Traditional medicine

What are the environmental consequences of shale gas extraction.

The signing of agreements on the division of the Ukrainian raw materials (oil and gas) market between international oil companies – Shell and Chevron – is approaching.

In the west and east of the country there are areas that are promising for the development of unconventional gas, and the reserves of the Yuzovsky gas section alone are estimated at several trillion cubic meters of gas. In 2012, tenders were held to develop these areas, they were won by well-known transnational corporations

Last year, the Donetsk and Kharkov regional councils approved a shale gas production project in their territories. We are talking about the development of the Yuzovskoye field.
The fateful meetings were even attended by the newly appointed Minister of Ecology Oleg Proskuryakov, who never tired of declaring the brilliant prospects for shale gas production.

“If search efforts are successful at...

We have repeatedly mentioned the devastating consequences that shale gas production can have for the environment of Europe and Ukraine in particular. On July 19, the world community and environmentalists sharply criticized the governments of the United States and Ukraine for concealing information regarding plans to develop shale gas in Ukraine.

President of the IBO “Ecology-Right-Human” (EHR), Professor John Bonine said: “Although already more than a year an environmental impact assessment is being carried out on plans to use hydraulic fracturing, neither of the two governments has made this document public."

Let us recall that the US Agency for International Development paid for the services of consultants who examined potential environmental problems related to shale gas production using hydraulic fracturing in the Dnieper-Donets and Carpathian basins. The final document was completed in May, but its details are shrouded in secrecy and are “behind the family...

As is known, one of the 2 basic technologies for shale gas production is hydraulic fracturing technology. Hydraulic fracturing is a process that involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals into gas-bearing rocks under extremely high pressure(500-1500 atm.). The pressure causes tiny cracks to form, which allow gas to escape. .This entire system of cracks connects the well with productive parts of the formation remote from the bottom. To prevent the fractures from closing after the pressure is reduced, coarse sand is introduced into them and added to the fluid injected into the well. The radius of cracks can reach several tens of meters.

The rupture process largely depends on physical properties liquid and, in particular, its viscosity. In order for the burst pressure to be minimal, it must be filterable.
An increase in viscosity is as well as a decrease in filterability of liquids used...

Khopyorsky Nature Reserve is located in the Voronezh region. In the reserve, a specially protected inhabitant is the Russian desman, listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. The muskrat is a typical inhabitant of river floodplains. The largest and most valuable rodent in the reserve is the river beaver. In the Novokhopyorsky district, in the immediate vicinity of the reserve, the development of copper-nickel deposits will soon begin: mining and primary enrichment of nickel ores. The processing plant will use a technology that will require a lot of water: 9 tons of water per 1 ton of rock. Environmentalists are concerned that mining and processing will have a negative impact on the habitat of animals protected in the reserve, including muskrats and beavers.

14 What are the possible negative consequences of mining? copper-nickel ores in the Novokhopyorsky district for the Khopyor River - habitat for protected animals? List two consequences.




The answer names any two of the listed consequences: when


Example answers:
	Muskrat and beavers live in the river. When will mining begin?
	ore, the water will become polluted and animals will not be able to live in it.
	To enrich you need a lot of water, it will be taken from the river,
	and she will become shallow.
	River waters may be polluted, river water levels
	will fall, and the place familiar to animals will disappear
	habitat.
	Water pollution, fish will die
The answer names only one of the listed consequences: when
ore mining may cause pollution of the waters of the Khoper River, a fall in
water level in the river, decrease in fish numbers.
Example answers:
	They will take a lot of water for production, the river will become shallow.
	The river water will become dirtier.
	The fish that may be feeding on them will leave the river
	muskrat

	Criteria for assessing tasks with a detailed answer

The answer does not say anything about the pollution of the waters of the Khoper River, nor
about a drop in the water level in the river, or about a decrease in the number of fish.
Example answers:
	Mining of copper-nickel ores will negatively affect
	rivers of the Voronezh region.
	Landscapes will be disrupted
		Maximum score

Check out the map shown in the picture.

GIA, 2013

GEOGRAPHY

20 Schoolchildren choose a place to play football. Evaluate which of the areas marked on the map with numbers 1, 2 and 3 is most suitable for this. Give two reasons to support your answer.

Write down the answer on a separate sheet or form, first indicating the task number.



	(other wording of the answer is allowed that does not distort its meaning)
The answer says that site 1 is most suitable, and
two justifications are given, from which it is obvious that the student


surfaces.
Example answers:
	Section 1		better than everyone else, because there
	horizontal surface and meadow.
	In site 2 the area is swampy, and site 3 is on a slope,
	therefore section 1 is the best.
There must be an area with a horizontal surface, and
		3 inclined. Area 2 is marshy. Answer:
	plot 1
The answer says that site 1 is most suitable, and
given one justification, from which it is obvious that the student
can determine the steepness of slopes by the distance between

surfaces.

The answer says that site 2 is most suitable
or 3, and given one justification, from which it is obvious that
the student is able to determine the steepness of slopes by distance

nature of the surface.
Example answers:
	Plot 1, because there is meadow vegetation.
	Section 1, because there is a horizontal surface.
	Plot 3, because there is a meadow.
	Section 2 because it has flat terrain

		Criteria for assessing tasks with a detailed answer

The answer named section 1 without justification or with an incorrect
justification.

