Search

The Brown Coal Research Institute j. s. c. is realising the long term research and survey in the field of restoration problems and it is realising the long term research of climate changes in the Czech Republic including impacts to mining operations during research programme of the European Union TEXMIN solving too. The input of expected temperature increasing and precipitation decreasing is favourable for mining operation from point of view of overburden and mining cuts stability, safety of mining and mining costs. The different situation is the field of reclamation works. The input of expected climatic change is very unfavourable in this case. The main reasons are primarily high level of the loss of seedlings during forest reclamation because of hot and dry periods and the necessity of very expensive, radical change of technical and biological reclamation methodology. The first results of this research are presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Czech Republic, the production of energy using fossil fuels - particularly coal - is still a major proportion of total production. The energy sector is and will remain one of the most important areas of the Czech economy, ensuring supply of electricity and heat to the population and industrial enterprises. In the power and heating plants is burned primarily domestic brown coal mined in opencast mines in the north-western part of the Czech Republic, namely, Usti Region. For combustion of biomass in the Czech Republic only less energy resources, which are located closer to the advanced agricultural or forestry activities. This is associated with high production of solid residues from incineration. One part of the project "Methodology of sustainable agricultural management in anthropogenic damaged landscape" is also to propose the use of products of combustion of coal and biomass a as a method of reclamation and revitalization of anthropogenic soil profiles and to restore areas after brown coal mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opencast mining is very common in the Czech Republic, regrettably, however, it has very little positive impact on the environment. It negatively affects the landscape, agriculture, forestry, villages, towns, transport structures, and historical monuments. This article describes the issue of coal mining and its impact on the environment in the area that is affected by mining. It evaluates the environmental impacts of the city environment and its surroundings, especially the increased dustiness and noise. It refers to the dominant sources of noise and dust within the operation of the Bílina quarry, and in the conclusion, it suggests possible measures to eliminate these negative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining companies in the Czech Republic as well as in the Moravian-Silesian region, which lies in the border area neighboring with Poland, are focusing to implement remediation and reclamation plans for areas influenced by both - underground and surface mining and quarrying. Their proposals are based on studies and fulfill all current legislation norms. During the last decades of the 20th century and early 21st century we can notice higher ecological concerns, lesser bureaucratic interference into the proposals and also higher emphasis on the complexity of reclamation work. There are naturally few problems presented which need to be solved and resolved. These are mainly: updating legislation for area of reclamation activities, securing the long term concepts, assuring sufficient amount of funds for reclamation. The other problematic area can be also removal of old environmental buildings and damages occurred before privatization of the mining companies. The list could continue with suggestions for improvements as better management of already completed reclamation projects, professional integration of personnel involved in sanitation and rehabilitation on non-governmental and execution level. Coal mining activities in the Czech-Polish area are mostly spreaded in Ostrava-Karvina region, which is formed by Upper-Silesian Coal Basin. Following overview of mining areas in use till 21st of October 2013 is based on the database of the National Mining Administration of the Czech Republic. Those areas are: Darkov, Dolní Suchá, Doubrava u Orlové, Karviná - Doly I, Karviná Doly II, Lazy, Louky, Petfvald and Stonava. In the present circumstances of the world prices of coal we can state that for long term -mining cannot secure permanent job opportunities and is only temporary asset for the region. Mining activity has its negative impacts which are health issues and ecological concerns but it also brings positive effects as economical development of the region. Underground mining in Ostrava-Karvina minesis mainly carried out by controlled caving, therefore what occurs is process of deposition of the convex forms of reliefs. In addition surface declines in the excavated areas. In the border landscape there are morphologically formed ecotopes which are in the early stages without the life, but fairly soon come to live with variety of fauna and flora. Restoration of landscapes, influenced by the negative effects of mineral extraction can be achieved by two basic methods -- spontaneous and controlled rehabilitation or Biotechnical rehabilitation - what will be also described in the proposed paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution is focused on evaluation of radiation risks of heaps that remained after uranium mining for visitors in popular mountain areas in Czech Republic. Majority of these heaps is located in Krkonoše Mountains National Park. This mining was realized in from 1949 to 1959 by Czech state enterprise Jáchymovské Doly for Soviet Union. There is a concern that these heaps should contain remains of high activity uranium ore because of by the used mining technology as there was no environmentally oriented mines reclamation. The main task of this contribution was to measure radiation levels of remained heaps and then define methodology for determination of risk factors for inhabitants and visitors. Second task was focused on measuring of volumes of heaps as this information is associated with the level of the risk level from possible radiation. Measurement was performed in the grid of equidistant points where every point was measured by scintillation counter for the radiation level of the surface together with measuring by Geiger-Müller counter that was used for measuring radiation level in the biological height for human body. Results from measuring clearly displayed that majority of heaps contains uranium ore in places where it was probably stored after mining. Methodology for evaluation of radiation risk was created based on regulations from Radiation Protection of the State Institute for Nuclear Safety especially for inhabitants and for radiation workers. Authors proposed 4 levels of radiation risk based on this input. As none of the sections achieved a maximum risk value of measured ppm U on the surface and because these heaps are either accessible with difficulties due to the complex mountainous terrain it is not expected that these heaps will present any danger to environment or inhabitants. Calculated volumes of heaps based on laser scanning displayed a potentially large amount of useable rock material for road works and similar maintenance works that are allowed in the Krkonoše Mountains National Park. Authors made proposals for reclamations of remained heaps. The only limitation for this intent will be environment protection regulations that are valid in the national park. Unfortunately the largest remained heaps are located in the second protected zone of the Krkonoše Mountains National Park. Finally, the paper includes a note about the radionuclide analysis of outgoing mine water from these abandoned mining works [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural environment of the Czech Republic is altered by many influences. The most important involve direct human interventions in the geological environment, mainly by the mining of mineral resources. The results of mining activities are the mining landforms that are of different sizes, shapes and rock structures. Their appearance is conditioned by the character of the raw material, the technological methods used for mining, and, in the case of sites that are currently close to termination, also by landscape management after the conclusion of mining activities. These specific conditions are taken into account in land reclamation projects, which depend on the economic and social needs of the region affected by mining. This paper evaluates changes in reclamation projects in mining areas, with a particular focus on the period of the 1990s, which is associated with a more comprehensive approach to the landscape and the environment. The paper offers an overview of interesting projects in the Czech Republic which are used at schools and for the popularisation of scientific disciplines. At the end, we offer a list of interdisciplinary topics that can be implemented in various mining shapes areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented contribution deals with the former ash pond study in the Třinec city, which is one of the most important industrial cities in the Czech Republic. The study was focused on the research of spontaneous succession ongoing in the study area almost 50 years and also focused on the evaluation of success in realized reclamation. There was designed a reclamation management based on the obtained information about the study area. The management was prepared according to the methodological procedures of directed succession. Individual management measures for the future care of the area were designed sensitively according to the locality integration in the surrounding landscape without disturbance of current spontaneous succession. Scientific benefit of the contribution is to draw attention to the possibility using methods of conducted succession for designing reclamation of former industrial sites, ash ponds or other nonfunctional and unused Brownfield sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]