and geochemical compositions of the coal,mine overburden(MOB)and shale samples taken from the Makum coal field and also on establishing a mutual relationship between them.To characterize the geochemical controlling factors of the Makum coal field,the study employs coal petrography,FTIR,mineralogical,and geochemical analysis.According to X-ray diffraction analysis,the major minerals like quartz,kaolinite,haematite,illite,pyrite,and calcite are present in coal and MOB.Pyrite is observed by SEM-EDS analysis as cubic-shaped particles that are smaller than a fewμm in size.The presence of sulfide minerals represents a phase of pyrite mineralization.The petrography study was used to better understand the environment that existed during the formation of the plant material,which aids us in determining the quantity of detrital mineral sediment contained in the coal.According to the ICP-MS analysis,the samples indicate significant levels of rare earth elements including yttrium.The present study reveals higher concentrations of poten-tial hazardous elements in the coal samples,with V,Cr,Ni,Cu,and Zn content in coal being considerably enriched compared to world-average concentrations.The correlation analysis reveals that the potential hazardous elements like Co,Ni,As,and Cu are associated with pyrite as they have strong affinity towards pyrite.Thus,numerous minerals and rare earth elements(REEs)exist,opening up a fresh avenue for more research in the area.This study also assists researchers in understanding the significance of Makum coal and provides numerous ideas for coal characterization.

Settlement behavior of coal mine waste in different surrounding rock conditions

In order to investigate the influence of complex conditions of in-situ surrounding rocks on the settlement behavior of nubbly coal mine waste subjected to high gravity pressure,four kinds of loading chambers made of different similar materials with different elastic moduli in experiments were used to simulate the deformation features of in-site rocks,including soft,moderate hardness,hard and extra-hard rocks. The results show that all the settlement-axial load (or axial strain-stress) curves obtained under four different surrounding rock conditions present power-exponential function feature. The final settlement of coal mine waste under the same axial load is closely related to the lumpiness gradations and the deformation behavior of chamber materials used to simulate behaviors of different in-situ surrounding rocks. In the same surrounding rock condition,the final settlement under the same maximum axial load decreases with the decrease of the proportion of larger gradation of coal mine waste. While for the same lumpiness gradation case,the settlement increases with the decrease of elastic modulus of simulated surrounding rocks and the lateral pressure induced by axial load increases with the increase of elastic modulus of loading chambers that are used to simulate different surrounding rocks. The test results also reveal that both the compaction curve and lateral pressure curve show a three-stage behavior,and the duration of each stage,which is closely related to gradations and the deformation feature of loading chamber materials,decreases with the increase of the proportion of the small size of coal mine waste and elastic modulus of the simulated rock materials.

Towards the Recovery of By-Product Metals from Mine Wastes:An X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study on the Binding State of Rhenium in Debris from a Centennial Iberian Pyrite Belt Mine

Rhenium is a very scarce element, occurring in the Earth's crust mainly carried by molybdenite (MoS2). Due to a very low availability comparative to actual industrial demand, rhenium is nowadays one of the most expensive mineral commodities and an increased interest is focused on ex- ploring residues resulting from a long-term mining, particularly of sulphide ore deposits. It is therefore noteworthy to assign the presence of rhenium (in a concentration up to 3 ppm) in the waste materials from the old sulphur factory at the abandoned mine of Sao Domingos (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Southeast Portugal), exploited since the Roman occupation of Iberia. Aiming at a potential sustainable recovery of rhenium as a by-product, X-ray near-edge absorption spectroscopy (XANES) was applied to clarify the Re-binding and mode of occurrence by comparing Re L3-edge XANES spectra obtained from mine waste samples (previously fully characterized by X-ray laboratory techniques) with similar spectra collected from Re-rich molybdenites (Mo1-xRexS2) and from Re-O model compounds configuring various valences and coordination environments of rhenium ions. Obtained results are commented, ruling out a possible Re-S binding and rather conforming with the binding of rhenium to oxygen in the analysed mine waste materials.

