Environmental life cycle assessment of large-scale coal mining with annual output of more than one million tonnes

Abstract

Abstract Coal occupies an absolute advantage in the primary energy structure of China. However, the production of coal poses a serious threat to the ecological environment and human health. In order to quantify the environmental impact of coal mining, this study used the life cycle assessment (LCA) method to analyse the life cycle of coal mining from the cradle- to-gate. Midpoint results based on ReCiPe 2016 indicated that coal mining had a remarkable impact on human carcinogenic toxicity, marine ecotoxicity, freshwater ecotoxicity, fossil resource scarcity, and human non-carcinogenic toxicity. The contribution analysis revealed that material production was identified as the main cause of environmental impacts, followed by energy consumption and process emissions. Steel consumption, electricity production and wastewater discharge were identified as key environmental pollution processes. In addition, specific environmental pollution substances and their contributions were recognized from the source, and sensitivity analysis between key processes and key impact categories was carried out. At the endpoint level, coal mining led to the most damage to human health, followed by ecosystems and resources. This study is of reference significance in guiding the construction of green mines and achieving sustainable development of coal resources.