Reclamation of post-mining dumps
One of the adverse effects of mining activities is the generation of significant amounts of mining waste. In the past, in Poland and the world, a commonly used method of neutralizing waste from hard coal mining was storage in dumps. Hence, there are currently over 220 facilities of this type located in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin alone. For example, in China, their number exceeds 1700. They occupy vast acres of land and impact the environment (pollution of the atmosphere, land and water, landscape degradation, etc.).
Due to the high content of combustible parts in coal waste, endogenous fires are a significant threat to the environment and safety from the dumps. They are accompanied by high material temperature and troublesome emission of gases and dust to the atmosphere. They constitute a significant obstacle to the development of the dumpsite. Water erosion, negatively affecting the condition of the dump surface, is also a considerable problem. It is also conducive to increasing the fire hazard.
Range of activities:
- thermal research and monitoring,
- thermovision, photogrammetry, 3D laser scanning,
- research on the emission of fire gases into the atmosphere,
- development of fire prevention in dumps,
- preparation of design documentation for extinguishing, technical and biological reclamation of dumps and areas degraded by mining activities.
