Coal mining trends and future prospects: A case study of Eastern Salt Range, Punjab, Pakistan
Keywords:
Coal mines; Mining techniques; Coal mines accidents; Eastern Salt RangeAbstract
Coal is an organoclastic sedimentary rock, composed essentially of lithified plant debris. Coal is an important energy source and is available in all over the world. Pakistan possesses huge coal reserves across the country that can play a pivotal role in development of the country overcoming the energy crises prevalent in four seasons. Government of Pakistan is seriously looking for alternative resources other than hydro and thermal energy to meet the ongoing and growing energy requirements. Most of the world's lignite deposits are located in Asia. Pakistan is among the top most lignite coal-bearing countries in Asia possessing almost 97% of the coal reserves bearing lignite variety. The rest of the grades are of sub-bituminous to bituminous content. Amongst all the reserves in Asia, 3% are located in Pakistan. The major coal reserves in Punjab are found in Eastern & Central Salt Range and Trans-Indus Range. Most of the region's coal and carbonaceous coal deposits are located in the Paleocene Patala Formation, with a minor occurrence in the Tobra formation of the Permian age. Mining techniques are being pursued viz; room and pillar method and longwall system that are commonly applied in the areas. Supports are provided without geotechnical evaluation. Timbering is provided as supports in these coal mines. The analysis of accidents shows that roof collapse and fall of side walls are the most common and frequent type of fatal accidents making almost of total accidents.
References
Ahmad, Z., Siddiqi, R.A., 1992. Minerals and rocks for industry. Geological survey of Pakistan.
Alam, G.S., Bhatti, N.A., Mashhadi, S.T.A., Tariq, S., Shahid, J., Muhammad, A., 1987. Coal deposits of Dalwal Plateau, District Chakwal, Eastern Salt Range, Punjab, Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Information Release, 325-333.
Ali, H.M.Z., Khan, S., 2015. Ranking of Paleocene Age Coal Salt Range, Punjab And Its Application In Coal Fired Power Plants. Science International, 27.
Ali, H.M.Z., Khan, S., 2015. Ranking of Paleocene Age Coal Salt Range, Punjab And Its Application In Coal Fired Power Plants. Science International, 27, 2.
Ashraf, M.Y., Awan, A.R., Mahmood, K., 2012. Rehabilitation of saline ecosystems through cultivation of salt tolerant plants. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 44, 69-75.
Bhatti, N., 1967. Occurrence of Permian coal near Burikhel, Western Salt Range. Geological Survey of Pakistan, unpublished Report, 21.
Crowell, D., 2005. History of coal mining in Ohio: Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Division of Geological Survey, GeoFacts, 14.
Dong, S.M., Pan, Q.L., 2008. The discussion of domestically produced thin coal bed fully mechanized coal mining equipment mining technology. Jiangxi Coal Science and Technology, 1, 41-70.
Elford, H.S., McKeown, M.R., 1947. Coal mining in Australia. Tait Publishing Company.
Ferm, J.C., Staub, J.R., 1984. Depositional controls of mineable coal bodies. Sedimentology of Coal and Coal-bearing Sequences, 273-289.
Fielding, C.R., 1987. Coal depositional models for deltaic and alluvial plain sequences. Geology, 15 (7), 661-664
Galloway, W.E., Hobday, D.K., 1983. Coal in Terrigenous Clastic Depositional Systems, 253-297. Springer, New York, NY.
Gee, E., 1938. The economic geology of the northern Punjab, with notes on adjoining portions of the North-West Frontier Province: Mining, geological and metallurgical Institute of India.
Ghazi, S., Ali, S.H., Sahraeyan, M., Hanif, T., 2015. An overview of tectonosedimentary framework of the Salt Range, northwestern Himalayan fold and thrust belt, Pakistan. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 83, 1635-1651.
Hartman, H.L., Mutmansky, J.M., 2002 . Introductory mining engineering: John Wiley and Sons.
Hassan, M., 1985. Investigations for coal in Sammewala mine area, central Salt Range, Punjab, Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Information release, 232-238.
