Source Apportionment of Particulate Matter (PM10) In an Integrated Coal Mining Complex of Jharia Coalfield, Eastern India, A Review

Coal based thermal power generation accounts for 44.7% of the world's electricity and coal alone provides about 80% of the total energy demand in India. Energy-intensive industries deteriorate the air quality of the residential areas due to release of different pollutants, especially a range of deleterious heavy metals like Hg, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Cr. Near about 53.3 percent of the coal produced every year in India has been used for thermal generation. Jharia Coalfield (JCF) is major contributor of coking coal in India. JCF receives particulate matter from various sources such as, opencast coal mining and its associated activities, thermal power stations, automobiles, generator sets fuel burning, construction activities, domestic coal, cooking gas burning, etc. and even the background contribution of natural dust (crustal origin) can not be ruled out, particularly, in the zones having loose topsoil. Concentration of particulate matter causes harmful impacts to the society. These multiple sources are contributing to particulates pollution in the study area. Apportionment of these sources indicating their contribution to ambient air pollution is vital for planning effective control strategies. Management of particulate pollution from various industrial sources in integrated industrial complexes such as JCF is a major area of concern. It can be assessed by determining emissions from various activities and resulting contribution of those multiple sources at various receptors using dispersion and receptor modeling through source apportionment study with respect to particulate matter (PM10) in JCF.