Investigations of Overburden Dump Characteristics for Reclamation in a Critical Coal Mining Area in India

摘要

A major environmental and operational challenge in opencast mining involves the handling of overburden during the extraction of coal. Traditionally, overburden removed to expose coal seams has been dumped and stored on nearby land; however, with coal mining activities increasing in India (and elsewhere), sufficient land may not be available for this use. Moreover, runoff from the overburden dumps can degrade nearby waterways. In this article, the authors describe an alternative to overburden dumping that involves depositing overburden back into the opencast mine itself as mining progresses. This not only reclaims the mined area, it also minimizes the need for nearby dumps. The authors discuss the processes for calculating the placement and retention of overburden in active mines to ensure the stability of the materials and the safety of workers.