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To date, there has been little research on the history of work-related mental health issues among coal workers. Much of the coal extraction industry peaked during the early twentieth century and then began its precipitous decline. Mining has high casualty rates, and the medical field did not understand the long-term effects of psychological trauma on mine workers until recently. Newspaper articles and other historical records provide accounts of accidents and tragedies. Heroism is often emphasized in recalling tragic episodes at the expense of recording the emotional stress suffered by survivors. A diverse set of historical sources provides a context for work-related mental health issues in the coal extraction industry. Probing a set of historic oral histories of coal workers and creating analogies to current studies provide additional clues about the under-told story of these historic actors’ general health and well-being. While incorporating oral histories from other regions, focusing on the anthracite coal industry in northeastern Pennsylvania allows us to identify historical actors and helps us think differently about other working-class communities impacted by industrial capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large amounts of iron slag were discovered during archaeological excavations in the late medieval harbour of Hoeke (Municipality of Damme, Belgium), one of the main outer harbours of Bruges. This waste product indicates the presence of 13th‐ to 14th‐century pre‐industrial metalworking activities, such as blacksmithing, which involved the production of iron objects and the repair of ships, as historically documented on this site. Besides the waste products from iron working, fragments of coal were also discovered within the same deposits, both as separate pieces and included in the slags, suggesting that coal was used as a fuel during these activities. This discovery resulted in a multidisciplinary study applying geochemical, palaeontological, and historical analyses that allowed to identify the provenance of the coal (Northumberland‐Durham Coalfield) as well as to provide new insights into maritime coal trade during this period. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of pre‐industrial craft practices in the Bruges harbour system and expands the knowledge of the fuel sources used in the late medieval harbour's iron‐working activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs approaches from religious studies and Appalachian studies to examine the history, influence, and future of a multifaceted ethos of extraction, particularly as it influences the coal industry, in the Appalachian region of the United States. While many studies of extraction and the coal industry focus on their economic and political dimensions, by examining a broader ethos of extraction, this paper highlights multiple religious influences, including the entanglements between religious communities and extraction-based industries, the powerful moral narratives that serve to interpret and justify extraction, and the dynamics involved in shaping local identities and perceptions of place that enable this ethos to influence post-coal transition efforts. The result is a broad survey of the influences and impacts of resource extraction in Appalachia that challenges many of the longstanding stereotypes that can still be commonly found deployed about the region. In examining these influences, the paper also describes how academic interpreters have helped to shape popular conceptions of the Appalachian region that ultimately support ongoing extractive practices. Building upon insights from grassroots, anti-extractive activist communities in the region, the paper concludes by suggesting some ways that academics might adopt restorative ethics and practices in their work to address the entanglements between extractive scholarship and exploitation and devise alternative paths for just futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation of the mining machinery industry is oriented towards the adoption of highly sophisticated technologies, with the aim of enhancing operational efficiency. Specifically, there is a focus on improving the nature and quality of operations carried out, such as vibrating screen. Vibrating screens, being one of the pivotal machines, have gained extensive utilization in mining processing plants. However, the demanding working conditions can lead to potential failures in certain components of vibrating screens. Bearings are one of the components that are susceptible to faults. Moreover, owing to the unique working environment and structure of vibrating screens, the signals extracted from defective bearings in vibrating screens exhibit greater complexity and distinctiveness, including (i) vibration interference related to the unbalanced shafts, (ii) cyclic impulses produced by the damaged bearing, (iii) non-cyclic random impulsive noise owing to pieces of coal falling into the deck, and (iv) inevitable noise from environmental conditions. To address this issue, an alternative procedure for bearing fault detection from vibrating screens served in the coal industry is proposed in the work. The strategy for bearing fault signature extraction covers three main steps: (a) a new fast resampled iterative filtering (FRIF) method is utilized to remove the vibration interference produced by the unbalanced shafts and simultaneously eliminate large amounts of background noise; (b) a signal processing method based stable distribution is designed to cancel the random impulses (impulsive noise); and (c) an improved energy operator demodulation technique is proposed to identify the bearing fault characteristics from the purified signal. The proposed strategy is validated using simulated and real tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant research has documented how coal industries can have devastating impacts on industrial communities. While much of the sociological research on climate change has focused on issues of environmental sustainability and resilience, comparatively less research has centered around the social and emotional consequences of climate change in the context of industrial areas. To attend to this gap in the literature, we investigate how coal communities grieve lost landscapes and how that grief informs responses to future environmental threats. To do this, we build on and extend recent work that has argued for the sociological relevance of the concept of solastalgia in analyzing how communities cope with the impacts of natural and technological disasters at the local level. The term solastalgia describes the distress communities experience as they lose landscapes they once cherished in the wake of events such as expanding extractive activities. Specifically, we analyzed a coal mining region in the Czech Republic to examine how communities experience solastalgia in regions that have been chronically exploited for industrial energy extraction over time. Our findings revealed how solastalgia within industrial and coal communities can translate across time and generations. We use the term intergenerational solastalgia to capture this community-level phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the impact of sustainability efforts on materiality or financial performance of insurers by accounting their risk coverage pattern in the Coal Mining Industry. 10 major insurance companies have been selected for this study and the focus has been to understand the stances and policies implemented by these companies between 2018 and 2023. Some of the firms like Hartford have officially declared that they have exited from this industry, while major players are still fueling the coal mining industry. Alternatively, companies themselves are looking to fund their risk mitigation plans so as to not rely on insurance firms. Studies by Hinshaw Law show that losses arising from climate change are rising at an alarming rate, the question then remaians, would insurance companies continue to fund activities that would put their existence in peril. Further research can be conducted on a larger time frame, new policies and frameworks implemented across this industry and to understand the risks of insuring activities that have increased the rate of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the coal industry in the Northeast of England during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has been the subject of extensive study by historians over many years, most research has focussed mainly on larger centres of the coal trade such as Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland. Less well known is the significant contribution to coal exports made by some of the smaller communities and harbours along the Northumberland and Durham coasts. During the latter years of the seventeenth and early years of the eighteenth century the small coastal village of Cullercoats, just North of Tynemouth, became a significant coal and salt exporting port following the development of a colliery at nearby Whitley. Customs records of Cullercoats coal exports were included, as a Lesser Creek, in the Exchequer Port Books of Newcastle upon Tyne. Two Newcastle Exchequer Port Books containing complete records of Cullercoats coastal exports for 1702–1703 and overseas exports for 1698–1699 have survived, these include the names of the people and ships involved and provide a fascinating insight into the impact of the coal trade upon a small coastal port and it's local community. Although its coal trade was relatively short lived, Cullercoats continued to thrive as a flourishing fishing port and during the nineteenth, twentieth and into the twenty-first centuries as a popular holiday resort frequented by many well-known and successful artists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Coal Science & Technology (0253-2336) is the property of Coal Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent years, with the deepening of the degree of coal mining and the improvement of the mechanization and intelligent level of coal dressing, the proportion of fine and micro-fine coal production has been increasing. Micro-fine grade separation has gradually become an important research direction in coal washing industry. This paper is based on a novel jet-stirring synergistic column flotation method, which integrates jet-impact mixing, impeller mixing, and dispersion into the structure of a column flotation tank. By combining with existing research foundations, we construct a corresponding physical model and conduct optimization studies on key parameters related to jetting, impeller mixing, and mechanism. The