Environmental issues from coal mining and their solutions

Bian, Zhengfu; Inyang, Hilary I.; Daniels, John L.; Otto, Frank; Struthers, Sue

doi:10.1016/s1674-5264(09)60187-3

Cited by 212 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…As a result, the abundant mineral resources in the region have not been fully exploited. According to statistics, the development of new enterprises in Taiyuan faces obstacles related to water scarcity, causing an annual output loss of approximately 6.8 billion Yuan and an indirect loss of 17 billion Yuan [50,51]. Among the mining enterprises that have already reached production capacity, nearly 50% are subject to negative impacts from the severe water scarcity, and many are forced to narrow their production scale.…”

Section: Domestic Effects Of Droughtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Water Scarcity on the Fenhe River Basin and Mitigation Strategies

Shao

Cai

Luan

et al. 2017

Water

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This study produced a drought map for the Fenhe River basin covering the period from 150 BC to 2012 using regional historical drought records. Based on meteorological and hydrological features, the characteristics and causes of water scarcity in the Fenhe River basin were examined, along with their impact on the national economy and ecological environment. The effects of water scarcity in the basin on the national economy were determined from agricultural, industrial, and domestic perspectives. The impact on aquatic ecosystems was ascertained through an evolution trend analysis of surface water systems, including rivers, wetlands, and slope ecosystems, and subterranean water systems, including groundwater and karst springs. As a result of these analyses, strategies are presented for coping with water scarcity in this basin, including engineering countermeasures, such as the construction of a water network in Shanxi, and the non-engineering approach of groundwater resource preservation. These comprehensive coping strategies are proposed with the aim of assisting the prevention and control of water scarcity in the arid and semi-arid areas of China.

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Section: Domestic Effects Of Droughtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Water Scarcity on the Fenhe River Basin and Mitigation Strategies

Shao

Cai

Luan

et al. 2017

Water

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“…This prevalent energy resource has fueled human development for thousands of years with concomitant environmental impacts, including landscape alteration, waste production, and greenhouse gas emissions (1,2). In contrast to solid fuel, cleaner-burning coalbed methane (CBM) has become an increasingly attractive global energy resource.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Endemism and Habitat Selection in Coalbed Microbial Communities

Lawson

Strachan

Williams³

et al. 2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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dMicrobially produced methane, a versatile, cleaner-burning alternative energy resource to fossil fuels, is sourced from a variety of natural and engineered ecosystems, including marine sediments, anaerobic digesters, shales, and coalbeds. There is a prevailing interest in developing environmental biotechnologies to enhance methane production. Here, we use small-subunit rRNA gene sequencing and metagenomics to better describe the interplay between coalbed methane (CBM) well conditions and microbial communities in the Alberta Basin. Our results show that CBM microbial community structures display patterns of endemism and habitat selection across the Alberta Basin, consistent with observations from other geographical locations. While some phylum-level taxonomic patterns were observed, relative abundances of specific taxonomic groups were localized to discrete wells, likely shaped by local environmental conditions, such as coal rank and depth-dependent physicochemical conditions. To better resolve functional potential within the CBM milieu, a metagenome from a deep volatile-bituminous coal sample was generated. This sample was dominated by Rhodobacteraceae genotypes, resolving a near-complete population genome bin related to Celeribacter sp. that encoded metabolic pathways for the degradation of a wide range of aromatic compounds and the production of methanogenic substrates via acidogenic fermentation. Genomic comparisons between the Celeribacter sp. population genome and related organisms isolated from different environments reflected habitat-specific selection pressures that included nitrogen availability and the ability to utilize diverse carbon substrates. Taken together, our observations reveal that both endemism and metabolic specialization should be considered in the development of biostimulation strategies for nonproductive wells or for those with declining productivity.T he deposition of plant-derived organic matter over geological time has resulted in the formation of stratified hydrocarbon resource environments known as coalbeds. This prevalent energy resource has fueled human development for thousands of years with concomitant environmental impacts, including landscape alteration, waste production, and greenhouse gas emissions (1, 2). In contrast to solid fuel, cleaner-burning coalbed methane (CBM) has become an increasingly attractive global energy resource. While some fraction of CBM is produced under thermogenic conditions, recent studies indicate that microbial communities inhabiting coalbed ecosystems contribute substantially to methane production (3). This has sparked both scientific and biotechnological interest in coalbed microbial communities to enhance CBM production from wells with low methane content or declining productivity (4-6).Microbial diversity surveys using small-subunit rRNA (SSU; or 16S rRNA) gene sequencing have been conducted across geographically distinct coalbed ecosystems (7-11) and enrichment cultures (6, 12). Taxonomic groups, including Firmicutes, Spirochetes, Bacteroidete...

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“…Water used in underground coal mining has been estimated to vary between 70 and 260 million gallons (265 and 984, respectively, million liters) per day in the United States, depending upon the coal source (2,16). Underground coal mining often leads to the pollution of natural water sources.…”

Section: Coal Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the United States alone there are 1.1 million surface acres (445,000 hectares) of these coal mines that are no longer in use but continue to pollute water sources (16 The transportation of coal also requires water. Though a majority of coal transportation is on railways, it is also transported by barge, truck, conveyor belts, and coal slurry pipelines (17).…”

Section: Coal Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water and Energy Interactions

McMahon

Price

2011

Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour.

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Human habitations require energy and water, which are increasingly interdependent. Energy systems have changed from using water for mechanical energy to building dams to provide irrigation water for agriculture and hydroelectricity. Large volumes of water are required to cool thermal electricity-generating stations—whether coal, natural gas, nuclear, or solar powered. Changes in cooling technology are reducing water withdrawals while increasing water consumption. Water produced from fossil fuel production represents environmental challenges and supply opportunities. Some renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and photovoltaics, have far lower water requirements. Increasing development of biofuels creates a direct connection between water and energy systems. Energy, mostly for pumps, is necessary for supplying potable water and treating wastewater. Pumping from deeper underground as well as removing more contaminants (e.g., medicines, agricultural chemicals) and salt requires more energy. Water and wastewater treatment can dominate electricity demand in municipalities. Water reuse requires energy for treatment and pumping. Life cycle assessments and integrated resource planning strive to account for the total impacts.

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Environmental issues from coal mining and their solutions

Cited by 212 publications

References 6 publications

Impact of Water Scarcity on the Fenhe River Basin and Mitigation Strategies

Impact of Water Scarcity on the Fenhe River Basin and Mitigation Strategies

Patterns of Endemism and Habitat Selection in Coalbed Microbial Communities

Water and Energy Interactions

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