The answer names any area and provides justification, from
which does not follow that the student can determine the steepness
slopes by the distance between horizontal lines or read conditional
signs indicating the nature of the surface.
Example answers:
	I think it's site 1 because it's better.
	Section 3 is better.
		Maximum score

In October 2011, the first stage of a modern rice processing complex was put into operation in the Krasnodar Territory, including a rice plant, packaging production, a warehouse terminal, an administrative building and the entire complex of engineering structures. The plant's capacity is 40–45 thousand tons of raw rice per year.

23 What's the feature agriculture Krasnodar Territory contributed to the choice of a site for the construction of a rice processing complex on its territory?

Write down the answer on a separate sheet or form, first indicating the task number.



(other wording of the answer is allowed that does not distort its meaning)
The answer talks about the development of rice growing in the Krasnodar Territory.
Example answers:
Krasnodar Territory is one of the few regions of Russia where
produce rice It is convenient to recycle at the collection point

One of the areas of agriculture in the region is
rice growing. Proximity to rice fields and
caused placement here		rice processing
complex
Nothing in response	doesn't talk about	development of rice growing in
Krasnodar region.
Sample answer:
There are favorable natural conditions here
Maximum score

During the extraction and processing of mineral resources, a large geological cycle occurs, which involves various systems. As a result, there is a great impact on the ecology of the mining region, and such impact entails negative consequences.

The scale of mining is large - up to 20 tons of raw materials are mined per year per inhabitant of the Earth, of which less than 10% goes into the final product, and the remaining 90% is waste. In addition, during mining there is a significant loss of raw materials, approximately 30–50%, which indicates that some types of mining are uneconomical, especially the open-pit method.

Russia is a country with a widely developed mining industry and has deposits of basic raw materials. Questions negative influence extraction and processing of raw materials are very relevant, since these processes affect all areas of the Earth:

lithosphere;
atmosphere:
water;
animal world.

Impact on the lithosphere

Any mining method involves the extraction of ore from the earth’s crust, which leads to the formation of cavities and voids, the integrity of the crust is disrupted, and fracturing increases.

As a result, the likelihood of collapses, landslides, and faults in the area adjacent to the mine increases. Anthropogenic relief forms are created:

careers;
dumps;
waste heaps;
ravines.

Such atypical forms have large sizes, the height can reach 300 m, and the length is 50 km. The embankments are formed from waste of processed raw materials; trees and plants do not grow on them - they are just kilometers of unsuitable territory.

During the extraction of rock salt, during the enrichment of raw materials, halite waste is formed (three to four tons of waste per ton of salt), they are solid and insoluble, and rainwater carries them into rivers, which are often used to provide drinking water population of nearby cities.

Environmental problems associated with the occurrence of voids can be solved by filling ravines and depressions in the earth's crust formed as a result of mining with waste and processed raw materials. It is also necessary to improve mining technology to reduce the removal of waste rock, this can significantly reduce the amount of waste.

Many rocks contain several types of minerals, so it is possible to combine mining and processing of all ore components. This is not only economically beneficial, but also has a positive impact on the environment.

One more negative consequence associated with mining is the contamination of nearby agricultural soils. This happens during transport. Dust flies for many kilometers and settles on the surface of the soil, on plants and trees.

Many substances can release toxins, which then enter the food of animals and humans, poisoning the body from the inside. Often, around magnesite deposits that are actively being developed, there is a wasteland within a radius of up to 40 km, the soil changes the alkaline-acid balance, and plants stop growing, and nearby forests die.

As a solution to this problem, environmentalists propose locating raw material processing enterprises near the extraction site; this will also reduce transportation costs. For example, locate power plants near coal deposits.

And, finally, the extraction of raw materials significantly depletes the earth’s crust, reserves of substances decrease every year, ores become less saturated, this contributes to large volumes of mining and processing. The result is an increase in waste volumes. The solution to these problems can be the search for artificial substitutes for natural substances and their economical consumption.

Mining salt

Impact on the atmosphere

Mining operations have enormous environmental problems on the atmosphere. As a result of the processes primary processing Large volumes of mined ores are released into the air:

methane,
oxides
heavy metals,
sulfur,
carbon.

The created artificial waste heaps constantly burn, emitting harmful substances into the atmosphere - carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide. Such atmospheric pollution leads to an increase in radiation levels, changes in temperature indicators and an increase or decrease in precipitation.

During mining, large amounts of dust are released into the air. Every day, up to two kilograms of dust falls on the areas adjacent to the quarries; as a result, the soil remains buried under a half-meter layer of dust. for many years, and often forever, and, naturally, loses its fertility.

The solution to this problem is the use of modern equipment that reduces the level of emissions of harmful substances, as well as the use of a mine mining method instead of an open one.

Impact on the aquatic environment

As a result of the extraction of natural raw materials, water bodies, both underground and surface, are severely depleted, and swamps are drained. When mining coal, groundwater is pumped out, which is located near the deposit. For every ton of coal there is up to 20 m 3 of formation water, and when mining iron ores - up to 8 m 3 of water. Pumping water creates environmental problems such as:

In addition to oil spills on the surface of the water, there are other threats to lakes and rivers

formation of depression craters;
disappearance of springs;
drying up of small rivers;
disappearance of streams.

