Assessment of Particulate and Trace Element Pollution in Airborne Dust around a Highly Mechanized Opencast Coal Mine in Talcher, Odisha

• Published in: Journal of mining science 2018-07, Vol.54 (4), p.697-708
• Main Authors: Tripathy, D. P., Dash, T. R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air pollution; Analysis; Atmospheric particulates; Automotive emissions; Coal; Coal industry; Coal mines; Coal mining; Correlation analysis; Dust storms; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Emission analysis; Geophysics/Geodesy; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Heavy metals; Mineral Resources; Mining; Mining Ecology; Mining industry; Monitoring; Monitoring systems; Open pit mining; Particulate emissions; Particulate matter; Particulate pollution; Particulates; Pollution; Pollution control; Principal components analysis; Seasonal variation; Seasonal variations; Seasons; Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; Summer; Suspended particulate matter; Trace elements; Trace metals; Winter
• ISSN: 1062-7391; 1573-8736
• DOI: 10.1134/S1062739118044784

Particulate pollution is considered as one of the important environmental problems in coal mining area. The particulate matter (PM) not only affects human, but also degrade the nearby vegetation and the ecological environment in many ways. This fetches the attention of researchers many times all over the world to work on the issue. Talcher coal field is one of the oldest coalfields of India with a very high coal deposit. In this study monitoring of respirable PM (PM 10 & PM 2.5 ) has been performed at eight monitoring stations around a high mechanized opencast coalmine for two seasons i.e., summer and winter. Samples were collected as per the standard criteria of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), New Delhi, India. The study on the seasonal variations of PM concentration confirmed the high concentration of PM in the winter season as compared to the summer season. A total of 10 trace elements were analyzed and selected for source apportionment of PM and heavy metal. Statistical techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and correlation analysis were deployed for source identification and respective contribution to PM. The major sources of trace metals and PM were mainly from coal mining and associated activities, and from vehicular emission in the study area.