Coal seam fires can burn for decades or centuries underground. They are difficult to detect and extinguish, and release toxic gases that contribute to air pollution, climate change, and health issues. Coal fires are a global problem, especially in China, India, and other coal-producing nations where lack of regulation and development have exacerbated the environmental damage. Reducing coal use would help address this issue and provide public health benefits by improving air quality.

1. Gas Pollution by Coal Natural Fire
Name – Rohan Rupesh Wankhede
Roll Number – J18IMT637
Guide – Dr Sunny Kumar

2. Introduction
A coal natural fire or coal-seam fire is a burning of an outcrop or
underground coal seam. Most coal-seam fires exhibit smoldering,
combustion, particularly underground coal-seam fires, because of
limited atmospheric oxygen availability. Coal-seam fire instances on
Earth date back several million years. Due to thermal insulation and
the avoidance of rain/snow extinguishment by the crust, underground
coal-seam fires are the most persistent fires on Earth and can burn for
thousands of years, like Burning Mountain in Australia.
Coal-seam fires can be
ignited by self-heating of
low-temperature oxidation,
lightning, wildfires and even
arson. Coal-seam fires
have been slowly shaping
the lithosphere and
changing atmosphere, but
this pace has become fast
and extensive at modern
times, triggered by
enormous mining activities.

3. Because they
burn
underground, coal
seam fires are
extremely difficult
and costly to
extinguish, and
are unlikely to be
suppressed by
rainfall.
Coal Natural Fire
• Coal fires are a serious health and safety hazard, affecting the
environment by releasing toxic fumes, reigniting grass, brush, or
forest fires, and causing subsidence of surface infrastructure
such as roads, pipelines, electric lines, bridge supports,
buildings, and homes.
• Whether started by humans or by natural causes, coal seam
fires continue to burn for decades or even centuries until either
the fuel source is exhausted, a permanent groundwater table is
encountered, the depth of the burn becomes greater than the
ground's capacity to subside and vent, or humans intervene.
• Across the world, thousands of underground coal fires are
burning at any given moment. The problem is most acute in
industrializing, coal-rich nations such as China. Global coal fire
emissions are estimated to cause 40 tons of mercury to enter
the atmosphere annually, and to represent three percent of the
world's annual CO2 emissions.
• Mine fires may begin as a result of an industrial accident,
generally involving a gas explosion.

4. Causes leading to coal
fires
Many recent mine fires have started from people burning trash in
a landfill that was in proximity to abandoned coal mines, including
the much-publicized Centralia, Pennsylvania fire, which has been
burning since 1962. Of the hundreds of mine fires in the United
States burning today, most are found in the state of Pennsylvania.
Some fires along coal seams are natural occurrences. Some coals
may self-ignite at temperatures as low as 40 °C (104 °F) for brown
coal in the right conditions of moisture and grain size.
Two basic factors determine whether spontaneous combustion
occurs or not, the ambient temperature and the grain size:
• The higher the ambient temperature, the more quickly the
oxidation reactions proceed.
• The grain size and structure determine its surface area.
Kinetics will be limited by availability of reactant, which in this
case is carbon exposed to oxygen.
Globally, thousands of inextinguishable mine fires are burning,
especially in China where poverty, lack of government regulations
and runaway development combine to create an environmental
disaster.

5. Coal Mine Fires and
their Emissions
Producing a detailed description of the emissions generated by
coal mine fires is problematic for many reasons. First, the
composition of coal, and the pollutants liberated during combustion,
varies geographically
Second, the nature of coal fire emissions varies with the nature of
combustion. Coal mine fires tend to burn less efficiently and for
longer periods than a coal-burning power plant, resulting in the
release of a wide range of partially oxidised by-products including
benzene, toluene, and xylene.
Looking at the global case studies, the data outlining emissions
associated with the JCF fires in India and Centralia mine fire in the
USA are limited. A single study exploring the air quality
surrounding the JCF in India, reported that the 24-hour average
concentration of PM10 was as high as 780μg/m3 in work areas and
170μg/m3 in the ambient air.
These values considerably exceed the World Health Organisation
standards of 50μg/m3per day.
So what is PM10 ?

