Environmental requirements, mining operation

Society, of course, is in need of metals such as titanium to produce jet engines for aircraft, as much as it needs petroleum products as a source of fuel for their running. Like oil, mineral deposits do not regenerate themselves when they are exhausted. While there exists no threat from any immediate scarcity of mineral sources, if these are to be recovered with minimum or practically no impact on the environment, then it is required that society pays more for these products in order to meet the additional costs incurred when implementing an environmentally benign mining operation. 

The EPA is concerned that a full-scale mining operation may harm the environment if the salts are present in large quantities. They are requiring us to halt all operations while we obtain more information for an environmental impact statement. We need your firm to separate the sample, purify the sample, and make a determination of the amounts of the two salts in the Afton Aquifer. 

Mercury is. of course, a naturally occurring element. However. industrial pollution is a major source of environmental mercury. The pollution comes from many sources, such as coal-burning power plants, rclinertes. runc from factories, and industrial waste. Mercury also enters the environment from such sources as automobile exhausts, sewage treatment plants, medical and dental facilities, and water runoff from mercury and gold-mining operations. The Clean Air Act, first enacted in 1970 in the United Stales, mandated levels of air pollution, including mercury. Likewise, the EPA has set water-quality criteria for levels of mercury in both fresh and saltwater systems, The Clean Water Act requires that individual slates achieve safe concentration levels for pollutants like mercury. 

Regulatory requirements are an important reason for education and training. Many safety, health, and environmental laws and standards relate to the need for training. For instance, looking back at the list of the 20 subparts for 30 CFR 56/57/58, it is easy to see the tremendous need for knowledge and skills in mining operations. 

The legislative requirements for environmental protection related to a mining operation are dependent on the status of the operation and the geographical location with respect to sensitivity of the local ecosystem and the proximity of urban developments and agriculture to the mining venture. 

The most economical method of coal extraction from coal seams depends on the depth and quality of the seams, and the geology and environmental factors. Coal-mining processes are differentiated by whether they operate on the surface or underground. Many coals extracted from both surface and underground mines require washing in a coal preparation plant. 

In itself, the disposal of waste material from coal cleaning operations presents a twofold problem. First, unless return of the coal wastes to the mine is possible, large areas of land are required, and a fixed and mobile materials handling plant must be provided. Second, land sterilization and spoil-heap drainage can present serious problems related to environmental control. 

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