Information Circular 9381: Pyrite Problems in the Coal Mining Industry

Details

• Personal Author:
  Miron, Yael
• Description:
  The presence of pyrite (FeS2) in coal can cause or contribute to several problems for the coal mining industry. These problems, which include spontaneous combustion, roof falls, floor heave, and accidental explosions in coal surface mining when ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO) explosives are used, result from pyrite oxidation. Pyrite oxidizes exothermically in the presence of air and moisture to form a large variety of products, including hydrated ferrous and ferric sulfates, and sulfuric acid. Some of the products are reactive chemicals and strong oxidants. The volume of many of these oxidation products exceeds the original volume of the pyrite; as a result, the adjacent coal disintegrates and its surface increases, rendering it more susceptible to oxidation. The heat from pyrite oxidation raises the temperature of the adjacent coal, accelerating the oxidation and self-heating rates of the coal. Additional hazards are fires or explosions caused by the frictional ignition of methane when the pyrite in the coal is struck by a cutting bit during mining. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Chemistry Coal Coal Mining Explosions Mining Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Chemical-reactions Coal-mining Mine-safety Mineral-industries Reaction-kinetics Soil-and-rock-mechanics Spontaneous-combustion Underground-mining
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Subseries:
  Information Circular
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PRC - Pittsburgh Research Center
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  19 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:10004957
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB94-161866
• Citation:
  Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, IC 9381, 1993 Sep; :1-13
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1993
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, IC 9381
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6d4ed9348b3300effb7d1ee58d4c73c3c531110bb735e0b2f4f22826f6597aff14dfb31d3186a3561dc78307c379cca37e72d55376de7861a86a78a3913d2da9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/206079/cdc_206079_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.23 MB ]