resulting fundamental theory provides clear insights for the engineering application of this innovative flotation technology. The effects of jet-stirring synergy on bubble adsorption and reagent adsorption were studied, and the flotation effect of the new flotation technology was experimentally verified, laying a theoretical foundation for the industrial application of the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane is one of the long-lived greenhouse gases, with a global warming potential 28 times that of carbon dioxide, accounting for about 16% of the global warming effect. Coal production activities are one of the main sources of methane emissions in China. As one of the main coal production bases in China, Shanxi Province’s coal industry emits a large amount of methane. Using the high-resolution remote sensing data to estimate the methane emission from the coal industry in Shanxi Province can lay a data foundation for establishing a refined methane emission inventory of the coal industry and provide scientific basis for formulating effective emission reduction measures. Using the Advanced Hyperspectral Imager (AHSI) carried by China’s GF–5–02 satellite, 838 methane plumes from 408 factories and mines in Shanxi Province’s coal mining areas were detected and their emission rates were calculated using data from October 2021 to March 2023. The results show that: ① the methane plume emission rate in Shanxi Province’s coal mining areas shows asymmetry, with 84% of the plumes having emission rates between 0.5−3.0 t/h, but there are also a few extreme cases, with the highest emission rate exceeding 10.0 t/h.② Shanxi Province has six dense areas of point source emissions of methane, five of which correspond to the high-value areas of XCH4. ③ Methane emission point sources are detected, with coal mines and coking enterprises being the majority of emission sources. The average emission rate of different types of emission sources differs greatly, and the emission rate fluctuates with time and source changes. Methane emissions may occur in all stages of the coal mining. ④ Highly persistent emission sources account for only 13% of all point sources, but contribute 41% of the total emission rate. Conversely, highly intermittent emission sources account for 59%, but contribute only 25% of the total emission rate. The comprehensive methane emission rate of the coal industry in Shanxi Province is 177.17±56.35 t/h, mainly contributed by the methane emissions from coal mines, coking and thermal power enterprises.

The purpose of the current research was to investigate the relationship between social responsibility and general acceptability in the local communities of mines, with the mediating role of environmental responsibility and the value of mines. Therefore, in terms of the purpose of this research, except for applied research, and in terms of collecting findings, it was done with the correlation method based on structural equations. The statistical population of this research included the employees of Asfij Coal Company in 2024. Several 189 people were selected as the research sample based on the table of Karjesi and Morgan by random sampling method. The research findings were collected using social responsibility questionnaires of Mignagni and Ferrell [22], the social acceptance of Carroll [8], the environmental responsibility of Carroll [9] and organizational values of Cameron and Quinn [7]. The validity of the questionnaires was calculated using confirmatory factor analysis and their reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha test. The research data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, structural equation modelling and the Sobel test in the environment of SPSS and SmartPLS software. The findings of the research showed that the effect of the variable value of mines on public acceptability (F = 0.61), the effect of the variable of social responsibility on the value of mines (F = 0.454), on environmental responsibility (F = 0.288) and public acceptability (F = 0.350) and the impact of the environmental responsibility variable on the value of mines (F = 0.519) and public acceptance (F = 0.150) is positive and significant. In addition, Sobel's statistics showed that the indirect effect of social responsibility on public acceptability was equal to (ß = 0.301) due to environmental responsibility and (ß = 0.287) due to the value variable of mines. Therefore, it shows that these effects are positive. According to the findings of this research, it is suggested that Asfij Coal Company should always emphasize its environmental and social responsibility towards local communities to gain public acceptance and maintain the value of its mine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the mass concentration of heavy metals in the soils of abandoned mines in the Chervonohrad mining district. The main negative factors of coal mining dumps include high acidity, exceeding the maximum permissible concentration of heavy metals, low organic matter content, low humidity, high temperature of substrates, wind and water erosion, steepness and large area of slopes. Heavy metals not only accumulate in the soils of the industrial zone, but also leak into the underground water. Soils in this area are heavily polluted, with the highest levels of contamination occurring at the