TY - JOUR
T1 - Aerial monitoring of atmospheric particulate matter produced by open-pit mining using low-cost airborne sensors
AU - Zafra-Pérez, Adrián
AU - Boente, Carlos
AU - García-Díaz, Manuel
AU - Gómez-Galán, Juan Antonio
AU - de la Campa, Ana Sánchez
AU - de la Rosa, Jesús D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023/12/15
Y1 - 2023/12/15
N2 - Mining is an economic activity that entails the production and displacement of significant amounts of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) during operations involving intense earthcrushing or earthmoving. As high concentrations of PM may have adverse effects on human health, it is necessary to monitor and control the fugitive emissions of this pollutant. This paper presents an innovative methodology for the online monitoring of PM10 concentrations in air using a low-cost sensor (LCS, <300 USD) onboard an unmanned aerial vehicle. After comprehensive calibration, the LCS was horizontally flown over seven different areas of the large Riotinto copper mine (Huelva, Spain) at different heights to study the PM10 distribution at different longitudes and altitudes. The flights covered areas of zero activity, intense mining, drilling, ore loading, waste discharge, open stockpiling, and mineral processing. In the zero-activity area, the resuspension of PM10 was very low, with a weak wind speed (3.6 m/s). In the intense-mining area, unhealthy concentrations of PM10 (>51 μgPM10/m3) could be released, and the PM10 can reach surrounding populations through long-distance transport driven by several processes being performed simultaneously. Strong dilution was also observed at high altitudes (> 50 m). Mean concentrations were found to be 22–89 μgPM10/m3, with peaks ranging from 86 to 284 μgPM10/m3. This study demonstrates the potential applicability of airborne LCSs in the high-resolution online monitoring of PM in mining, thus supporting environmental managers during decision-making against fugitive emissions in a cost-effective manner.
AB - Mining is an economic activity that entails the production and displacement of significant amounts of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) during operations involving intense earthcrushing or earthmoving. As high concentrations of PM may have adverse effects on human health, it is necessary to monitor and control the fugitive emissions of this pollutant. This paper presents an innovative methodology for the online monitoring of PM10 concentrations in air using a low-cost sensor (LCS, <300 USD) onboard an unmanned aerial vehicle. After comprehensive calibration, the LCS was horizontally flown over seven different areas of the large Riotinto copper mine (Huelva, Spain) at different heights to study the PM10 distribution at different longitudes and altitudes. The flights covered areas of zero activity, intense mining, drilling, ore loading, waste discharge, open stockpiling, and mineral processing. In the zero-activity area, the resuspension of PM10 was very low, with a weak wind speed (3.6 m/s). In the intense-mining area, unhealthy concentrations of PM10 (>51 μgPM10/m3) could be released, and the PM10 can reach surrounding populations through long-distance transport driven by several processes being performed simultaneously. Strong dilution was also observed at high altitudes (> 50 m). Mean concentrations were found to be 22–89 μgPM10/m3, with peaks ranging from 86 to 284 μgPM10/m3. This study demonstrates the potential applicability of airborne LCSs in the high-resolution online monitoring of PM in mining, thus supporting environmental managers during decision-making against fugitive emissions in a cost-effective manner.
KW - Low-cost sensors
KW - Mining
KW - Monitoring
KW - PM
KW - UAV
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85170416440
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166743
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166743
M3 - Article
C2 - 37659558
AN - SCOPUS:85170416440
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 904
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
M1 - 166743
ER -
