By-products of Coal Enrichment as a Source of Fuel and Aggregates. Management of Post-Production Waste in the Mines of the Southern Concern Coal Company

Abstract

Tauron Mining which is a part of TAURON Group pursues a policy of limiting the quantities of produced extractive waste, and in the future their total management, leads an efforts to process coal slurry and waste rocks into useful products. A carried out studies and implementations bring to Southern Poland Coal Company an intellectual, ecological and economical effects. A number of solutions are protected with patent declarations, and some of them have received international award. A conducted waste recovery reduced their quantity on the mine waste dump and simultaneously decreased the consumption of mineral resources and increased the acreage of objects and areas for recultivation and revitalization. Most of the ongoing recovery processes have contributed to a reduction of the costs of waste disposal while the occurrence of profits from the sale of granulated fuels, aggregates and aggregate binder mixtures. In addition, these activities were and are a source of significant economic effects among users of granulated coal slurry, aggregates and aggregate binder mixtures. Obtained results became possible thanks to the Company’s implementation of environmental policy and good cooperation with universities, research institutes and technology centres and made investments. Existing investment projects were characterized with payback period from 8 to 24 months.