Explore the vast range of titles available.

Methane emissions from coal mining remain a significant environmental challenge in the European Union, particularly in the context of climate change commitments and the ongoing transformation of the energy sector. This article analyses methane emissions from surface and underground coal mining, distinguishing between emissions from mining activities, abandoned underground mines, and post-mining activities. A key aspect of the analysis is the methane emissions per 1000 tonnes of lignite and hard coal mined, which allows a comparison of emission intensities between different mining methods. Between 2009 and 2021, methane emissions from coal mining in the EU decrease, with reductions of 2436 kt CO2 eq. (87 kt CH4) from surface mining and 16,518 kt CO2 eq. (590 kt CH4) from underground mining. However, total methane emissions in 2021 still amount to 25,414 kt CO2 eq. (908 kt CH4), with underground mining contributing 84.7% of the emissions. Discrepancies in national emissions reporting and the lack of transparent data on methane emissions from imported coal make accurate assessments difficult. Strengthening international cooperation, improving data transparency, and exploring methane recovery for energy use are essential steps towards achieving the EU’s climate change objectives.

The use of the lithium-ion battery (LIB) in both traction and stationary applications has become ubiquitous. It is essential that retired LIBs are wisely treated, with a basis in the concept of the circular economy, to mitigate primary resource use. A closed-loop repurposing and recycling treatment is required. Thus, using the concept of total material requirement as an indicator of natural resource use based on mining activity, a dynamic material flow analysis was executed considering the degradation of the battery, its lifespan, and demand patterns under several scenarios. Then, the effect of circularity on the savings in global natural resource use involved across the entire lifecycles of LIBs was evaluated. It was found that the global resource use for LIBs will increase to between 10 and 48 Gt in 2050. Circularity has the potential to contribute to an 8–44% reduction in the global resource use associated with LIBs in 2050. It was also found that a longer lifespan in the years leading up to 2050 would have a greater impact on the reduction of resource use for LIBs, despite the lower effectiveness of circularity, because it would reduce the demand for LIBs.

The present study was focused on evaluating the manner in which heavy metals originated from natural and anthropic sources (former mining activity in Baiut metallogenic area), in the upper basin of the Lăpuș River, transferred into sediments and accumulated in the riparian vegetation. Total concentrations of Pb, Ni, and Cd, classified as priority hazardous substances in the WFD, were measured in samples of water, sediments and some emergent flora species (Equisetum fluviatile, Myosotonaquaticum, Carexaquatilis, Salix fragilis, Mentha aquatica, Juncus spp.), in 4 selected sections of the Lăpuș River, including a reference section (a pollution free area). The heavy metal concentration in collected samples were determined by atomic adsorption spectrometry. In all the monitored sections the heavymetals concentrations were higher in plants than in sediments or water samples. The highest concentrations were recorded for Pb, then for Ni and lastly for Cd in the genus Carexand Salixin the most contaminated river section. The results of the study show that the ability to accumulate heavy metals differs between species, and affinity for a particular metal depends on its bioavailability.

Mining activity in Granma Province has gained strategic relevance following the implementation of the National Program for the Local Production of Construction Materials. Within this framework, mineral deposits previously considered of low economic value have become viable resources for both state-owned and non-state producers of construction materials. The San Pedro deposit, located in Granma Province, is currently exploited by open-pit mining, which generates significant environmental impacts and highlights the need for adequate environmental management. The aim of this study was to determine the environmental impacts caused by the mining activity at the San Pedro deposit and to develop a mitigation plan to reduce its negative effects. The Environmental Impact Assessment methodology established in the guidelines for Environmental License applications was applied. The methodological procedure consisted of seven stages that allowed the identification and classification of the main environmental impacts generated by the mining activity. The results made possible to identify the most significant environmental impacts produced during the different phases of aggregate extraction and processing, as well as their interaction with the environmental components of the study area. Based on this analysis, a set of mitigation and corrective measures was proposed to improve environmental management and ensure adequate control of environmental factors within the project area and its surroundings.