Surface waters suffer from pollution as a result of the extraction and processing of fossil raw materials. Just like in the atmosphere, a large amount of salts, metals, toxic substances, and waste enters the water.

As a result of this, microorganisms living in reservoirs, fish and other living creatures die; people use contaminated water not only for their household needs, but also for food. Environmental problems associated with hydrosphere pollution can be prevented by reducing wastewater discharges, reducing water consumption during production, and filling the formed voids with water.

This can be achieved by improving the process of extracting raw materials and using new developments in the field of mechanical engineering for the mining industry.

Impact on flora and fauna

During the active development of large deposits of raw materials, the radius of contamination of nearby soils can be 40 km. The soil is subject to various chemical changes, depending on the harmfulness of the processed substances. If a large amount of toxic substances gets into the ground, trees, shrubs and even grass die and do not grow on it.

Consequently, there is no food for animals, they either die or look for new places to live, and entire populations migrate. The solution to these problems should be a reduction in the level of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, as well as compensatory measures for the restoration and cleanup of contaminated areas. Compensatory measures include fertilizing soils, planting forests, and organizing pastures.

When developing new deposits, when the top layer of soil - fertile black soil - is removed, it can be transported and distributed in poor, depleted areas, near inactive mines.

Video: Pollution

Unfortunately, any human activity leads, to one degree or another, to environmental pollution and changes in the ecological situation in the area of its activity. And activities to provide civilization with energy are no exception. Oil production, its transportation, processing and use, while bringing undoubted benefits to humanity, also does not occur without serious environmental consequences.

Cities in a toxic haze

The explosion of the automobile industry has brought mobility to people like never before and significantly transformed our way of life. For every individual, owning a personal car provides many benefits. Taken together, mass motorization leads to significant negative environmental consequences. The fleet of operating vehicles in the world has long exceeded 1 billion vehicles. And all these vehicles are burned daily huge amount fuel, emitting the same huge amount of exhaust gases.

By the middle of the twentieth century, smog had become an inevitable phenomenon. big cities developed countries. The source of the smog was initially unclear and caused much heated discussion and controversy. Various versions of its origin have been expressed. Perhaps this is the result of the work of industrial enterprises operating within the city limits. Or the many furnaces used in household. Either the result of burning city garbage.

It must be said that urban smog is a phenomenon that people in big cities have encountered since the era of the massive use of coal as fuel. But in the coal era, the cause of smog was quickly identified (mixing smoke and sulfur dioxide) and solutions were developed (converting industrial enterprises from coal to natural gas). The reason for the appearance of smog in the absence of coal-burning industries remained a mystery.

Haagen-Smith, a professor at the California Institute of Technology, put an end to all disputes. It was he who found out the reason and described the process of formation of a new type of smog - photochemical. The main cause of this type of smog was identified as products of incomplete combustion of fuel in car engines. Car exhausts, mixing with ozone, vapors of hydrocarbon-containing products and nitrate peroxide under the influence sun rays and form this toxic haze, which begins to sting your lungs.

Haagen-Smith's research, initially met with great skepticism, was then completely confirmed. After this, he was given the unofficial title of “father of smog,” although this did not particularly appeal to him.

Oil and Global Warming

Smog is not the only consequence of the widespread use of oil. Consumption of petroleum and petroleum-based products can pollute the air in various ways. Today, many scientists agree that gases released into the atmosphere during oil production and use significantly enhance the greenhouse effect.

Greenhouse gases, accumulating in the upper layers of the atmosphere, contribute to an increase in the surface temperature of the planet. The main greenhouse gases (in order of influence) are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and ozone. According to scientists, the warming observed in recent decades is mainly caused by an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of carbon dioxide is formed as a result of human activity.

Global warming, that is, a gradual increase in the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere, can lead to catastrophic consequences. It is expected that the melting of glaciers will lead to an increase in the level of the World Ocean, flooding of a significant part of the land, and an increase in the amount of precipitation. There will be significant climate change, resulting in more frequent natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, tornadoes; their intensity will increase.

It must be said that not all scientists agree with the concept global warming, and some, while agreeing with the warming process itself, reject the influence of factors caused by human activity on it. Whatever the idea of reducing emissions greenhouse gases, including from burning petroleum fuel, looks quite reasonable.

Accidents and oil spills

Leads to other significant environmental consequences. Environmental disasters at sea are especially dangerous. Since oil is lighter than water, it spreads through the water in a thin film over a large area. Oil spills are accompanied by mass deaths of marine mammals, birds, and reptiles. Fishing is being damaged. Oiled beaches discourage tourists and damage coastal ecosystems, often irreparably.

Tanker accidents at sea have occurred since the very beginning of their use. One of the largest and most publicized accidents occurred with the oil tanker Exxon Valdez in 1989. The Exxon tanker was supposed to transport oil from Alaska to California, but unexpectedly ran aground off the coast of Alaska, hitting Bligh Reef. As a result, 260 thousand barrels of oil spilled into the sea.