foot of the dumps. The highest mass concentrations of aluminum and iron were found to exceed 1 mg/kg, indicating oversaturation with these metals. High concentrations of heavy metals can lead to changes in soil biological communities, impacting soil fertility. An analysis of cadmium levels near the coal mine dump showed a higher content of 0.62 mg/kg compared to the background area but did not exceed the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) of 0.7 mg/kg. The average metal content did not exceed 0.35 mg/kg. Cobalt levels in the study area ranged from 0.2 to 2.2 mg/kg, below the background level of 3.0 mg/kg and the MPC of 5 mg/kg. The waste from the coal industry exhibited a low content of mobile zinc, with a maximum concentration of 5.84 mg/kg, which is 0.15 MPC but exceeds the background concentration by more than 30%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background and aim There are few long-term studies of respiratory health effects of landscape fires, despite increasing frequency and intensity due to climate change. We investigated the association between exposure to coal mine fire PM2.5 and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) concentration 7.5 years later. Methods Adult residents of Morwell, who were exposed to the 2014 Hazelwood mine fire over 6 weeks, and unexposed residents of Sale, participated in the Hazelwood Health Study Respiratory Stream in 2021, including measurements of FeNO concentration, a marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Individual exposure to coal mine fire PM2.5 was modelled and mapped to time-location diaries. The effect of exposure to PM2.5 on log-transformed FeNO in exhaled breath was investigated using multivariate linear regression models in the entire sample and stratified by potentially vulnerable subgroups. Results A total of 326 adults (mean age: 57 years) had FeNO measured. The median FeNO level (interquartile range [IQR]) was 17.5 [15.0] ppb, and individual daily exposure to coal mine fire PM2.5 was 7.2 [13.8] µg/m3. We did not identify evidence of association between coal mine fire PM2.5 exposure and FeNO in the general adult sample, nor in various potentially vulnerable subgroups. The point estimates were consistently close to zero in the total sample and subgroups. Conclusion Despite previous short-term impacts on FeNO and respiratory health outcomes in the medium term, we found no evidence that PM2.5 from the Hazelwood coal mine fire was associated with any long-term impact on eosinophilic airway inflammation measured by FeNO levels.

Nearly ten times as many people in America now work at Starbucks than dig for coal. Coal mining has long been a canary of America’s energy transition--it lost hundreds of [...]

Accurate and trustworthy forecasting of coal prices can offer theoretical support for the rational planning of coal industry output, which is of great importance in ensuring a stable and sustainable energy supply and in achieving carbon neutrality targets. This paper proposes a novel decomposition integration model, called VCNQM, to perform point and interval forecasting of coal price by a combination of variational modal decomposition (VMD), chameleon swarm algorithm (CSA), N-BEATS, and quantile regression. Initially, the variational modal decomposition is enhanced by the chameleon swarm algorithm for decomposing the coal price sequence. Then, N-BEATS is used to forecast each subsequence of coal prices, integrating all results to obtain a point forecast of coal prices. Next, interval forecasting of coal prices is achieved through quantile regression. Finally, to demonstrate the superiority of the VCNQM model's prediction, we make a cross-comparison about predictive performance between the VCNQM model and other benchmark models. According to the experimental findings, we demonstrate the following: after the decomposition by CSA-VMD, the coal price subseries' fluctuation is significantly weakened; using quantile regression provides a reliable interval prediction, which is superior to point prediction; the predicted interval coverage probability (PICP) is higher than the confidence level of 90%; the share power industry index and coal industry index have the greatest impact on coal prices in China; compared to these benchmark models, the VCNQM model's prediction errors are all reduced. Therefore, we conclude that when forecasting coal prices, the VCNQM model has an accurate and reliable prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper primarily explores the modeling method of n-level complex helical structures with coal mining machine cables as the research object. The paper first elaborately introduces the modeling method of n-level helix curves based on parametric equations and coordinate transformations, and compensates for the n-level helix curves with corrected pitch, which can obtain more accurate n-level helix curves and improve the accuracy of n-level helix curves modeling. Subsequently, based on this high-precision n-level helix curves modeling method, the paper elaborates on the method of solving pitch and twisting radius of multi-layer helical structure. Calculation scripts were written based on the above methods, which can be used to batch calculate the twisting radius and pitch of each layer structure in multi-layer structures when satisfying the conditions of