Materiały konferencyjne SEP 2023

cover an area of 7,188 hectares and store approximately 1.7 billion cubic meters of rock. In addition, coal beneficiation factories (CBFs) annually dump about 2 million tons of finely dispersed flotation beneficiation waste into sludge collectors, which occupy 850 hectares and store more than 70 million tons of waste [11]. Coal slurries consist of finely dispersed particles of mineral and organic components of coal and water, which is contained both in a free and bound state. They have valuable energy potential and huge reserves. But in any case, the use of sludge becomes rational only with low ash content (up to 40%), low humidity (no more than 30%) and a sufficiently high heat of combustion (at least 5...6 MJ/kg). Because high ash content can lead to complications and low heat of combustion when burning such fuel. Ash content can be reduced by making briquettes from a mixture of sludge and biomass (for example, waste from the agro- industrial complex – grain straw, sunflower stalks and husks, corn cobs). This method will improve the briquetting process due to the activation of the surface of coal particles and reduce the ash content of the sludge while increasing its combustion heat. The briquettes obtained in this way are a competitive substitute for thermal coal. Combustion of combined fuel briquettes as an energy fuel will have the following positive effects: - supplementing or replacing coal with a combined fuel with a high content of a renewable energy source – biomass, reducing coal consumption – correspondingly reducing CO 2 ; - freeing the region lands from the waste of coal beneficiation and coal mining and returning them to the agricultural fund or for free sale; - stocks of existing man-made dumps will be enough for the production of fuel briquettes for the next 150-200 years. CONCLUSIONS In view of the above, modern technologies for the processing of both coal and alternative fuels in the conditions of small complexes consisting of coal mining and power-generating parts allow to ensure the combination of three important elements of modern production – energy, ecology and economy, and for coal mines have the following advantages: - the impracticality and elimination of the need to close many mines with large potential reserves of coal and gas; - application of progressive environmentally friendly technologies of direct burning of coal, coal beneficiation waste and mine methane; - high efficiency factor (up to 90%), which is impossible for potent power stations of large power generation; - significant savings in imported natural gas; - the cost of both electricity and heat is 3 to 5 times lower than the current tariffs; - high reliability of electricity and heat supply of enterprises due to the location of power generating capacities near consumers; - parallel operation of the energy complex with the centralized energy system; - minimal costs for transportation of fuel and electricity; - additional profit for the enterprise as a result of energy self-sufficiency and the sale of excess heat and electricity to third-party consumers; - the possibility to expand the production of related goods at the expense of cheap heat; - compliance with European norms of harmful emissions into the environment; - disposal and use of ash for the production of building materials; - use of mine water as a source of production water supply without release of production water into water bodies;