Although the volumes of oil spilled in this disaster were not the largest in a series of other maritime accidents, the damage that the spilled oil caused natural ecosystem Alaska, was considered the most catastrophic of its time. This accident has long remained the most environmentally destructive disaster that has ever occurred at sea. But 21 years passed and another disaster overshadowed the Exxon Valdez tanker accident. Only this time the accident did not occur with a tanker.

Accidents at sea occur not only during oil transportation. Offshore platforms from which wells are drilled and oil is produced on the sea shelf also cause catastrophic oil spills.

The largest oil man-made disaster at sea occurred in 2010. The explosion that occurred on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform resulted in the largest offshore oil spill in the history of oil production. According to some estimates, since the beginning of the accident, about 5 million barrels of oil (more than 670 thousand tons) have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil slick resulting from the spill reached an area of 75 thousand square kilometers.

The consequences were catastrophic not only for the environment, but also for the BP company itself, which was the owner of the oil production license. In order to cover all the costs of eliminating the accident itself, the consequences of the oil spill and paying all compensation to the victims, the company had to sell part of its assets, and for a long time it teetered on the brink of bankruptcy.

It must be said that oil enters the World Ocean not only as a result of accidental spills. A much larger amount of oil enters water basins naturally through faults existing in the earth's crust. Natural oil seeps exist in many areas of the seas and oceans. Oil, as a rule, seeps out gradually in small volumes along existing faults. Such oil seeps even form their own ecosystem. The danger of man-made spills is that they occur in short time in significant quantities. They disrupt the existing ecosystem and lead to mass death of marine life.

Combating environmental consequences

These and other negative factors accompanying the widespread use of oil in modern civilization, cause reasonable concern and require the development of measures to prevent them and reduce their negative impact.

To reduce adverse effect Oil production's impact on the environment in the industry adheres to high environmental standards. To prevent accidents, companies are introducing new operating standards that take into account the past negative experience, a culture of safe work is cultivated. Technical and technological means are being developed to prevent the risk of emergency situations.

Scientists are developing new methods to combat pollution. For example, the use of special dispersant reagents makes it possible to speed up the collection of spilled oil from the surface of the water. Artificially bred destructive bacteria sprayed onto an oil slick can quickly process oil, turning it into safer products.

To prevent the spread of oil spills, so-called booms are widely used. Burning oil from the surface of the water is also practiced.

To combat air pollution greenhouse gases They are developing various technologies to capture carbon dioxide and utilize it. Government agencies are introducing new environmental standards. For example, standards regulating the content of harmful substances in car exhaust gases. These standards are aimed both at improving car engines and at improving the characteristics of the produced fuel. In Russia, for example, the Euro 5 standard applies to all imported cars from January 1, 2014. The transition to Euro-5 standard fuels is envisaged from January 1, 2016.

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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Federal state budget educational institution higher professional education

ST. PETERSBURG STATE MINING UNIVERSITY

Department of Geoecology

ABSTRACT

on the topic “The impact of open-pit mining on the environment”

St. Petersburg 2016

Introduction
1. Impact of mining on the environment
2. Environmental pollution during open-pit mining
3. Protecting the environment from the negative impact of open-pit mining
4. Reclamation of lands disturbed by open-pit mining
4.1 Mining reclamation
4.2 Biological remediation
Conclusion
References

Introduction

mountain surrounding pollution reclamation

Mining production is technologically interconnected with the processes of human impact on the environment in order to provide raw materials and energy resources various fields economic activity.

Open pit mining is a field of mining science and production, which includes a set of methods, methods and means human activity on design, construction, operation and reconstruction of mining enterprises, pits, bulk structures and other objects of various functional purposes.

During open-pit mining in air environment a significant amount of pollutants are received, with inorganic dust being the main pollutant. Spreading of this substance leads to gradual degradation of green spaces, a decrease in their productivity and loss of sustainability. Under the influence of substances “alien” to the body, the structure of cells is disrupted, the life expectancy of organisms is reduced, and the aging process is accelerated. For humans, dust particles that can penetrate into the periphery of the lung pose a particular danger.

Every year, the technogenic impact on the natural environment increases, since mineral resources have to be extracted in increasingly difficult conditions - from greater depths, in difficult occurrence conditions, with a low content of valuable components.

The most important aspect of the problem of interaction between mining production and the environment in modern conditions There is also an ever-increasing feedback, that is, the influence of environmental conditions on the choice of solutions in the design, construction of mining enterprises and their operation.

1. Impactsmining production on the environment

All methods of mining are characterized by an impact on the biosphere, affecting almost all of its elements: water and air basins, land, subsoil, flora and fauna.

This impact can be both direct (direct) and indirect, resulting from the first. The size of the indirect impact zone significantly exceeds the size of the direct impact localization zone, and, as a rule, the indirect impact zone includes not only the element of the biosphere that is directly affected, but also other elements.

In the process of mining production, spaces are formed and rapidly increase, disturbed by mining workings, rock dumps and processing waste and representing barren surfaces, negative influence which extends to surrounding areas.

