Problems of waste rock formation during mining of Western Donbass coal reserves: state-of-the-art and solutions

Purpose. The research purpose is to analyze and generalize the problems of waste rock accumulation, as well as to determine the directions for their possible solution in order to improve the ecological-economic conditions for mining coal reserves in the Western Donbass. Methods. A comprehensive scientific-methodological approach is used, which consists in studying regional accounts on the state of the environment, data from the register of waste disposal sites in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, peculiarities of placement of dumps according to the Google Earth program and collected mine data. To study the feasibility of processing dumps, a SWOT-analysis is used, as well as the analysis of existing technologies for processing the rock mass from waste dumps, based on foreign and domestic experience. Findings. Nine rock dumps have been identified, formed as a result of the functioning of the Western Donbass coal mines, where almost 130 million tons of waste rocks have been accumulated on an area of about 190 hectares. It is noted that the reclamation of disturbed lands as the main means of rock utilization is insufficient. Based on a thorough analysis of the SWOT-analysis results, a strategic direction for processing has been determined – the use of rock mass as a raw material for construction (materials and roads) with accompanying extraction of coal, aluminum and iron. The existing technologies for the processing of waste rocks have been systematized. It has been determined that the largest scaling of waste dump processing in the Western Donbass mines can be achieved with a combination of mechanical-chemical methods, among which gravity and magnetic beneficiation methods, mechanical grinding and chemical leaching are priority. Originality. The mechanisms for handling coal waste from coal mines in the Western Donbass have been determined to solve ecological-economic problems associated with their accumulation. Practical implications. The research results reveal possible ways of solving the problems of waste rock accumulation in the Western Donbass mines, which makes ecological and economic sense.