Spatial distribution and risk assessment of potential environmentally hazardous elements in coal: a case study of the Central Anatolia coalfields

A wide range of environmental risks may arise during coal mining. At the same time, it is possible that during the transportation and extraction of coal, locals and especially the workers working in the mining area may be harmed, depending on their proximity to agricultural lands and settlement centers. Revealing the spatial distribution of potentially hazardous elements in coal (Ag, As, B, Ba, Be, Cd, Cl, Co, Cr, Cu, F, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, P, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Th, Tl, U, V, Zn) is an important step for identifying potential environmental health risks. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and Remote Sensing techniques, the objective of this study is to identify and compare the spatial risk assessment of the elements in the Ilgın (Konya) and Karapınar (Konya) lignite areas. The surroundings of the mining sites were classified into 7 classes (crops, rangeland, bare ground, water, built area, flooded vegetation, trees) using SENTINEL-2 satellite data with a 10 m spatial resolution and CORINE LULC data. Subsequently, mapping and buffer zone analyses were conducted using the GIS. The land use land cover classification revealed that both mining sites were highly distributed in agricultural lands (Karapınar: 155.32 km2, Ilgın: 178.45 km2) and rangeland (Karapınar: 140.4 km2, Ilgın: 40.72 km2). Geochemical results showed that Ni concentrations exceeded the limit values in the Karapınar lignites, while As concentrations exceeded the limit values in the Ilgın lignites. Based on these results, it was concluded that the Ni concentration in agricultural lands and rangelands around the Karapınar site, and the As concentration in agricultural lands and rangelands around the Ilgın site, should be monitored periodically.