An investigation of cleaner production opportunities in the South African coal mining industry

• Main Author: Reddick, Jane
• Other Authors: Kothuis, Bas
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of Cape Town 2014
• Subjects: Chemical Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5410

Includes bibliographical references. === The coal mining and processing industry in South Africa is responsible for significant local and regional environmental impacts, most notably those on water quality. As a result, legislation is becoming more stringent, public concerns are increasing and mine rehabilitation costs, which are incurred by the mining companies, are increasing. In response to this, the coal mining industry is recognising the importance of proper environmental management. However, the focus is still largely on end-of-pipe solutions. Cleaner Production (CP), which is a continuous preventative approach to environmental issues, has been demonstrated to be a cost-effective means of reducing wastes, increasing process efficiencies and improving the resource utilisation of coal mines in several countries, as well as of certain South African industries. It is therefore expected that Cleaner Production can provide the South African coal mining industry with an efficient, cost-effective approach to minimiSing its environmental footprint, and to meeting present and future legislation. This thesis aims to investigate whether this is in fact the case, by investigating and proposing feasible CP interventions for the coal mining industry.