Post-mining of the Ukraine’s mining regions as a new direction for the environmentally safe use of mineral resources

Abstract

The growth of market requirements for socio-economic and environmental parameters of mineral resources in most developed (“old”) mining areas (MA) of Ukraine has led to the closure of mines and quarries, including by the method of “wet conservation” (autorehabilitation uncontrolled flooding). This process is most actively developing in the MA of the Donbas, including in areas affected by armed conflict.
 In most developed EU countries, the decommissioning of coal mines (Ruhr, Lorraine, Wales), which have large depths (up to 1,0–1,5 km) and area (thousand sq. km) of minefields, is a research and production complex of post-mining (PM), which is based on scientific and technical measures to prevent dangerous changes in the geological environment (GE) - subsidence of the earth’s surface, flooding of lands, release of explosive and toxic gases, limiting the leakage of polluted water. In addition, the PM provides for the transformation of part of the mine workings into a hydraulic filtration system of mine water retention at a depth of 250–350 m in order to prevent the flow of pollutants into freshwater horizons and river network, preservation of regional aquicludes, degassing of mining space. In general, the set of PM measures is aimed at maintaining the balance and protective potential of the GE as a mineral and landscape base of the biosphere.
 In this regard, the article compares the protective potential of the GE of the Chornobyl accident zone and the Donbas region, as well as performs an expert assessment of the environmental protection potential of the PM in the leading MA of Ukraine.
 It is shown that a new model of mineral resourses use, structure of geological exploration works, scientific substantiation of maximum allowable changes of GE at closing of “old” and formation of new MA, improvement of environmental monitoring based on GIS technologies and remote sensing of the Earth are needed.

Satellite-based technology assessing Ukraine’s ecology under the war

“…Analysis of the state of the study of the existing native experience regarding the threats of flooding associated with the closure of coal mines Numerous works by Ukrainian scientists give environmental monitoring and coverage of the consequences of the closure of mines. As evidenced by studies of Rudko and Yakovlev [3,4], Dovgiy et al [5,6], Dovgyi and Korzhnev [7], Shybetskyi et al [8], Panova et al [9], Goshovskyi and Zurian [10], Trofymchuk et al [11,12], Anpilova et al [13], Dolin et al [14], Lyuta and Sanina [15]. During the full-scale development of the mining area, the geological environment becomes the primary "depot" of the majority of man-made emissions and mechanical, physical and chemical effects on the components of the environment (ground atmosphere and surface hydrosphere, soils, the upper zone of the lithosphere, etc.…”

Development of methods for forecasting the duration of recovery groundwat

“…According to the environmental condition, all mining regions of Ukraine can be divided into three groups: 1 -partial, 2 -significant, 3 -critical deterioration of the environment [2].…”

“…As a result of such activity, deformations occurred with a violation of the geomechanical balance and integrity of 600 km 3 of the rock massif in the zones affected by mining operations, and on 50% of the area, the subsidence of the day surface amounted to an average of 1.5÷2.0 m, with a simultaneous increase in the permeability of the rocks and an increase in the interaction of surface and groundwater [1]. During the historical development of Donbas, approximately 970 mines were built, of which about two hundred are currently in operation at a maximum depth of 1,450 m [2]. The critical acceleration of the closure and liquidation of coal mining enterprises, starting from the 1990s, mainly by the method of wet conservation (self-rehabilitation flooding), led to imperfect accounting of object-territorial and regional changes in environmental parameters of natural-technogenic geosystems "mining area -geological environment".…”

“…Their total volume at the maximum development of mining operations was 25.0 m 3 /s (1990). Of these, 12.0 m 3 /s were natural resources, which indicates active drainage of surface water sources and hydraulic interconnection of mines [2].…”

“…The intensification of man-made environmental changes in Donbass was influenced by the mining of 129 rivers and creeks, 26 reservoirs (683 cases), as well as continuous subsidence of the earth's surface on an area of up to 8,000 km 2 .…”