in-layer tangency, inter-layer tangency, and extrusion deformation, and retain the actual results through logical judgment. Then, based on the above two methods, the paper developed a modeling method for braided structures based on piecewise functions containing fifth-order polynomials, which can effectively avoid the problem of insufficiently dense arrangement of braided lines and easy interference in traditional methods. Finally, a set of modeling tools was developed using C# and Python in Grasshopper to implement the modeling algorithm. Taking the MCPT-1.9/3.3 3120 + 170 + 4 * 10 coal mining machine cable as an example. The cable was modeled using both the method proposed in this paper and the traditional method. Comparative data shows that the method proposed in this paper can reduce errors by 3.31E6 times in the second-level and above helical structures. In addition this paper compares the standard line length, measured line length, and the line length established by the proposed model, showing that the relative errors are both less than 0.1941%. This paper provides a new, systematic, high-precision, and full-process cable modeling method, in which all parameters except the process parameters are accurately solved by equations. It lays a theoretical foundation for the high-precision simulation and intelligent sensing cables, which is of great significance for improving the safety, stability, and efficient development of the coal mining industry. The research results of the paper can not only be applied to the modeling of coal mining machine cables but also can be extended to the modeling of other complex multi-layer helical structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real options appraisal in investment projects provides a robust framework for decision-making under uncertainty, especially in the context of large-scale industrial operations. This research focuses on real options appraisal for an investment project in a coal processing plant at PT XYZ's ABC mine operation. The need for this research arises due to the inherent uncertainty of fossil energy sources, regulatory changes, and technological developments that significantly impact the viability and profitability of mining projects. The main objectives of this study are to evaluate the feasibility of different investment strategies for the ABC mine operation using real options appraisal and to determine the impact of various uncertainties on project profitability. The methodology used was a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis, including scenario planning, sensitivity analysis, and the use of Monte Carlo simuDEFon to model the potential outcomes and risks associated with different investment options. The expected outcomes of this research include a comprehensive valuation model that incorporates uncertainties specific to the coal industry and provides actionable insights for PT XYZ's investment decisions. The model aims to decide on expansion projects with reference to constraints optimising the timing and scale of investments in ABC mine operations, thereby improving the company's ability to navigate investment project feasibility and regulatory changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Coal Science & Technology (0253-2336) is the property of Coal Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Evidence from more than 40 000 voyages shows that labour productivity growth for sailing ships in the London coal trade was rapid but quite irregular between 1700 and 1860. These granular data permit us to examine various dimensions of change, showing that ships made more voyages per year, had smaller crews, carried more coal per ship ton and had longer working lives. Some changes resulted from what happened on land rather than on the sea, notably a marked reduction in the seasonality of trade as wagonways were built in the northeast in the early eighteenth century and a pronounced dip in voyages per year due to congestion in the port of London during the 1830s and 1840s, partly caused by the operation of the coal cartel. These results for the coal trade suggest that shipping, being neither spectacularly modern nor doggedly traditional, made a respectable contribution to British economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet, the mining industry has also begun to move towards intelligence. Faced with the current situation of complex access terminals, diverse communication protocols, access networks and heterogeneous multi-source data in the coal mine industry, an intelligent mine IoT edge data gateway technology is proposed. By constructing an edge gateway management architecture, the northbound uplink connects to the cloud platform using transmission protocols such as TCP, HTTP, WebSocket, MQTT, etc., and the southbound downlink supports multiple communication interfaces to connect perception layer devices, achieving protocol conversion of different types of networks and unified access of multi-source heterogeneous data from various systems. The research results have been applied for data collection and forwarding automation related equipment in multiple coal mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advancement of science and technology, coal-washing plants are transitioning to intelligent, information-based, and professional sorting systems. This shift accelerates