6. Detection
• Before attempting to extinguish a near-surface coal seam fire, its location and underground extent
should be determined as precisely as possible. Besides studying the geographic, geologic and
infrastructural context, information can be gained from direct measurements. These include :
• Temperature measurements of the land surface, in fissures and boreholes, for example
using pyrometers.
• Gas measurements to characterize the fire ventilation system (amount and velocity) and the gas
composition, so that the combustion reactions can be described.
• Geophysical measurements on the ground and from airplanes and helicopters to establish the
extent of conductivity or other underground parameters. For example, conductivity
measurements map humidity changes near the fire; measuring the magnetism can determine
changes in the magnetic characteristics of the adjacent rock caused by heat.
• Remote sensing from aircraft and satellites. High resolution optical mapping, thermal imaging
and hyperspectral data play a role. Underground coal fires of several hundred to over a thousand
degrees Celsius may raise the surface temperature by only a few degrees. This order of
magnitude is similar to the temperature difference between the sunlit and shadowed slopes of a
slag heap or sand dune. Infrared detecting equipment is able to track the fire's location as the fire
heats the ground on all sides of it.
• However, remote sensing techniques are unable to distinguish individual fires burning near one
another and often lead to undercounting of actual fires. They may also have some difficulties
distinguishing coal seam fires from forest fires. Combining in-situ data with remote sensing data
does allow for monitoring of coal fire intensity over longer periods of time using time-series
analyses.

7. Environmental Impact
Concerns and Consequences
• Besides destruction of the affected areas, coal fires often emit toxic gases,
including carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. China's coal fires, which consume an
estimated 20 – 200 million tons of coal a year, make up as much as 1 percent of the global
carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.
• One of the most visible changes will be the effect of subsidence upon the landscape.
Another local environmental effect can include the presence of plants or animals that are
aided by the coal fire. The prevalence of otherwise non-native plants can depend upon the
fire's duration and the size of the affected area. For example, near a coal fire in Germany,
many Mediterranean insects and spiders were identified in a region with cold winters, and
it is believed that elevated ground temperatures above the fires permitted their survival.

8. Environmental Impact
01 Global Warming and Climate change
• Of the direct impacts stemming from coal use, the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) is
one of the most significant, as it serves to amplify the planet's natural greenhouse
effect.
• Pre-industrial CO2 levels, determined from analysis of ice cores, are estimated to be
around 280 ppmv(parts per million by volume).
• Further, in addition to releasing CO2, many mines also produce methane (CH4), which
is a potent greenhouse gas.
• Collectively, the global energy sector contributes more greenhouse gas emissions
(73% worldwide) than any other sector; however, coal-fired power generation
“continues to be the single largest emitter, accounting for 30% of all energy-related
carbon dioxide emissions” and the “ single largest source of global temperature
increase”.
• To limit global warming to 1.5 degree to 2 degrees, it is imperative that fossil
fuels(particularly coal) are phased out as an energy resource.
• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated, in his opening speech at the 2019
United Nations Climate Change (COP25) conference in Madrid, “ Either we stop this
addiction to coal or all our efforts to tackle climate change will be doomed”

9. Environmental Impact
02 Dust emission
• The extraction, storage, transportation, and utilization of coal produces fugitive dust,
which poses a significant risk to human and animal health, and the environment.
• Dust generated during extraction presents an occupational hazard for miners and has
been linked to pulmonary diseases such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP,
“ black lung disease”), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and silicosis.
• Emissions from coal-fired power plants, especially those without the latest pollution
control technology, may contain hazardous air pollutants, exposing individuals to
mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitro-gen oxides, particulate matter, toxic heavy metals (e.g.,
As, Pb, Cd,Se), radioactive elements (e.g., uranium, radium, thorium), carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds.
• In addition to cardio-vascular effects, exposure to coal dust/emissions has been
linked to respiratory effects and compromised lung function, increased susceptibility
to viral and bacterial infections, low birthweight in newborn infants, increased infant
mortality, neurological effects , and decreased life expectancy

