M A Murzin and N V Gorlenko

Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Lermontova St., 83, Irkutsk, 664074, Russia

Abstract

Existing coal mining technologies are associated with significant pollution of the natural environment, especially atmospheric air. On top of this, in the event of an emergency related to the spontaneous combustion of coal, this negative impact significantly increases. Based on the analysis of statistical data, this work presents a retrospective analysis of the pollutant emission from fires at open-pit coal mines in Eastern Siberia. One such example is the exogenous spontaneous combustion of coal at the Kharanor Open-Pit Coal Mine in 2018. In order to assess the impact of combustion products on the participants in the fire containment, we carried out the calculation of areas exposed to toxic damage by sulfur dioxide. As a result, it was found that an adverse impact on the area of toxic damage caused by the release of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere from the fire at the Kharanor Open-Pit Coal Mine will be observed in case of inversion and isothermy, since these coefficients of the degree of the atmosphere vertical stability contribute to prolonged stagnation on the ground, prevent dispersion in height, and can lead to acute poisoning of the mine personnel.