Initial situation

Ground water has been rising in mines closed down as uneconomic since 1992 in the Russian part of the Donetsk Basin coalfield. This means there is an increased danger of untreated pit water causing environmental damage to running waters and developed areas.

Approach

After the decision had been made to permanently lower the level of the groundwater affected by mining, to treat it, and to discharge it into the drainage, the next necessary step was a fundamental modernisation of obsolescent pit water treatment plants.
This involved LMBV determining the water's iron, suspended matter, and pH values. It also involved an assessment of the processes and plant used to date. In project discussions with the operator, LMBV produced the detailed design and execution planning. Realisation, i.e. modifying the plant for the implementation of automatic operation, is planned for the period 2008-2010.

Result

The automation of the Burgustinskaya pit water treatment plant will have two main effects; one, that there will no longer be any need for heavy physical work; and the other, that the changeover from manual to completely automatic operation will mean that the quality of the water being extracted and discharged after treatment can be permanently assured. The use of fully-automated plant will mean long-term assurance that the cleaning targets for suspended matter (90% reduction) and iron (98% reduction) are being achieved.