Management of Hard Coal Mining and Processing Wastes in Poland

Mining and processing wastes comprise the largest group of industrial wastes generated and deposited in Poland. Among these, wastes from hard coal mining and processing traditionally constitute the most important group, currently generated at a level of 29-33 million Mg per year, with approx. 85% being utilised. Hard coal wastes are divided into two main groups - mining wastes (up to 20%) coming from preparatory and productive mining works; and processing wastes categorized as coarse-grained wastes from dense, medium gravity separation, fine-grained wastes from jiggers, and very fine-grained flotation wastes. Coarse-grained wastes (from both mining and processing) are the most economically useful. The main directions of their application are production of aggregates for engineering and road construction, production of cement or building ceramics, recovery of coal, or use as backfilling material. For aggregates production, two types of such wastes are used - raw coal wastes and self-burnt coal shale. The most important producer of aggregates from raw coal wastes is Haldex Co. with four processing plants (also delivering coal shale for cement or ceramics and recovered coal) and two crushing sieving units. Its total aggregates production exceeds 3 million Mg per year. Production of shale gravellite aggregates from self-burnt coal shale is carried out by a dozen or so small companies, with total production over 0.5 million Mg per year. Raw coal shale finds use in building ceramics and cement clinker manufacturing (up to 0.3 millionMg per year). Coal recovery, mostly in Haldex Co. plants, currently exceeds 0.15 millionMg per year, while granulated coal mud production in three plants of Haldex and two plants of Tauron Wydobycie can be a few times higher, ca. 0.6-0.7 million Mg per year. In the coming years, the production of shale gravellite aggregates and consumption of raw coal shale in cement and ceramics are not expected to rise. Further development is possible in the case of coal recovery accompanied by production of aggregates from raw coal wastes, though not all obtained aggregates will find use - not even for road embankments or river embankments in the immediate vicinity.