10. Environmental Impact
03 Uncontrolled Coal Fires
• Coal has a tendency to combust resulting in uncontrolled fires when
exposed to air.
• These fires can ignite within coal waste piles, storage piles, and surface and
underground mines.
• Once ignited underground the coal fires are extremely difficult to extinguish
and have resulted in the abandonment of the entire town of Centralia , PA
• The fires can start from spontaneous combustion, precipitated by machine
or human accidents, or intentionally ignited; once ignited, they can persist
for years
• Coal fires are globally wide-spread and pose a danger to human and animal
populations, as well as the environment, and cause economic hardship by
destroying a valuable resource, despoiling the local environment, polluting
streams and air

11. Benefits to Human Health and Environment
• Reduction of coal combustion in power plants, with corresponding improvements in air quality,
carry multiple public health benefits including reduced asthma, heart disease, chronic lower
respiratory disease, stroke and cancer, and an improvement in neuro-cognitive development in
children.
• Occupational health problems of coal miners : The closing of coal mines and coal-fired power
plants should result in fewer workers, and those living within proximity of coal-fired power plants,
being exposed to coal dust and the potentially harmful constituents within the coals (e.g. quartz
and pyrite). Serious lung diseases such as CWP and PMF are progressive diseases, thus atleast
within the United States - a continued increase in prevalence is expected in the foreseeable future
• The environment : Transitioning away from coal, to cleaner forms of energy, will undoubtedly
benefit ecosystems. The issue is how quickly this transition occurs: a ballooning global population
and economic prosperity are exerting incredible pressure on the environment, creating an
unsustainable situation. Given the complexity of global feedback loops, our physical environment
is likely to get worse before it gets better. Within the last decade, climate change has transitioned
from being an academic concern, into a broadly societal concern as the forecasted realities of
climate change come to pass, creating urgent public and environmental health issues.

12. • Coal use has also been in decline in Europe
and many other industrialized nations. More
than 20 nations, including many in Europe, as
well as Canada and Mexico have committed to
reducing and eventually eliminating coal for
power generation under the2017 United Nations
Climate Change Conference.
• Despite declining trends in utilization in
industrialized portions of the world, the
downward trajectory of coal use is not universal.
In fact, global coal consumption increased for
three consecutive years between 2016 and
2018 and is near an all-time peak. Increases are
primarily driven by China, India, and Russia, but
are occurring in other parts of Asia and the
developing world.
The future: dealing with the environmental
and health legacies elsewhere

13. Education
Plan
Global Coal Lookout
Russia
Domestic coal consumption will increase by over 12
percent in Russia; it currently stands at around 196
million tons annually. The Asia-Pacific states, Southeast
Asia, the Middle East and Africa will continue to be the
major markets for Russian coal.
India and Southeast Asia
India's coal use is expected to increase
by 4.6% per year through2024. Overall,
India's coal demand is expected to grow
by more than that of any other country, in
absolute terms, over this period. Coal
demand in Southeast Asia is forecast to
grow by more than 5%per year through
2024, led by Indonesia and Viet Nam (IEA,
2018).The region's strong economic
growth will drive electricity and industrial
consumption, which will both be fueled in
part by coal.
China
China is a significant driver behind global
energy consumption, accounting for
almost half of the world's coal use .When
evaluating energy utilization within a
climate-change free scenario,
researchers project that increasing
incomes will cause household energy
consumption to double by 2040. When
accounting for climate change, scientists
estimate a 36% increase in peak
electricity consumption for every 1 degree
C increase in temperature.
Leading coal Producers

15. Sources and Literature referred
• References taken from Science Direct :
• https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-5162(98)00061-5
• https://doi.org/10.1016/0034-6667(94)90095-7
• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engeos.2020.08.001
• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engeos.2020.11.001
• https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engeos.2020.07.003
• https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.coal.2014.09.004
• https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.coal.2003.07.002
• https://doi.org/10.1080%2F01431160310001620812
• https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.coal.2015.03.008
• http://report.hazelwoodinquiry.vic.gov.au/

16. THANK YOU