The Amazonian indigenous peoples depend on natural resources to live, but human activities’ growing impacts threaten their health and livelihoods. Our objectives were to present the principal results of an integrated and multidisciplinary analysis of the health parameters and assess the mercury (Hg) exposure levels in indigenous populations in the Brazilian Amazon. We carried out a cross-sectional study based on a census of three Munduruku indigenous villages (Sawré Muybu, Poxo Muybu, and Sawré Aboy), located in the Sawré Muybu Indigenous Land, between 29 October and 9 November 2019. The investigation included: (i) sociodemographic characterization of the participants; (ii) health assessment; (iii) genetic polymorphism analysis; (iv) hair mercury determination; and (v) fish mercury determination. We used the logistic regression model with conditional Prevalence Ratio (PR), with the respective 95% confidence intervals (CI95%) to explore factors associated with mercury exposure levels ≥6.0 µg/g. A total of 200 participants were interviewed. Mercury levels (197 hair samples) ranged from 1.4 to 23.9 μg/g, with significant differences between the villages (Kruskal–Wallis test: 19.9; p-value < 0.001). On average, the general prevalence of Hg exposure ≥ 6.0 µg/g was 57.9%. For participants ≥12 years old, the Hg exposure ≥6.0 µg/g showed associated with no regular income (PR: 1.3; CI95%: 1.0–1.8), high blood pressure (PR: 1.6; CI95%: 1.3–2.1) and was more prominent in Sawré Aboy village (PR: 1.8; CI95%: 1.3–2.3). For women of childbearing age, the Hg exposure ≥6.0 µg/g was associated with high blood pressure (PR: 1.9; CI95%: 1.2–2.3), with pregnancy (PR: 1.5; CI95%: 1.0–2.1) and was more prominent among residents in Poxo Muybu (PR: 1.9; CI95%: 1.0–3.4) and Sawré Aboy (PR: 2.5; CI95%: 1.4–4.4) villages. Our findings suggest that chronic mercury exposure causes harmful effects to the studied indigenous communities, especially considering vulnerable groups of the population, such as women of childbearing age. Lastly, we propose to stop the illegal mining in these areas and develop a risk management plan that aims to ensure the health, livelihoods, and human rights of the indigenous people from Amazon Basin.

Understanding the heavy metal (HM) contamination in alpine mountain headwaters regions is important to maintaining the ecosystem stability of the basin. A total of 119 water samples and 104 sediment samples were collected along tributaries and the main course of Heihe River. The concentrations of eight heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in water and sediment were measured to describe their spatial variability and to assess water quality. To identify the origins and pathways of HMs, anions, cations, and trace elements, as well as δD/δ18O stable isotopes in water samples were also measured. The results of water quality assessment suggested that tributaries were affected by local mining activity. Factor analysis in sediments showed that all HMs in sediments were inherited from the parent bedrock. Both natural weathering and mining contribute HMs. Cr and Ni were homologous with a source from the weathering of basic gabbro and serpentine at Yushigou. Mn appeared to be influenced more by artificial activities such as agriculture and grazing. Depending on the mining technique involved, two pathways for the release of HMs were distinguished in this area. For open-pit mining, mining promoted the release of HMs primarily via enhanced weathering. For underground mining, HMs might have contributed to greater acid mine discharge at high elevations due to the weak weathering processes. As the elevation decreases, precipitation increases, and a series of complex hydrological factor significantly affect leaching and runoff. The study results can be applied to improve water management efficiency.

Despite ongoing institutional reforms to mitigate longstanding bottlenecks in natural resource governance, persistent legal pluralism complicates and constrains such efforts in Africa. This is evident in post-independence countries like Ghana, where customary institutions have evolved to bear state-like qualities and thus co-govern land-based resources with the state. The shift towards digitised land governance systems within contexts where strong customary land institutions exist introduces complexities or refracts fundamental governance issues. These issues include ambiguous land boundaries and conflicting or competing narratives of land ownership rights, family settlement histories, and dependencies on customary institutions for local citizenship recognition. This paper explores land disputes, rival narratives and competing claims by community members to protect their interests against land dispossession and relocation by a mining company in the Ahafo-North and Prestea Municipalities of Ghana. These municipalities are characterised by intensified gold mining and a history of extractive activities and face deep-rooted competition among stakeholders advocating for sustainable land resource governance. The study reveals that land digitalisation is not a “silver bullet” solution to perennial land governance challenges unless tensions between the co-existing formal and customary institutions are adequately addressed.

