A Critical Review Of Haul Road Opencast Mines Fugitive Dust - Genesis, Characteristics And Impact

Abstract

The objective of this review is to explore the causes and effects of dust emission from the haul roads of opencast mines. Coal production from opencast mining is continuously increasing in comparison to underground mining. At the same time, opencast mining activities produce more dust as compared to underground mining system. Dust emission of opencast mine in which multiple operations take place simultaneously, like drilling, blasting, coal extraction, coal handling and stockpiling, screening plant, topsoil handling, overburden removal, haul road transportation system and other ancillary activities. Haul road system plays a crucial role as the backbone of opencast mines. Coarse suspended particulate matters having a size greater than 30 μm settle very quickly at the point of emission whereas particulate matters below it and especially less than 10 μm are more likely to be suspended in the atmosphere for a long time. Dust generation from haul tracks shows that if the dust emissions are uncontrolled, there is a high risk of safety hazard by reducing the operator's visibility. Therefore, the probability of haul road accidents might increase leading to a high fatality rate. However, inhalation of respirable dust is far more dangerous for long term health hazard. © 2020 - Kalpana Corporation