A NEW AREA IN UTILIZATION OF COAL MINE WASTE-DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TYPE OF MOULDING MATERIAL

This paper concentrates on the research of plaster-bonded moulding matertal with coal mine waste as its major filler and its process. Having made a careful investigation of various factorsaffecting properties of the moulding material, the authors optimize several new formulations of thismaterial and the prarees which are inexpensive, convenient in application, precise in bokling sizoof moulds.

Legacy Gold Mine Sites & Dumps in the Witwatersrand: Challenges and Required Action

Legacy mine shafts and waste dumps in the Witwatersrand continue to create social and environmental challenges for communities, even in areas where gold mining ceased over 100 years ago. The slow pace of eradication of these gold mine shafts and waste dumps (or lack thereof) results in conflict between the communities and authorities, particularly the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) as the relevant authority in the field of environmental management in mining. This paper examines, through a literature review, the past and present legislative framework that resulted in legacy mine shafts and dumps and how communities find themselves living next to these mine sites, which results in social and environmental problems. The paper further explores the governments, particularly the DMRE, proposed initiatives to empower those who intend to extract value from the abandoned mines while curbing the scourge of crime in affected communities.

A landfill based approach to surface mine design

Surface mining operations extract a large quantity of waste material,which is generally disposed into a dump area.This waste can cause a series of environmental problems ranging from landscape deterioration to acidic water generation and water pollution.Therefore,mine waste management is a significant task in mining operations.As known,in strip mining,the overburden is not transported to waste dumps but disposed directly into adjacent strip which was mined out.This concept can be adapted for mine planning of relatively horizontal deposits through a mixed integer programming(MIP)model.The main idea behind this work is that,in one pit,production voids created in early year of mining are used for waste landfilling in late years of production.In other words,in addition to external dumping,a landfilling option within the same pit is proposed for mine design optimization.The problem is formulated as maximization of the net present value(NPV)of the mining project under the constraints of access,landfill waste handling,mining and processing capacities.A case study using a data set was carried out to see the performance of the proposed approach.The findings showed that this approach could be used in waste management incorporating a landfilling option into mine planning.As a result,material handling costs decrease,and environmental compliance increases due to less external waste quantity.

Numerical simulation of vegetated mine dump slope with reference to small plants

The present paper discusses the effects of small plants on the dump mass reinforcement and slope stability.The roots of smaller plants(such as grasses and shrubs)do not go deep.However,they stabilize the slope by binding the upper layer of dump slope.Shear strength of the dump mass with and without root reinforcement is determined by laboratory shear box instrument.The increased cohesion(apparent cohesion)of upper layer of the dump mass due to plants is determined by fabricated shear box.The kinetic behavior of the dump has been investigated using the FLAC software.The factor of safety has been calculated in order to determine the possible effect of small plants on the stability of the dump slope.It is observed that the small plants do not significantly improve the factor of safety(FOS)of slope.However,it could be useful for early stabilization.The grasses quickly bind the upper surface,whereas shrubs too immensely strengthen the stability of the dump in the initial stage.

Technosol made from coal waste as a strategy to plant growth and environmental control

Coal waste disposal areas demand proper rehabilitation activities because several environmental impacts are related to them,such as acid mine drainage,loss of biohabitats,water pollution,and soil degradation.The most common strategy is to cover them with an impermeable layer followed by a new soil layer as soon as possible,while maximizing plant growth and avoiding water and wind erosion.This study examines the possibility of transforming coal waste itself into a substrate for plant growth,namely technosol,assuming its own use for progressive rehabilitation and revegetation of waste deposits.The coal waste is amended with other residues in an integrated waste management approach:rice husk ash,steel slag,and sewage sludge to adjust physical structure,pH,and nutrient availability,respectively.The raw material composition,fertility,metals bioavailability,plant growth,and nutrients in plant tissue are analyzed after successive growth of lopsided oats(Avena strigosa)and maize(Zea mays).The results show that coal waste allows a fertile plant substrate after being amended in accordance to experimental conditions.The soil metal concentration is found to fall within the limits of natural variation for soils in the study area and nutrients in plant tissue are found to be consistent with lopsided oats and maize standards.The proposed waste mixture results in a technosol capable of adequately promoting plant growth,that is,it is a potential resource to accelerate revegetation and natural succession in coal waste disposal areas.