Institut za rudarstvo i metalurgiju Bor

PROTECTION IN THE MINE
DESIGNING
In any business, the design process
should be carefully considered from the
standpoint of environmental protection. In
the mine designing for exploitation the oil
shale, several items have to be taken into
account:
• to carry out the additional researches
to environmental protection that will
convince the local population to tolerate
the exploitation impact of the
same,
• the mine have to be located, if possible,
away from the settlements,
• in the vicinity of settlements, the
blasting works should not be used,
• the mining works must not damage
the certain aquifers in order to prevent
the water contamination,
• oil shale stocks, breaking and transport
unit should preferably be located
in the forest to prevent the spread of
noise and dust,
• barriers to noise and dust should also
be located between the settlements
and existence of mine . For such purposes
it is even necessary to plant
trees.
Important requirements that need to be
taken into account during designing are:
- how negative environmental impacts
be minimized?
- is it possible to use selective or nonselective
method of exploitation?
- which method of exploitation guarantees
determination of output results?
- how to reduce the use of certain machines?
- whether to buy or rent a machine? [2]
SOIL POLLUTION IN THE
EXPLOITATION
Surface exploitation causes a lot of
surface disorders of land and has a high
impact on surface water, subsurface water,
flora and fauna. Experiences in coal exploitation
and other raw materials indicate
that the impact on environment is very
high but with minimum long-term effect.
Underground exploitation causes
much less surface disorders. Surface disorders
are limited but include dust emissions
caused by transport and storage.
„In-situ” exploitation involves less
mining works that are limited to drilling of
so called thermal drill holes and production
drill holes at a small distance. Impact
on the environment will be similar to the
production of gas and oil. Drill holes of
this type of exploitation require security
and sealing.
Other surface effects in most case depend
on construction of surface facilities,
including equipment for retorting, upgrade,
dumping and transportation. New pipelines,
roads and related facilities, may also have
an impact on surface contamination.
Spent shale: surface retorts produce
large quantities of processed or spent oil
shale. Technology of retorting seeks to
reduce the residual carbon, making the
processed shale safer for the environment.
Some spent shale could be used as a commercial
material for construction or as a
material for re-cultivation of the land.
WATER POLLUTANTS
At larger distance from the mining operations
or facilities for retorting, the soil
and ground water contamination appears.
“In-situ” exploitation has high effect on
the ground water quality. In these cases, a
control and protection of surface and
ground water sis required. The efficient
technologies and process management
have been demonstrated and shown in the
other similar cases of commercial mining.
No 1,2010. 142
MINING ENGINEERING