Due to the drainage of the deposit and the discharge of drainage and waste water (mineral processing waste) into surface reservoirs and watercourses, the hydrological conditions in the deposit area, the quality of underground and surface waters. The atmosphere is polluted by dust and gas, organized and unorganized emissions and emissions from various sources, including mine workings, dumps, processing shops and factories. As a result of the complex impact on these elements of the biosphere, the conditions for the growth of plants, animal habitats, and human life are significantly deteriorating. The subsoil, being the object and operational basis of mining, is subject to the greatest impact. Since subsoil belongs to elements of the biosphere that do not have the ability to naturally renew in the foreseeable future, their protection should include ensuring scientifically sound and economically justified completeness and complexity of use.

The impact of mining on the biosphere is manifested in various industries national economy and is of great social and economic importance. So, indirect impact on land associated with changes in the state and regime of groundwater, dust deposition and chemical compounds from emissions into the atmosphere, as well as products of wind and water erosion, leads to a deterioration in the quality of land in the zone of influence of mining. This is manifested in the suppression and destruction of natural vegetation, migration and reduction in the number of wild animals, and a decrease in the productivity of agriculture and forestry, livestock farming and fisheries.

On modern stage development of domestic and foreign science and technology, solid mineral deposits are developed mainly in three ways: open (physical and technical open geotechnology), underground (physical and technical underground geotechnology) and through wells (physical and chemical geotechnology). In the future, underwater mining of minerals from the bottom of seas and oceans has significant prospects.

2. Environmental pollution during open-pit mining

At enterprises with open method developments, the sources of the greatest environmental risk are emissions and discharges from technological processes in quarries: from processes associated with ore dressing; from the surface of production waste.

The processes from the impact of mining operations on the environment can be engineering, environmental and social. They depend on the degree of disturbance and pollution of soils, lands, subsoil, ground and surface waters, and air, resulting in economic and social damage that changes production efficiency and requires examination for the environmental safety of the production activities of a mining enterprise.

During open-pit mining, geomechanical, hydrogeological and aerodynamic disturbances occur. Geomechanical disturbances are the result of the direct impact of technological processes on the natural environment. Hydrogeological disturbances are associated with changes in the location, regime and dynamics of surface, ground and underground waters as a result of geomechanical disturbances. Aerodynamic disturbances arise as a result of the construction of high dumps and deep excavations and are also closely related to geomechanical disturbances.

Sources of geomechanical disturbances include:

Drilling of opening and preparatory workings;

Mining;

Dumping.

Main quantitative characteristics sources of geomechanical disturbances are:

Speed of progress of the work front;

Length or area of the work front (length and width of the quarry);

Thickness of the disturbed soil layer;

Pit depth;

Height of dumps;

Volumes of extracted minerals and associated natural resources (daily, annual).

Sources of hydrogeological disturbances include:

Drainage of the land allotment area;

Mining.

Sources of aerodynamic disturbances include:

Creation of rock dumps;

Creation of large cavities and depressions in the relief.

As a result of the influence of open-pit mining, various components of the natural environment (lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere) are polluted. Lithospheric pollution is characterized by clogging earth's surface solids, dust, pollution with petroleum products, as well as acidification and deoxidation of soils with various solutions ( liquid substances). Hydrospheric pollution is caused by the penetration of various substances of both organic and inorganic origin into surface and underground waters. Atmospheric pollutants include gaseous, vaporous, liquid and solid substances. The area of air pollution can change its direction in accordance with the direction of the wind, forming zones of its influence and impact. The configuration of air pollution areas depends on the parameters of the sources of pollutant emissions (point, linear, area), meteorological conditions of the atmosphere and a number of other factors.

Sources of land, soil, and subsoil pollution include:

Storage of bulk and soluble overburden directly on soils;

Discharge of wastewater to land;

Solid waste storage;

Disposal of production waste in the subsoil;

Dusting of rock dumps of tailings dumps.

Sources of groundwater and surface water pollution include:

Discharge of domestic and industrial wastewater from the quarry;

Washout of pollutants from industrial sites by precipitation;

Fallout of contaminated precipitation and atmospheric dust.

Sources of air pollution include:

Crushing and averaging useful components during ore processing;

Burning and dusting of rock dumps;

Loading and transport work;

Drilling and blasting operations;

Release of gases from the exploded rock mass;

Dust formation during dumping.

The main forms of disturbance and pollution of the natural environment during open-pit mining of mineral deposits are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Main forms of disturbances and pollution during open-pit mining

3. Forschenvironmental protection from the negative impact of open-pit mining

Air protection. During open-pit mining, large amounts of mineral dust and gases are released into the air, which spread over considerable distances, polluting the air to unacceptable levels. The greatest dust formation occurs during massive explosions, when drilling wells without dust collection, and when loading dry rock mass with excavators. The main, permanent sources of dust in quarries with vehicles are roads, which account for up to 70-80 ° of all dust released in the quarry. During massive explosions, 100-200 tons of dust and thousands of cubic meters of harmful gases are released simultaneously to a height of 20-300 m, a significant part of which spreads beyond the quarries up to several kilometers. In windy, dry weather, a large amount of dust is blown away from the working surfaces of quarries and especially dumps.

Pollution of the quarry atmosphere with gases occurs not only as a result of explosions, but also during the release of gases from rocks, especially during spontaneous combustion and oxidation of ores. as well as as a result of the operation of machines with internal combustion engines.

