Sustainable Development Assessment in Underground Coal mining by Developing a Novel Index

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Faculty of Mining Engineering, Petroleum and Geophysics, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran

Abstract

A novel index is presented in this paper to evaluate sustainable development in underground coal mining. Eleven parameters were chosen as impacting factors that define three aspects of sustainable development, including environmental, economic, and social. Fuzzy Delphi Analytical Hierarchy Process (FDAHP) was used to develop a new rating system in the form of a classification system. Subsequently, a sustainable development index (SDi) was defined as a simple summation of ratings for all parameters to classify the sustainability level of underground coal mining qualitatively. Applicability of the new index was examined through applying it to a case study, and the results were compared with a benchmark model. The results indicate that SDi possesses a higher performance in sustainable development evaluation in the actual case when compared to common models. This performance is because it is developed for underground coal mining, especially in a scientific manner that considers three aspects of sustainable development together.

Keywords


[1] Brundtland Report. Our Common Future (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development United Nations. https://doi.org/10.1080/07488008808408783.
[2] National Academy of Sciences. (1996). Mineral Resources and Sustainability, Challenges for Earth Scientists, Commission on Geosciences", Environment and Resources, National Academy Press, Washington. 
[3] Bui, N. T., Kawamura, A., Kim, K. W., Prathumratana, L., Kim, T. H., Yoon, S. H., ... and Truong, N. T (2017). Proposal of an indicator-based sustainability assessment framework for the mining sector of APEC economies. Resources Policy, 52, 405-417. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2017.05.005.
[4] Leopold, L. B., Clarke, F. E., Hanshaw, B. B., and Balsley, J. R. (1971). A procedure for evaluating environmental impact. Washington: Geological Survey Circular, 645, 13.
[5] Folchi, R (2003). Environmental impact statement for mining with explosives: a quantitative method. In proceedings of the annual conference on explosives and blasting technique. 2, 285-296.
[6] Pastakia, C. M. R (1998). The Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM)—a new tool for environmental impact assessment. In: Jensen, K., Ed., Environmental Impact Assessment Using the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM), Olsen & Olsen, Fredensborg, 8-17.
[7] Phillips, J (2010). Evaluating the level and nature of sustainable development for a geothermal power plant. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 14, 8, 2414-2425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2010.05.009.
[8] Phillips, J (2012a). Applying a mathematical model of sustainability  to the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix evaluation of the coal mining tailings dumps in the Jiului Valley, Romania. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 63, 17-25. 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2012.03.003.
[9] Phillips, J (2012b). The level and nature of sustainability for clusters of abandoned limestone quarries in the southern Palestinian West  Bank". Applied Geography, 32, 2, 376-392.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2011.06.009
[10] Tajvidi Asr, E., Kakaie, R., Ataei, M., and Mohammadi, M. R. T  (2019). A review of studies on sustainable development in mining life cycle. Journal of Cleaner Production.
[11] Zhengfu, B. I. A. N., Inyang, H. I., Daniels, J. L., Frank, O. T. T. O., and Struthers, S (2010). Environmental issues from coal mining and their solutions. Mining Science and Technology (China), 20(2), 215-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1674-
5264(09)60187-3.
[12] Si, H., Bi, H., Li, X., and Yang, C (2010). Environmental evaluation for sustainable development of coal mining in Qijiang, Western  China. International Journal of Coal, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2009.11.004
[13] Sontamino, P., and Drebenstedt, C (2011). Decision Support System of Coal Mine Planning Using System Dynamics Model: Introduction and Reviews". In 6th Freiberg-St. Petersburg Kolloquium junger Wisseshaftler 15-17 Juni, Freiberg, Germany 1-6. 
[14] Cheng, Y. P., Wang, L., and Zhang, X. L (2011). Environmental impact of coal mine methane emissions and responding strategies in China. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. 5, 1, 157-166.
[15] Díaz, E., Fernández, J., Ordóñez, S., Canto, N., and González (2012). A Carbon and ecological footprints as tools for evaluating the environmental impact of coal mine ventilation air. Ecological indicators. 18, 126-130.
[16] Kowalska, I. J (2014). Risk management in the hard coal mining industry: Social and environmental aspects of  ollieries’ liquidation. Resources Policy, 41, 124-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2014.05.002.
