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Characterization of different road dusts in opencast coal mining areas of India

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Abstract

Dust from haul and transport roads are the major source of air pollution in opencast coal mining areas. Dust generated during mining operations pollutes air which causes different health problems. Various available techniques are implemented in the field to minimize and control dust in mining areas. However, they are not very effective because dust deposited on road surfaces are not removed by these techniques. For effective control of dust in opencast mining areas, it has to be regularly collected from road surfaces and may be converted into solid form, and subsequently can be used as a domestic fuel considering its physicochemical properties. The present paper describes a comparative study of qualitative and quantitative aspects of road dust samples of four coalfields of India. The pH of the dust was found to be in the range of 5.1–7.7. Moisture, ash, volatile matter, fixed carbon, water-holding capacity, bulk density, and specific gravity of dust samples were found to be in the range of 0.5–3.0%, 45–76%, 12.6–20.0%, 10.2–45.3%, 21.17–31.71%, 1.15–1.70, and 1.73–2.30 g cm−3, respectively. Observing the overall generation and characteristics of coal dust, it is suggested that coal dust from haul and transport roads of mining areas can be effectively collected and used as domestic fuel.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are thankful to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India for providing financial support to carry out this research study. Authors are also grateful to the Dr. A. Sinha, Director, Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, India for providing technical advice and giving permission to publish this paper.

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  1. Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Barwa Road, Dhanbad, 826015, India

    K. Mandal, A. Kumar, N. Tripathi, R. S. Singh, S. K. Chaulya, P. K. Mishra & L. K. Bandyopadhyay

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Correspondence to S. K. Chaulya.

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Mandal, K., Kumar, A., Tripathi, N. et al. Characterization of different road dusts in opencast coal mining areas of India. Environ Monit Assess 184, 3427–3441 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2197-1

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