1494 APPLICATION OF SENSORS AND UAV IN ASSESSMENT OF VERTICAL TRANSPORT OF PARTICULATE MATTER IN SURFACE MINES A.K. Patra1*, A. Penchala1 1Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India, (*Presenting author: akpatra@mining.iitkgp.ac.in) ABSTRACT Availability of technology for extraction deep seated minerals has led to mechanized mines getting deeper. This is resulting in poor dispersion of pollutants, primarily because of little entry of surface winds to that level, potentially exacerbating the occupation exposure at workplace. Therefore, understanding the transport and dispersion of mining-generated pollutants, especially, particulate matter (PM) is crucial for assessing its impact on miners. This paper presents the findings on vertical dispersion of the PM using a combination of low-cost PM sensors and portable sampling devices in two mines (one is iron and other is coal). The mines are 100-130 m deep. With a series of sensor placed at different heights the concentration was measured along the vertical extent of the iron mine. For the coal mine, a UAV mounted sensor set up was used which provided a real-time data. The studies evaluated the distribution of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 mass concentrations and their interactions with key meteorological factors. In case of the iron ore mine, transport of ore through off-road trucks accounted for about 70 % of the in-pit emissions. Differential settling and varying meteorological parameters along the vertical extent of the mine resulted in the escape of 17 % of PM2.5-10, 43 % of PM1-2.5, and 69 % of PM1 to the mine’s surrounding atmosphere. In case of the coal mine, the vertical profiles from the pit bottom to the pit top (130 m vertical depth) have shown a nonuniform decrease in PM concentrations, with a higher percentage of decrease observed for PM10 (47%) compared to PM2.5 (15%) and PM1 (13%). Assessment of diurnal variations indicated higher PM levels during evening due to cumulative particle accumulation from continuous mining operations combined with a lower atmospheric boundary layer height. Airborne UAV measurements within and around the mine have shown dominance of PM2.5 and PM1 compared to their respective proportions at the ground. The findings of this study demonstrate the application of low-cost sensors in monitoring PM concentration in a surface mine, which can ultimately provide a real-time exposure estimates of the mine workers at different working locations. KEYWORDS Coal mine dust, occupational exposure, vertical distribution, low-cost air sensors, unmanned aerial vehicle 1. INTRODUCTION Major mining activities involving the extraction of huge quantities of mineral deposits emit significant amounts of dust particles, also known particulate matter (PM). These emissions are unintentional and irregular, often from non-point sources rather than defined stacks or vents, and can be termed fugitive emissions. Fugitive PM is more challenging to measure, model, and mitigate as it can spread over large areas, affecting mining and adjoining communities. Based on the type of mining activity, the mineral being extracted, and the volume of mineral handled, emitted PM can be of varying sizes, shapes, and compositions (Kasongo et al., 2024). A significant proportion of mining-generated PM is mineral-bearing, associated with heavy metals and potentially toxic elements (Yu and Zahidi et al., 2023). These emitted particles interfere with the breathing pattern of air and pose significant health and safety hazards to the mine workers (Patra et al., 2026). Particles smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) have the potential to reach deeper parts of the human respiratory system and cause several irreversible diseases like coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, silicosis, asbestosis, siderosis, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis (Liu and Liu, 2020). Therefore, accurate real-time
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