Environmental Risks to Air, Water and Soil Due to the Coal Mining Process

Abstract

The coal exploitation and transportation, its combustion, and deposit of coal combustion products have adverse effects on soil, water and air. In addition to environmental degradation and pollution with uncontrolled utilization and overuse of the non-renewable energy sources we deprive coming generations' rights and possibilities to use them for their needs. Modern society has admitted its mistakes with respect to the environment. As a result we are accepting our responsibilities for environmental conditions in general. Nowadays, numerous coal mining practices that enable environment protection are available.Significant numbers of technical papers have assessed coal combustion in the energy generation practices adverse influence on the environment by investigating individual sectors of the mining-energy industry, i.e., exploitation, transportation and utilization. In this study the intersectoral approach is applied to emphasize adverse effects on the environment during the all phases of the coal utilization, i.e., excavation, transportation, and coal combusting in thermal power plants within the South Eastern Europe.