the construction a modern economic system characterized by green and low-carbon development, thereby promoting the high-quality advancement of the coal industry. Traditional manual gangue picking and multi-axis robotic arm gangue selection currently suffer from low recognition accuracy, slow sorting efficiency, and high worker labor intensity. This paper proposes a deep learning-based, non-contact gangue recognition and pneumatic intelligent sorting system. The system constructs a dynamic database containing key feature information such as the target gangue's contour, quality, and center of mass. The system elucidates the relationships between ejection speed, mass, volume, angle of incidence, and the impact energy matching mechanism. Demonstration experiments using the system prototype for coal gangue sorting reveal that, compared to existing robotic arm sorting methods in coal washing plants, this system achieves a gangue identification accuracy exceeding 97%, a sorting rate above 91%, and a separation time of less than 3 s from identification to separation, thereby effectively enhancing raw coal purity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This piece explores the effects of the war in Ukraine on Colombia's coal industry and the contrasting affective responses of different actors. The stark contrast between environmental and Indigenous activists' anger and the industry representatives' optimism about the revival of coal exports evidences the tension between the climate policies of the current Colombian government and the longstanding pattern of export‐led economies in Latin America, a path difficult to break. Nonetheless, the situation enables a space to discuss how a ‘just transition’ would look for regions dependent on coal and, importantly, when that transition will be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Mining Magazine is the property of China Mining Magazine Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

China's coal industry has long faced challenges due to imbalance between supply and demand divisions and the discrepancies between supply and demand prices. Research on optimizing coal transfer amid fluctuating coal prices is crucial for enhancing coal resource allocation, ensuring a balanced and stable supply of coal resources, and promoting the sustainable development of the coal industry. This paper focuses on optimizing coal transfer schemes within a comprehensive transportation system, considering fixed transportation routes and opening times of railroad transportation and waterway transportation, with road transportation serving as a supplementary network. A three-dimensional spatio-temporal network model is established to represent the spatial and temporal paths and transportation modes of coal logistics. The study uses the coal transportation network from Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi to East China as a case study, analyzing factors such as coal price fluctuation, transportation rates, and the ratio of self-produced to purchased coal at the production end via sensitivity analysis. The findings indicate that the proposed model can effectively guide transportation practices under the integrated production, transportation, and sales framework in the energy industry. Additionally, it shows that enterprises can achieve higher profits and maintain revenue and supply stability despite coal price fluctuations, aligning with the coal industry's transformation and development in the current context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: There are few long-term studies of respiratory health effects of landscape fires, despite increasing frequency and intensity due to climate change. We investigated the association between exposure to coal mine fire PM2.5 and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) concentration 7.5 years later. Methods: Adult residents of Morwell, who were exposed to the 2014 Hazelwood mine fire over 6 weeks, and unexposed residents of Sale, participated in the Hazelwood Health Study Respiratory Stream in 2021, including measurements of FeNO concentration, a marker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Individual exposure to coal mine fire PM2.5 was modelled and mapped to time-location diaries. The effect of exposure to PM2.5 on log-transformed FeNO in exhaled breath was investigated using multivariate linear regression models in the entire sample and stratified by potentially vulnerable subgroups. Results: A total of 326 adults (mean age: 57 years) had FeNO measured. The median FeNO level (interquartile range [IQR]) was 17.5 [15.0] ppb, and individual daily exposure to coal mine fire PM2.5 was 7.2 [13.8] µg/m3. We did not identify evidence of association between coal mine fire PM2.5 exposure and FeNO in the general adult sample, nor in various potentially vulnerable subgroups. The point estimates were consistently close to zero in the total sample and subgroups. Conclusion: Despite previous short-term impacts on FeNO and respiratory health outcomes in the medium term, we found no evidence that PM2.5 from the Hazelwood coal mine fire was associated with any long-term impact on eosinophilic airway inflammation measured by FeNO levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the latest results of near-source exploration in the Middle and Lower Jurassic of the Tuha