The main direction of combating dust and gases in a quarry is to prevent their formation and suppress it near the source. For example, the use of dust collectors on drilling roller rigs reduces dust emissions from 2000 to 35 mg/s. Coating crushed stone roads with dust-binding substances reduces dust emissions by 80-90%. The period for removing dust from roads when using water is 1.5 hours; sulfate-alcohol stillage - 120 hours and liquid bitumen - 160-330 hours.

Reducing dust emissions from rock dumps is achieved through their reclamation, coating with dust-binding solutions and emulsions, and hydroseeding of perennial grasses.

Dust on the surface of dumps and sludge storage facilities causes significant damage to the environment.

To secure the surfaces of sludge storage areas and dumps, they are used aqueous solutions polymers and polyacrylamide with a flow rate of 6-8 l/m2 or bitumen emulsion with a concentration of 25-30% with a flow rate of 1.2-1.5 l/m2. The application of fixatives can be carried out using watering machines or asphalt trucks. Spraying from helicopters may also be used. The normal service life of fixatives is 1 year.

The presence of endogenous fires, i.e. fires from spontaneous combustion in quarries and waste rock dumps is one of the causes of dust and gas pollution in the atmosphere. Endogenous fires occur in coal pillars, coal piles, and waste rock dumps to which coal is mixed. Spontaneous combustion of coal is facilitated by the layer-by-layer mining of thick seams and the use of loosened rock mass as a base for railway tracks.

To suppress and prevent fires, water is injected into the coal massif, the slopes of coal benches and dump surfaces are flooded, they are covered with a clay crust, and coal mining technology is changed in order to reduce the time of contact of exposed coal seams with air.

Suppression of dust and gas emissions arising from massive explosions is carried out by fan or hydromonitor creation of a water-air cloud. Reducing the release of gases and dust is achieved by reducing the number of wells blasted, using hydrogels for driving down well charges, and also when carrying out explosions during rain or snowfall. The intensity of dust emission during the operation of excavators in the process of unloading, transshipment, and crushing rocks is reduced due to moistening of the rock mass and irrigation using solutions of surfactants.

Security water resources. Wastewater reduction and treatment are key measures to protect water resources. Mining operations, as a rule, are associated with the discharge of large amounts of contaminated water obtained during the drainage of the deposit, as a result of drainage from the quarry, drainage of dumps and sludge storage facilities. currents of processing plants.

Groundwater, coming into contact with rocks, acquires increased acidity and increases the content of heavy metal ions zinc, lead and various salts. Atmospheric precipitation, passing through the body of the dump, acquires the properties of mine water.

To purify contaminated water, clarification, neutralization and disinfection are used. Water clarification is achieved by settling or filtration. Sedimentation is carried out in water settling tanks of various designs, filtration is carried out using filters filled with quartz sand, crushed gravel, and coke breeze. If contaminated water contains fine and colloidal particles that do not settle even in a still flow and are not retained in filters, then coagulants are added to it, converting small particles into relatively large flakes.

Reducing the amount of wastewater is achieved in technological processes through the use of recycled water supply and more advanced equipment and enrichment technology. and when draining the deposit - due to the isolation of the quarry field or part of it from aquifers by creating impervious curtains. To do this, narrow deep trenches (cracks) are made around the isolated area, which are filled with waterproof material.

In modern practice, anti-seepage trenches or barrage gaps with a width of 0.3-1.2 m and a depth of up to 100 m are used, which are filled with non-hardening clay-soil mixtures or hardening cement-based materials. Synthetic films are often used.

In the sides of quarries, represented by fractured, highly porous or loose permeable rocks, it is possible to create injectable hygroscopic curtains using closely spaced wells into which grouting cement or silicate solutions are injected. This is one of the most economical ways to contain groundwater.

Another way to reduce the scale of violation of the hydrological regime is to drain fields with reinjection of water. The quarry is protected from the influx of groundwater by rows of water-reducing wells; behind them, in the direction from the boundaries of the quarry field, rows of absorption wells are installed. Due to the emergence of water circulation (pumping from water-reducing wells - discharge into absorption wells - filtration and repeated pumping from water-reducing wells), the influx of water from the surrounding basin is reduced or completely eliminated, which leads to the general preservation of the hydrological regime in the adjacent territory. At the same time an important condition is strict adherence to the balance of pumping and injection of water, since the creation of vacuum in absorption wells can cause an influx of water from deep horizons and disrupt the hydrological regime of the area.

Protection of land resources. In open-pit mining, the rocks covering the mineral deposits are, as a rule, tertiary and quaternary sediments, in the upper part of which there is a soil layer with a thickness of 0.1 to 1.8 m. Below the soil layer there are underlying loams, sandy loams, clays, sands and other loose rocks. The thickness of the underlying rocks can reach tens of meters. According to their suitability for biological development, they are divided into three groups - potentially fertile, indifferent and toxic, i.e., respectively suitable, unsuitable and unsuitable for plant growth.

Soil is a special natural formation, the most important property which is fertility. Soils are formed on the products of weathering of rocks, most often loose Quaternary sediments. Long lasting, for hundreds and thousands of years. the interaction of rocks with plant and living organisms, the biological activity of microorganisms and animals create different types soil

The soil layer is characterized by a complex of agrochemicals. physical, mechanical and biological indicators: content of humus (humus) and nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium), pH acidity. content of water-soluble sodium, magnesium and chloride sulfates, density, moisture capacity, water permeability, content of fractions less than 0.01 mm. number of microorganisms.

