Experience in Ensuring Ecological Safety of Operation of the Open-cut Equipment with Internal Combustion Engines

Spaceborne NO2 observations are sensitive to coal mining and processing in the largest coal basin of Russia

“…Such indirect nitrogenous emissions originate from the inefficient compression-ignition diesel engines of coal mining equipment (excavators), coal transportation vehicles (haul trucks) and from nearby facilities for processing coal. Notably, the combustion of heavy fuel by the haul trucks deployed in Kuzbass has already been questioned from an ecological viewpoint 19 . Although new heavy machinery meeting Euro-3 and Euro-4 standards is being delivered to Kuzbass, there remains an abundance of inefficient diesel-fueled equipment prone to emitting NOx 19 .…”

“…Notably, the combustion of heavy fuel by the haul trucks deployed in Kuzbass has already been questioned from an ecological viewpoint 19 . Although new heavy machinery meeting Euro-3 and Euro-4 standards is being delivered to Kuzbass, there remains an abundance of inefficient diesel-fueled equipment prone to emitting NOx 19 . Moreover, as preliminarily indicated, such indirect coal emissions can stem from manufacturing of steel, which uses coke in the production, thereby generating various indirect air pollutants including NO 2 .…”

“…Rather, it is attributed to indirect emissions of coal mining, stemming from fuel combustion, mainly by motor vehicles 17 but also by the heavy machinery and transportation vehicles involved in the mining, processing, and transportation of coal 18 . In this context, a regional study reported that in Kuzbass, huge amounts of coal are mined (by excavators) and transported (by haul trucks) using heavy machinery that relies on the inefficient combustion of diesel fuel 19 . Given the scales of coal mining in Kuzbass, such machinery generates massive amounts of NO x emissions that might increase tropospheric NO 2 to levels that are seemingly harmful to respiratory and cardiovascular systems 20 .…”