ABSTRACT
The environmental impacts of different methods of coal mining is based on the following considerations: (i) The annual production of coal in the world (∼5370 Mt in 2006) is higher than any other metallic and non-metallic mineral, (ii) Its use is widespread because of its versatility as a fuel and industrial raw material, (iii) It is mined both by opencast and underground mining, or combinations of both, (iv) Transport of coal is expensive. Hence, industries using large quantities of coal, such as, thermal power stations, iron and steel complexes, etc. tend to be located near the coalmines. Consequently, coal-mining areas tend to be the foci of a wide range of environmental stresses, arising not only from the coal mining industry itself, but also from coal-using industries, (v) Coal has a variable composition (e.g. rank of coal, calorific value, sulphur content) depending upon its geologic setting and burial history. It may have to be preprocessed (e.g. washed), depending upon the requirements of the user. Depending upon the composition of coal (such as sulphur content), mining of coal may have consequences such as acid mine drainage (AMD) and burning of coal could cause acid rain, (vi) The environmental impacts associated with the coal cycle are complex and interactive. They may be instantaneous (e.g. land clearance), accumulative (e.g. spoil deposition), or progressive (pneumoconiosis).