The quality of soils in different natural areas varies significantly. For example, dark chestnut soils of dry steppes have a humus content of 250 t/ha. and the thickness of the humus layer is 30 cm. The podzolic soil of the forest zone has a thickness of the humus layer of only 5-15 cm.

There are two layers of soil - fertile and semi-fertile or potentially fertile. A layer is called fertile if it has certain characteristics and, above all, a humus content of at least 1-2%. The thickness of this layer, depending on the type of soil, ranges from 20 to 120 cm. For example, in soddy-podzolic soils the thickness of the fertile layer is 20 cm, and in chernozem soils it is 60-120 cm. The soils of the fertile layer, as a rule, are removed separately and used in agricultural purposes for the formation and improvement of arable land.

The potentially fertile layer is the lower part of the soil cover with a humus content of 0.5-1%. It is used to create land for haymaking and afforestation. and also as a substratum for fertile soils. Its thickness is in the range of 20-50 cm.

Soils are a practically non-renewable, valuable product. Complete removal of soil during mining operations and its subsequent use, including application to reclaimed land, is the main factor in the rapid restoration of disturbed lands and localization of the negative impact of open-pit mining on the environment.

Work to remove the fertile layer is carried out with bulldozers. scrapers, graders and excavators. In some cases, hydraulic transport is used to deliver soil mass over long distances and lay it on the surface of the restored area.

The main indicator of soil removal technology is the loss caused by incomplete excavation during transportation (1-1.2%), during storage and transshipment in temporary warehouses (0.8-1.5%), when applying it to the surface of a dump, when working in unfavorable conditions. climatic conditions, as a result of dilution and deterioration of the biological quality of the soil.

Removed fertile and semi-fertile soils are stored separately in piles for a long time (10-15 years or more) and are used as needed.

The most fertile humus soils, when stored in high stacks and over a long period of time, deteriorate their quality. The height of the stack should be no more than 5 m for fertile soils and no more than 10 m for semi-fertile ones. Warehouses should be located on level, elevated, dry areas or have an effective drainage system. It is advisable to protect soil deposits from water and wind erosion by sowing with grasses.

Soil dilution most often occurs during the working of underlying rocks in the process of removing the soil layer, as well as when covering the surface of dumps with soil, in the case when they are not well planned and when their shrinkage has not completely finished.

4. Reclamation of lands disturbed by open-pit mining

Reclamation is a set of works aimed at restoring the productivity and value of land, as well as improving environmental conditions. Reclamation in quarries includes mining, land reclamation, agricultural and hydraulic engineering works.

As a result of reclamation work, lands suitable for agriculture and forestry, the organization of recreation areas, the construction of reservoirs for various purposes, and residential and industrial construction can be created.

Reclamation is carried out in two stages: the first - mining and the second - biological.

4 .1 Mining reclamation

Mining technical reclamation is a complex of mining operations carried out to prepare disturbed lands for use in various sectors of the national economy.

Mining-technical reclamation includes excavation, storage and storage of soils suitable for reclamation, preparation (planning, reclamation) of dumps, engineering preparation of restored land areas, application of soil to the surface of dumps and restored land plots, formation of the required configuration of slopes of dumps and mine workings, leveling of the banks of created reservoirs, work to restore the fertility of the moved soil, engineering, construction and hydraulic work in the development of restored territories for construction and recreation areas and other various works.

Mining reclamation is carried out, as a rule, simultaneously with the development of the deposit, and work on its production is included in the general process. They are carried out by specialized organizations, at large enterprises in special workshops and areas.

In this regard, open-pit mining systems and their comprehensive mechanization, along with efficiency and safety, must be subject to certain requirements that ensure rational use of land:

Mining should be the least land-intensive, i.e. the consumption of land resources per unit of extracted mineral raw materials should be minimal;

During the exploitation of the deposit, the regime of land disturbance and restoration should be the most favorable. ensuring a minimum time gap between these processes;

The formation of mined-out space and overburden dumps must meet the requirements of reclamation in accordance with the accepted direction of further use of the land after its restoration.

The most unfavorable conditions for the reclamation of disturbed lands occur during the development of inclined and steep deposits using tucking mining systems. IN in this case Land reclamation should be understood as bringing external overburden dumps into a condition suitable for use in agriculture or forestry, and the mined-out space of a quarry (depth from 100 to 300-500 m) into a condition suitable for a fishery reservoir or workers’ recreation areas.

4 .2 Biological remediation

Biological reclamation is a set of measures to restore and improve the structure of soils, increase their fertility, develop water bodies, create forests and green spaces.

Work on biological reclamation is closely related to work on mining technical reclamation and a significant part, especially the initial part, is carried out by mining enterprises (reclamation workshops). Only after experimental agricultural and other work has been carried out that has yielded positive results, the restored areas are assessed and transferred to agricultural, forestry and other organizations. Mining reclamation is subject to not only waste rock dumps, but also lands occupied during the period of operation by enterprises, quarries, industrial sites, various communications, and tailings dumps.