Basin, a new understanding of the source rocks, reservoir conditions, and source-reservoir-cap rock combinations of the Jurassic Shuixigou Group in the Taibei Sag is established using the concept of the whole petroleum system, and the coal-measure whole petroleum system is analyzed thoroughly. The results are obtained in three aspects. First, the coal-measure source rocks of the Badaowan Formation and Xishanyao Formation and the argillaceous source rocks of the Sangonghe Formation in the Shuixigou Group exhibit the characteristics of long-term hydrocarbon generation, multiple hydrocarbon generation peaks, and simultaneous oil and gas generation, providing sufficient oil and gas sources for the whole petroleum system in the Jurassic coal-bearing basin. Second, multi-phase shallow braided river delta-shallow lacustrine deposits contribute multiple types of reservoirs, e.g. sandstone, tight sandstone, shale and coal rock, in slope and depression areas, providing effective storage space for the petroleum reservoir formation in coal-measure strata. Third, three phases of hydrocarbon charging and structural evolution, as well as effective configuration of multiple types of reservoirs, result in the sequential accumulation of conventional-unconventional hydrocarbons. From high structural positions to depression, there are conventional structural and structural-lithological reservoirs far from the source, low-saturation structural-lithological reservoirs near the source, and tight sandstone gas, coal rock gas and shale oil accumulations within the source. Typically, the tight sandstone gas and coal rock gas are the key options for further exploration, and the shale oil and gas in the depression area is worth of more attention. The new understanding of the whole petroleum system in the coal measures could further enrich and improve the geological theory of the whole petroleum system, and provide new ideas for the overall exploration of oil and gas resources in the Tuha Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the resilience of various industries in China stock market against geopolitical risk (GPR). Using TVP-VAR-SV analysis, time-varying effects of GPR on China stock market is first measured and based on the results, absorption intensity and absorption duration are constructed as indicators for assessing industries' resilience. Empirical results show that: (1) the impact of GPR on industries in China stock market is time-varying and is more significant in the short and medium run than in the long run. (2) GPR on all the industries turns from positive to negative in both short and medium run, except for coal industry. (3) The absorption intensity and absorption duration of the selected industries show opposite trends, which indicates that these industries can adapt and absorb the larger GPR shocks, while the smaller GPR shocks require more time to be digested. (4) Both absorption intensity and duration show trend mutation when facing with major GPR events. Our findings provide crucial insights to investors and policymakers in China stock markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The stability of underground chambers such as mine tunnels and transportation tunnels is closely related to the stress environment of the surrounding rock mass and the geological conditions of the area. Analyzing the relationship between deep-seated stress and factors such as the orientation and shape of underground chambers can help to proactively mitigate the risks associated with chamber excavation. [Methods] This study, set against the background of the rock burst accident on October 20th in the Longyun Coal Industry area in Shandong, reveals the current stress environment of the shallow crustal layers in western Shandong through in-situ stress measurement and monitoring work. [Results] According to the characteristics of the current ground stress field near the Longyun coal mining area, the study investigates the regional stress background that led to the rock burst accident and proposes corresponding prevention and control suggestions from the perspective of ground stress. The results indicate that the magnitude of the principal stress generally increases linearly with depth within the measurement range' with the maximum horizontal principal stress ranging from 3.48 to 20.76 MPa and a gradient of 0.0182 MPa/m with increasing depth, while the minimum horizontal principal stress ranges from 3.44 to 14.95 MPa with a gradient of 0.0130 MPa/m. The maximum horizontal principal stress azimuth in the area ranges from NE 43°to 89°, with an average azimuth of NE 75°. The tectonic action in the shallow crust is mainly horizontal, but with increasing depth, they gradually transition to vertical. [Conclusion] The triggering mechanism of the rock burst accident in the Longyun Coal Industry area on 20th October is primarily attributed to the vertical stress exceeding the horizontal principal stress, indicating a current extensional stress environment, especially when the tunnel orientation is parallel to the direction of maximum horizontal principal stress. It is suggested that the angle between the tunnel axis and the direction of maximum horizontal principal stress in the Longyun Coal Industry area should be between 60° and 90°, and that the tunnel roof can be designed as an arch-shaped roof to ensure the stability of the tunnel rock mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition and structure of the largest companies among Russia's top 10 mining organizations are considered. Detailed economic information is given regarding the revenue and assets of those companies. Stages in implementing the production chain that moves resources in the coal industry are outlined. The cost structure at coal mining and processing companies is compared. The results of such analysis support management decisions in the Russian coal industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the impact of sustainability efforts on materiality or financial performance of insurers by accounting their risk coverage pattern in the Coal Mining Industry. 