DOI: 10.1002/tqem.21592 RESEARCH ARTICLE Suspended particulate matter and its management system surrounding opencast coal mines Akhilesh Kumar Yadav Aarif Jamal Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu Univer- sity), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India Correspondence Akhilesh Kumar Yadav, Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University), Varanasi 221 005, Uttar Pradesh, India. Email: yadavbasti@gmail.com Abstract The development of effective strategies for the management and control of air pollution is a key environmental challenge that society faces today. The most visible impact of mining on the envi- ronment is on air quality. Mining activities continuously degrade the quality of air by contributing suspended particulate matter (SPM). The impact of mining on the environment and on the qual- ity of air, in particular, influences not only the health of mining professionals, but the health of nearby populations. Furthermore, suspended solids in the form of particulate matter affect mining production and the condition of the mining machinery. SPM management in surface or opencast mines is an issue that must be monitored and controlled at every mine. The present study exam- ines SPM pollution in mines and in areas surrounding various mining operations. It also discusses the management of particulate matter. KEYWORDS management system, mine, suspended particulate matter 1 INTRODUCTION Particulate matter (PM) refers to the solid and liquid particles that are dispersed into ambient air. Most total PM emissions to the atmo- sphere are attributable to natural sources, such as suspended terres- trial dust, spray from oceans and seas, emissions from volcanoes and forest fires, and other natural gaseous emissions. Various natural and anthropogenic activities contribute PM to the environment. The atmo- sphere is the key medium for the dispersal of elemental contaminants, both regionally and globally, depending upon their physicochemical characteristics (Byrd, Stack, & Furey, 2010; Sahoo, Kumar, Yadav, & Tripathi, 2016; Yadav, 2015; Yadav & Jamal, 2016). The National Ambi- ent Air Quality Standard describes the air quality management of PM using three scales in terms of size of the particles: macro, medium, and micro levels. Industrial emissions from sources such as large power generation stations and emissions from vehicles are both major sources of air pollution (Guttikunda & Jawahar, 2014; Yadav et al., 2014). Mining professionals throughout the world have developed var- ious mining technologies to minimize dust concentrations associated with mining activities in order to improve the mine environment. Liv- ing beings face many common problems from PM from different types of mining activities, and the remedial measures to address them are also common in their goals. The table in Exhibit 1 summarizes common remedial measures. PM is additionally characterized by its impacts on the natural world and its physiological impacts on humans (Gautam, Patra, Sahu, & Hitch, 2018; Petavratzi, Kingman, & Lowndes, 2005; Yadav & Jamal, 2016, 2018). A summary of the classification is pre- sented in Exhibit 2. In this paper, the authors seek to summarize the results of a field study of suspended particulate matter (SPM) concen- trations generated by different mining activities and then discuss the management of SPM from mining. 2 STUDY AREA The study area for the air-quality assessment included mines and a thermal power plant that serves the mines in the Singrauli Coalfield, which works under the operational control of Northern Coalfields Limited. The area is located in parts of the Singrauli and Sonbhadra districts. The area covers substantial coal reserves and produces coal suitable for power generation, the primary use of the coal from this area. The study area is located between latitudes 23 ◦ 47 ′ and 24 ◦ 12 ′ N and longitudes 81 ◦ 48 ′ and 82 ◦ 52 ′ E and encompasses 2,200 square kilometers (km 2 ). The study area is shown in Exhibit 3. Other notable activities in the area that can affect air quality include the trans- portation of coal from the surrounding study area and other public transportation activities. 3 METHOD AND METHODOLOGY A high-volume sampler was used during the sampling period. The high- volume sampler (ENVIROTECH APM 43-411) was used to collect SPM Environ Qual Manage. 2018;1–6. c  2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/tqem