Abstract

     Ecological factors have presently become basic factors, taken into account when considering the results of the enterprises’ work.

     A new ideology of nature management, which presupposes the change of priorities when solving ecological and economical problems, is the concept of sustainable development. The matter concerns the transition from the implementing of direct nature management measures to alternative variants of ecological tasks solving, development of low-waste, nonwaste and resource-saving technologies. According to this concept the aim of deposits, as future or present objects of usage and protection is their conservation, the main part in which plays the so called multiple use of mineral resources (MUMR). Among the main directions of the latter is the accompanying development of other minerals while mining the basic mineral, their complex processing and recycling of wastes.

     When developing an underground coal deposit a great amount of mine water is pumped out onto the surface. The total amount of it in Donbass makes 900mln m3 a year. And only 13-15% of this water is used on the needs of the enterprises themselves. The rest of this improperly purified water is wasted in the drainage network of the region, which destabilizes (together with waste waters from other industries) its balance.

     The modern state of the hydrosphere of Donbass should be assessed as critical. It is characterized by the worst (5-10 times less) water supply in Ukraine, which is only 190 m3/pers/year, the most intensive water consumption of fresh water within the country (in Donetsk region it equals 2.5bln m3/year); by exeedence of sewage disposal over water consumption by 1.2bln m3/year (first of all due to mine waters); the lowest natural (background) quality of water in Ukraine alongside with their high anthropogenic pollution (60-70% of the water samples analyses determine the negative result), which leads to disqualification of small rivers as sources of centralized and uncentralized water supply. Finally, the critical situation with drinking water in the region is worsened by such factors as persistent lag of building of refinement and canalizing facilities at the previous stages of water industry development; many treatment facilities (built 30-50 years ago) do not conform to the standards of the modern water-protective legislation.

     The mentioned above reasons have conditioned the drinking water deficiency (only in Donetsk region it is about 500mln m3/year in low-water periods, because of which one forth of all the region towns are supplied with water according to the schedule, and some settlements use transported water): high demand for this resource as well as high prices and expenses on it in Ukraine (for example, when supplying mines with water the price on drinking water together with canalization makes 4.01 hrn/m3), which is a burden on industrial enterprises.

     According to the foregoing the search for additional sources of water supply at industrial enterprises as well as Donbass settlements is of current importance.

     From the position of theoretical ideas about the efficient use and conservation of deposits, conceptual regulations of MUMR unlimited waste of improperly treated mine waters into surface waters testifies the weakness in the use of natural waters of the region. This conclusion witnesses the necessity of considering the mine waters as a potential additional resource of water supply, thus reducing their negative influence on the surface waters of drinking purpose. To achieve this it is necessary to improve technologies and find new ways of solving the problem of mining waters treatment. Let us consider one of them.

     As it has been mentioned above, Donbass is characterized by the presence of a great number of working and dormant mines that are connected hydraulically. Two kinds of mine water flows are distinguished: flowing from working production and development faces; open areas at working and dormant mines.

     The first flow is polluted by suspended solids, however its proportion at most mines of Donbass is not more than 30% of the general mine inflow (with just 3-5% for development workings). The second flow is almost free from suspended solids, it makes about 70% of the general inflow at a mine. However, when mixed with the first, it loses its important quality – purity.

     The mentioned conditions may be realized only with the help of a non-traditional approach, namely reduction of mine waters impurity with suspended solids straight underground in mine workings.

     Potential effectiveness of this approach is emphasized by the presence of certain prerequisites: relatively stable correlation between dirty water flows in the working faces (not more than 30%) and conditionally purified from dormant mines (70% and more). Increased (by several orders) fineness of suspension, contained in the underground waters, compared to waters pumped onto the surface.

     The realization of the suggested approach is possible on the basis of two directions: preventive and purifying. The preventive direction aims at prevention of pollution of big amounts of comparatively clean mine waters, flowing from worked open areas of levels.

     Purifying is connected with clearing of small amounts of polluted waters, flowing from mine levels.

     The suggested technology can be changed depending on particular mine conditions and can be realized in different ways. Even with high volumes of mine waters purifying (for example, 60% instead of 30%) the developed technology has capital investment and operating costs lower than traditional ones.