Mining Activity Impact on Air Quality in Jiu Valley, Romania

Abstract.

In Romania, in Meridional Carphatian Mountain, in the upper basin of river Jiu there is the most important coal field that produce coke coal named Jiu Valley.

The oblong form of this field, surrounding by mountains, has a great importance for climatic feature, because air circulation is made more easy along the Jiu Cerna corridor, following the longitudinal splitting of Meridional Charpatian Mountain and less from north to south through transversal broken of mountain, Banita-Merisor and Surduc Lainici. The mountain are weir against air circulation, hampering its moving. The mountain protection hamper the air refresh in the depression.

Air is polluted by a power station and by mining and coal processing activity with dust. Another pollutants are between legal limits.

Air quality is monitoring in some point that are placed in the most sensitive area. The main issue is to identify the pollutant sources correctly.

Mining activity have a strongly negative air impact because due to dust emissions.

Mining activity air impacts cannot be assess due to another polluting source that superpose their impact over mining impacts.

1. INTRODUCTION

In Romania, in Meridional Carphatian Mountain, in the upper basin of river Jiu there is the most important coal field that produce coke coal named Jiu Valley.

Coal field is placed in a intramountain depression surrounding by four mountain massifs, two of them with high over 2,500 m and one of them was declared Biosphere Reservation. This geographical placement made that in this field air circulation to be disturbed by the relief forms. For this reason the air pollution in area is a very sensitive issue.