When developing horizontal fields, the largest share of reclamation is made up of internal dumps (70-80%), when developing steep fields - external dumps (30-40%). Reclamation of disturbed lands occupied by quarries and industrial sites during operation. roads, etc., aims not only to restore them, but also to create a landscape that meets the needs of the ecological balance of the environment. These works are aimed primarily at eliminating various mountain excavations, embankments, leveling areas and excavations, etc. improvement of soils by covering them with a fertile layer.

In addition, it is necessary to carry out anti-erosion protective measures, various engineering, construction and hydraulic works to create drainage systems, reservoirs, and recreation areas. The work also includes land reclamation and various agrotechnical works for the development of reclaimed lands. Mining-technical reclamation of dumps includes planning work on their leveling and smoothing out the slopes, and then applying a fertile layer of soil.

The complexity and cost of reclamation largely depend on the shape of the dump and its structure. Therefore, long before reclamation work, when designing dumps and during the process of dumping, it is necessary to keep in mind the purpose of their reclamation.

The method of forming dumps must be selective, providing such a dump structure in which at the base of the dump there are rocky and toxic rocks, above indifferent ones, then potentially fertile ones. Layers of toxic rocks must be overlapped, and in some cases, underlain by layers of neutral clayey rocks, preventing contamination of the upper fertile soils and geochemical contamination of the base of the dump in the surrounding area.

The plan should not allow for the dismemberment of dumps. Preference should be given to concentrated dumps of large area and regular shape, which are better suited for further development. The relief over the entire area should be calm. If rocks are prone to spontaneous combustion or active oxidative processes, then work is necessary to prevent them.

To achieve good reclamation results, the processes of shrinkage of dumps and stabilization of their surface, which lasts for a period of time, are of great importance. different conditions from six months to 5 years.

Shrinkage of internal dumps of loose rocks, dumped by excavator or excavation-dump complexes, occurs most intensively during the first one and a half to two years and lasts longer, the greater the height of the dump.

Stabilization of external rock dumps is carried out faster, at the first stage - 1.5-2 months. However, in autumn-summer, shrinkage resumes, zones of fracturing and landslide phenomena appear. Therefore, the formation of the soil layer is carried out no earlier than after 10-12 months. Leveling work on the dump must ensure the creation of a surface relief of the dump that allows the use of agricultural machinery, ensures long-term stability of the slopes and prevents water erosion. The following types of layouts are used: solid, partial and terraced layout.

With continuous planning, the surface slope should be no more than 1-2° for agricultural crops and no more than 3-5° for afforestation.

Partial planning involves cutting off the ridges of the dumps and creating areas 8-10 m wide, allowing for mechanized planting of forests.

Terraces 4-10 m wide with a transverse slope of 1-2° towards the dump are usually created on the sides of high dumps and are used for planting shrubs and forests. The height of the terraces is 8-10 m, the angle of repose is 15-20°. Leveling of dump slopes is carried out using bulldozers and excavators according to the “top to bottom” scheme.

In the process of mining technical reclamation, work is carried out not only to cover the restored areas with a layer of fertile soil, but also to create a fertile layer through partial soil cultivation, phytomelioration, that is, the cultivation of semi-fertile rocks by planting soil-improving plants and applying fertilizers.

Practice shows that on a number of dumps there is no need to apply a thick layer of soil, but you can limit yourself to self-overgrowth or minimal soiling in the form of a layer of soil 5-10 cm thick.

Quaternary loess-like loams and a number of other loose rocks significantly improve their fertile properties under the influence of cereals and legumes, fertilizers and other agrotechnical measures. After 6-8 years of soil-forming process, they can be considered fertile soils.

Conclusion

The production activities of the mining complex have a significant impact on the environment: tons of harmful substances are released into the atmosphere, cubic meters of polluted wastewater are dumped into water bodies, and a huge amount of solid waste is stored on the surface of the earth.

There is a need for widespread development of mining-ecological research aimed at developing and implementing monitoring of that part of the biosphere that is exposed to mining; principles and methodology for economic assessment of the effectiveness of measures to rational use mineral resources and environmental protection; techniques and technologies of low-waste, and subsequently - waste-free mining production.

Already now, in the world practice of open-pit mining, good results have been achieved and extensive experience in reclamation work has been accumulated. It can be especially noted that today reclamation has become part of important periods development of open-pit mining. During operation, it is an integral production element of stripping operations and at the end of mining operations - a decisive period that guarantees reliable environmental protection.

Currently, the consequences of the negative impact of enterprises on the environment are compensated by payments that each of them makes for the harm caused to nature. The amount of payments is determined by the amount of harmful substances released and their hazard class.

References

1. Bugaeva G. G., Kogut A. V. Scientific article. Environmental risk factors in the area of open-pit mining.

2. Derevyashkin I.V. Textbook: Fundamentals of Mining. Open pit mining. 2011

3. Kuznetsov V.S. Scientific work. Assessment of dust pollution during open-pit mining based on environmental risk. Scientific library of dissertations and abstracts. [Electronic resource]: http://www.dissercat.com

4. Melnikov N.V. A quick guide to surface mining. - M.: Nedra 1982

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