Jan, I.U., Shah, A., Stephenson, M.H., Iqbal, S., Hanif, M., Wagreich, M., Hussain, H.S., 2016. The sedimentology of the Lower Permian Dandot Formation: A component of the Gondwana deglaciation sequence of the Salt Range, Pakistan. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e stratgrafia, 122(1), 75-90.
Kazmi, A.H., Siddiqi, R.A., 1990. Significance of the coal resources of Pakistan, Geological Survey of Pakistan and United States Geological Survey, Joint Publication, 63-92.
Khan, A., Mumtaz, A., Athar, G., 1990. Significance of indigenous coal in Pakistan's energy scenario. Significance of the coal resources of Pakistan: Quetta, Geological Survey of Pakistan, 173-188.
Lama, R., Bodziony, J., 1998. Management of outburst in underground coal mines. International Journal of Coal Geology, 35 (1), 83-115.
Lechner, A.M., Kassulke, O., Unger, C., 2016. Spatial assessment of open cut coal mining progressive rehabilitation to support the monitoring of rehabilitation liabilities. Resources Policy, 50, 234-243.
Malkani, M.S., 2012. A review of coal and water resources of Pakistan. Journal of Science, Technology and Development, 31 (3), 202-218.
Mark, C., Barczak, T.M., 2000. Fundamentals of coal mine roof support. New Technology for Coal Mine Roof Support, Proceedings of the NIOSH Open Industry Briefing, NIOSH IC, 9453, 23-42.
McCabe, P. J., 1984. Depositional environments of coal and coal‐bearing strata: Wiley Online Library.
Miller, L., Pakalnis, R., Poulin, R., 1995. UBC Mining method Selection, Mine planning and equipment selection MPES. Singhal ed., Balkama, Rotterdam.
Nersesian, R.L., 2016. Energy economics: markets, history and policy, Routledge.
Pakistan Coal Power Generation Potential., 2004. Retrieved from http://www.nepra.org.pk/Policies/Coal% 20Potential%20in%20Pakistan.pdf.
Pandit, K., Chourasia, A., Bhattacharyya, S., 2012. Depillaring of coal and mine roof supports. Paper presented at 28th National Convention of Civil Engineers & National Seminar on Role of Infrastructure for Sustainable Development, IEI Roorkee.
Paracha, S.K., 1990. Use of Indigenous Coal for Power Generation. Significance of the coal resources of Pakistan, 227.
Qayyum, M., 1991. Crustal shortening and tectonic evolution of the Salt Range in Northwest Himalaya, Pakistan.
Sameeni, S.J., 2009. The Salt Range. In Paleo Parks: the protection and conservation of fossil sites worldwide. Université de Bretagne occidentale Département des sciences de la terre, 65-73.
Shah, S.M.I., 1980. Stratigraphy and economic geology of central Salt Range, Geological Survey of Pakistan, 52.
Sierpińska-Sawicz, A., Bąk, P.B., 2016. Costs of corporate bond issue in coal mining companies, 99-111. Speight, J.G., 1994. The Chemistry and Technology of Coal, 2nd ed. New York, USA, Taylor & Francis.
Sonderegger, W., Mandallaz, D., Niemz, P., 2008. An investigation of the influence of selected factors on the properties of spruce wood. Wood Science and Technology, 42, 4, 281-298.
Warwick, P.D., Shakoor, T., 1988. Preliminary report on coal characteristics in the Salt Range area of north-central Pakistan, US Geological Survey, 88-637.
Warwick, P.D., Wardlaw, B.R., 2007. Regional studies of the Potwar plateau area, northern Pakistan, US Geological Survey, Bulletin 2078-A.
Warwick, P., Javed, S., 1990. Quality and character of Pakistan coal. Significance of the coal resources of Pakistan, Geological Survey of Pakistan, Quetta, 127-135.
Wynne, A., 1878. Geology of the Salt Range in the Punjab, Memoir Geological Survey of India, 14, 1-313.