[17] Ataei, M., Tajvidi Asr, E., Khalokakaie, R., Ghanbari, K., and Tavakoli Mohammadi, M. R (2016). Semi-quantitative environmental impact assessment and sustainability level determination of coal mining using a mathematical model. Journal of Mining and Environment, 7, 2, 185-193. https://doi.org/ 10.22044/jme.2016.515.
[18] Yu, S., and Gao, S. Sun ., H (2016). A dynamic programming model for environmental investment decision-making in coal mining. Applied Energy, 166, 273-281.
[19] Saini, V., Gupta, R. P., and Arora, M. K (2016). Environmental impact studies in coalfields in India: a case study from Jharia coalfield. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 53, 1222-1239.
[20] He, F., Gu, L., Wang, T., and Zhang, Z (2017). The synthetic geoecological environmental evaluation of a coastal coal-mining city using spatiotemporal big data: a case study in Longkou, China. Journal of Cleaner Production 142, 854-866. R. Norouzi Masir et al. / Int. J. Min. & Geo-Eng. (IJMGE), 55-1 (2021) 11-17 17
[21] Horacio, A., and Craig, H (2017). Case history of environmental impacts of an Indonesian coal supply chain. Journal of cleaner production.
[22] Qi, R., Liu, T., Jia, Q., Sun, L., and Liu, J. (2019). Simulating the sustainable effect of green mining construction policies on coal mining industry of China. Journal of cleaner production, 226, 392-406.
[23] Kopacz, M., Kryzia, D., and Kryzia, K (2017). Assessment of sustainable development of hard coal mining industry in Poland with use of bootstrap sampling and copula-based Monte Carlo simulation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 159, 359-373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.05.038.
[24] Liu, X., Guo, P., and Nie, L. (2020). Applying emergy and decoupling analysis to assess the sustainability of China’s coal mining area. Journal of Cleaner Production, 243, 118577.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118577
[25] Hou, Y., Long, R., Zhang, L., and Wu, M. (2020). Dynamic analysis of the sustainable development capability of coal cities. Resources Policy, 66, 101607.
[26] Tai, X., Xiao, W., and Tang, Y. (2020). A quantitative assessment of vulnerability using social-economic-natural compound ecosystem framework in coal mining cities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 120969.
[27] Evans, R., Brereton, D., and Joy, J (2007). Risk assessment as a tool to explore sustainable development issues: lessons from the Australian coal industry. International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 7, 5, 607-619. 
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43479136.
[28] Chikkatur, A. P., Sagar, A. D., and Sankar, T. L. (2009). Sustainable development of the Indian coal sector". Energy, 34, 8, 942-953. [29] Mukhopadhyay, L (2013). Sustainable Development-A Path Dependent Analysis to the Rat hole Coal  Mining in Jaintia Hills District, India. In Indian Society for Ecological Economics (INSEE) Global Change, Ecosystems, Sustainability. Seventh Biennial Conference.  
[30] Uddin, N., Blommerde, M., Taplin, R., and Laurence, D (2015). Sustainable development outcomes of coal mine methane clean development mechanism Projects in China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 45, 1-9.
[31] Zhang, Y., Feng, G., Zhang, M., Ren, H., Bai, J., Guo, Y., ... and Kang, L (2016). Residual coal exploitation and its impact on sustainable development of the coal industry in China". Energy Policy, 96, 534-541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.06.033.
[32] Lei, K., Pan, H., and Lin, C. (2016). A landscape approach towards ecological restoration and sustainable development of mining areas. Ecological Engineering, 90, 320-325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.01.080.
[33] Norouzi Masir, R., Khalokakaie, R., Ataei, M., and Mohammadi, S.  (2018). Structural analysis of impacting factors of sustainable development in underground coal mining using DEMATEL  method. Journal of Mining and Environment, 9, 3, 567-579. https://doi.org/10.22044/JME.2017.951.
[34] Von Below, M. A (1993). Sustainable mining development hampered by low mineral prices. Resources Policy, 19, 3, 177-181.
[35] Mirmohammadi, M., Gholamnejad, J., Fattahpour, V., Seyedsadri, P., and Ghorbani, Y (2009) Designing of an environmental assessment algorithm for surface mining projects. Journal of environmental management, 90, 8, 2422-2435.
[36] Manowska, A., Osadnik, K. T., and Wyganowska, (2017). Economic and social aspects of restructuring Polish coal mining: Focusing on Poland and the EU. Resources Policy, 52, 192-200.
[37] Kaufman, A., and Gupta, M. M (1988). Introduction to Fuzzy Arithmetic: theory and Application, van no strand Reinhold. New York. 
[38] Ataee, M., 2010. Fuzzy Multi-criteria Decision-making. Shahrood University of Technology. (in persian). [39] Ataee, M., 2010. Fuzzy Multi-criteria Decision-making. Shahrood University of Technology. (in persian).
[40] Technical Office of Industrial and Mining Company of North East Shahrood (2011). Exploratory and Geological Surveys of the Zemestan Yourt coal mine