Paddy fields contaminated by arsenic-containing acid mine drainage (AMD) may also have rich iron in soil. Whether this iron can be loaded onto biochar to passivate the dissolved arsenic is worth further exploration. Soil was mixed with biochar prepared at 400, 550, and 700 °C and incubated under alternating anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Soil, soil solution and biochar samples were analysed using ICP-MS, FTIR, SEM, XPS, etc. The results showed that biochar prepared at lower pyrolysis temperatures contained a higher number of functional groups. Under the combined action of microorganisms, primarily from the Firmicutes phylum, biochar promoted the dissolution of arsenic-containing iron oxides in soil, with the residual arsenic also undergoing transformation. The biochar rapidly loaded dissolved iron onto its surface, likely in the form of Fe 3 O 4 and FeOOH, and adsorbed arsenic primarily as As(III). Although the iron oxides detached over time, they were more stable on the biochar prepared at 400 °C compared to those prepared at higher pyrolysis temperatures. Meanwhile, the arsenic content on the biochar increased, raising the As/Fe molar ratio to above that of the soil. This study lays the foundation for further exploring the long-term use of biochar in AMD-contaminated paddy fields.

Over the last 10 years there have been a number of studies examining the effects of exposure to environmental metal pollution on the population of the area of Cerro de Pasco (Peru). These have documented the prolonged pollution of the area caused by mining activity and recorded its pathological effects on the exposed population. The present work reports associations between the concentrations of metals in the hair of the area's children and their cognitive development, investigates the neurocognitive effects of exposure, and examines the change in environmental metal concentrations over time. Significant differences in hair metal concentrations were detected between exposed (case) and non-exposed (control) populations; in the former, the mean arsenic concentration was three times that of the latter, the cadmium concentration was double, and that of lead six times that of the latter. The mean total IQ of the exposed children was 12.3 points lower than those who were not exposed. Significant correlations were detected between the lead, cadmium, arsenic, manganese and antimony concentrations of the children's (combined exposed and non-exposed) hair and TIQ. In the exposed population, marked increases in hair metal concentrations were recorded between 2016 and 2018 (200 %), later falling by 2021 (though still exceeding the 2016 concentrations). Multivariate analyses involving big data are required to determine the covariables that influence the development of TIQ in exposed children, and to determine whether high toxic metal concentrations are an independent risk factor for cognitive deficit. •Children in Cerro de Pasco (Peru) are exposed to high levels of toxic metals due to mining activity.•Exposed children had significantly higher concentrations of arsenic (×3), cadmium (×2), and lead (×6) compared to controls.•Mean total IQ was 12.3 points lower in exposed children.•Significant correlations were found between IQ and hair concentrations of lead, cadmium, arsenic, manganese, and antimony.•Metal concentrations in hair increased by 200 % from 2016 to 2018, with a partial decline by 2021.

Sinkholes are a major geohazard caused by underground mining, significantly deteriorate the ecological environment. To understand deeply the formation mechanism of widespread sinkholes in mining areas, the unsaturated Material Point Method (MPM) was employed to study the mechanical and hydraulic characteristics during the sinkhole formation process in a southwestern mining area. This study explored the impacts of different mining modes and rainfall intensities on sinkhole characteristics and validated the results with 3D laser scanning data. Results show that prolonged and concentrated rainfall and subsurface mining activities are the main factors contributed to the formation of sinkholes. The initial rainfall infiltration behavior significantly elevates groundwater levels, leading to saturation of the surface moraine soil layer. Subsequent mining activities result in double funnel-shaped fracture zones. The differences in the expansion rates of various fracture zones lead to widespread subsidence on the surface first, followed by the evolution into sinkholes in the central area. The multi-channel mining mode is identified as the main factor causing the enlarging of sinkholes, while variations in rainfall intensity affect the distribution and morphologies of these sinkholes.