10 major insurance companies have been selected for this study and the focus has been to understand the stances and policies implemented by these companies between 2018 and 2023. Some of the firms like Hartford have officially declared that they have exited from this industry, while major players are still fueling the coal mining industry. Alternatively, companies themselves are looking to fund their risk mitigation plans so as to not rely on insurance firms. Studies by Hinshaw Law show that losses arising from climate change are rising at an alarming rate, the question then remaians, would insurance companies continue to fund activities that would put their existence in peril. Further research can be conducted on a larger time frame, new policies and frameworks implemented across this industry and to understand the risks of insuring activities that have increased the rate of climate change.

Writer and director Elaine McMillion Sheldon begins her latest documentary, King Coal , with a funeral rite. A multigenerational, multiracial procession of people in black clothing walks slowly up a country road. All is quiet except for the sound of insects and a steady drum. Who are these mourners? Sheldon lets the mystery linger. But we learn eventually that the solemn rite is for a king—King Coal—or perhaps for the past he represents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important component of China’s coal industry, surface coal mines have the advantages of large production capacity, low mining costs, and great safety conditions. In recent years, surface coal mines in China have achieved a leapfrog development in construction scale, total production, mining technology, and technical equipment, which strongly guarantees the status of coal as the “ballast” for the safe and stable supply of national energy. Firstly, the development process of surface coal mines in China over the past 70 years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China was reviewed, which was divided into four stages: the initial recovery stage (1949−1979), the rapid development stage (1980−1999), the comprehensive development stage (2000−2020), and the intelligent primary development (after 2021). A systematic summary was made for the outstanding achievements made in the production and quantity scale, mining theory and technology, mining technology and equipment, and resource development and environmental protection in each stage. Then, four main problems faced by the development of surface coal mines at the current stage were discussed, including uneven development layout, bottlenecks in sustainable development, key technological problems that need to be deeply researched, and the shortage of talents and imperfect cultivation mechanism. Finally, it was proposed to construct a high-quality development architecture system for surface coal mines with the overall goal of “safe, efficient, green, low carbon and intelligent” in the whole chain, whole cycle and whole elements. Its connotative features include theoretical basis: six academic ideas, i.e. time-dependent slope theory, mining disturbance coefficient theory, green mining theory, ecological mining theory, zero carbon and carbon negative mining theory, and intelligent mining theory; core support: five technical systems, i.e. disaster monitoring and prevention and control, collaborative support in complex conditions, ecological source damage reduction mining, energy conservation, pollution reduction and clean utilization, and digital-automatic-intelligent construction; key breakthroughs: 30 key technologies, i.e. dynamic reconstruction of transparent geological models, accurate prediction of slope creep and slide, deep and large-hole low-disturbance control blasting, advanced detection and disposal of goaf, and dust suppression, spontaneous combustion prevention and control, and so on; construction tasks: “ten transformable type” surface mines with the evolution of design concepts, standardization of safety guarantees, large-scale construction, comprehensive production processes, intelligent mining equipment, localization of core manufacturing, ecological greening of mining areas, clean utilization of coal, scientific organization and management, and internationalization of talent teams. At the same time, the realization path of high-quality development of surface coal mines based on planning guidance, driven by scientific and technological innovation, and guaranteed by talent cultivation was provided. Ultimately, it provides guidance to promote the sustainable, healthy, and high-quality development of surface coal mines in China.