Sustainable mining with M-Sand production from OB

Northern Coalfields Limited will mine overburden to produce M-sand along with concentration on sustainable mining and the creation of ‘Wealth from Waste’.

Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), a Miniratna coal-producing company, is preparing to begin production of M-Sand, the primary material used in civil construction, in its Amlohri Project. The Ministry of Coal initiative promotes sustainable practises for maximising natural resource utilisation while minimising the negative impact of mining. In order to diversify its business while maintaining environmental balance, the company established a sand manufacturing plant that uses its overburden (OB) as raw material.

The company’s pro-environmental initiative will help to conserve river bed erosion and aquatic ecosystems. NCL recently obtained consent to operate (CTO), paving the way for the commercial production and auction of M-Sand, which is expected to begin next month.

A whopping 410 million cubic meters of overburden (OB) are required to be removed to extract the coal below. The material above the coal seam (layer) is known as overburden (OB). This huge quantity is roughly 4 times the amount of coal to be extracted. NCL produces over 122 million tonnes of coal annually from its 10 open-pit mines. The huge quantity of overburden (OB) occupies a lot of space and is a waste material.

The groundbreaking initiative benefits the company, the government, and local stakeholders. NCL will produce approximately 3 lakh cubic meters of M-sand per year and will use 1429 cubic meters of overburden per day to produce 1000 cubic meters of sand per day. The M-Sand produced will be e-auctioned at a much lower base price and of superior or comparable quality to currently available market sand.

Following the successful launch of this plant, the company is considering establishing more of these innovative overburden to M-Sand manufacturing units in various production projects. With NCL’s topsoil having a high silica content, the possibility of producing solar panels, glass, GRP pipes, and other materials is being investigated.

NCL is one of Coal India Limited’s flagship subsidiaries, known for its ten highly mechanised mines and pivotal role in the power sector. The company is located in the districts of Singrauli and Sonbhadra in the states of MP and UP, respectively, and has been tasked with delivering 122 million tonnes of coal in the current fiscal year 2022–23.