1504 indication of peak concentration during mineral extraction was visible. Sensor mounted UAV measurement in surface coal mine resulted in continuous profiles with dense information on diurnal variation along the vertical direction. The mean PM concentration recorded at the pit bottom of the surface iron ore and coal mine were higher compared to the corresponding pit top concentration levels. The levels were several times higher than the national standards and international guidelines. Decreasing concentration profiles has been observed, with higher rate of fall in PM10 concentrations compared to PM2.5 and PM1. A direct correlation between active mining operations and increased PM levels was observed, indicating the contribution of mining operations to different sizes PM. In both the surface mines, most of PM generated at the pit bottom retained inside the mine, particularly the coarse particles. Fine particles escaped from the pit top. Among the morning, afternoon and evening sessions, higher concentration was recorded during the evening flights for all three particle sizes, possibly due to lower mixing height. The findings of the current study show successful application of low-cost PM sensors in harsh and high concentration surface ming environments in obtaining reasonably accurate pollution concentration information in real-time. This pollution data combined with different active mining operations could lead to the development of more effective dust mitigation strategies, improved worker safety, and optimized operational schedules to minimize the environmental impact of surface mining. REFERENCES Kasongo, J., Alleman, L. Y., Kanda, J. M., Kaniki, A., and Riffault, V. (2024). Metal-bearing airborne particles from mining activities: A review on their characteristics, impacts and research perspectives. Science of the Total Environment. 902, 175426. Yu, H., and Zahidi, I. (2023). Environmental hazards posed by mine dust, and monitoring method of mine dust pollution using remote sensing technologies: An overview. Science of the Total Environment. 864, 161135. Patra, A. K., Gautam, S., and Kumar, P. (2016). Emissions and human health impact of particulate matter from surface mining operation—A review. Environmental Technology & Innovation. 5, 233–249. Liu, T., and Liu, S. (2020). The impacts of coal dust on miners’ health: A review. Environmental Research. 190, 109849. Gautam, S., and Patra, A. K. (2015). Dispersion of particulate matter generated at higher depths in opencast mines. Environmental Technology & Innovation. 3, 11–27. Boente, C., Millán-Martínez, M., Sánchez de la Campa, A. M., Sánchez-Rodas, D. and de la Rosa, J. D. (2022). Physicochemical assessment of atmospheric particulate matter emissions during open-pit mining operations in a massive sulphide ore exploitation. Atmospheric Pollution Research. 13(4), 101374. Crilley, L. R., Shaw, M., Pound, R., Kramer, L. J., Price, R., Young, S. and Pope, F. D. (2018). Evaluation of a low-cost optical particle counter (Alphasense OPC-N2) for ambient air monitoring. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. 11(2), 709–720. Alfano, B., Barretta, L., Del Giudice, A., De Vito, S., Di Francia, G. and Esposito, E. (2020). A review of low-cost particulate matter sensors from the developers’ perspectives. Sensors. 20(23), 6819. Badura, M., Batog, P., Drzeniecka-Osiadacz, A. and Modzel, P. (2018). Evaluation of low-cost sensors for ambient PM2.5 monitoring. Journal of Sensors. 2018, 5096540. Zafra-Pérez, A., Boente, C., de la Campa, A. S., Gómez-Galán, J. A. and de la Rosa, J. D. (2023a). A novel application of mobile low-cost sensors for atmospheric particulate matter monitoring in open-pit mines. Environmental Technology & Innovation. 29, 102974. Zafra-Pérez, A., Boente, C., García-Díaz, M., Gómez-Galán, J. A., de la Campa, A. S. and de la Rosa, J. D. (2023b). Aerial monitoring of atmospheric particulate matter produced by open-pit mining using low-cost airborne sensors. Science of the Total Environment. 904, 166743. Penchala, A., Patra, A. K., Mishra, N. and Santra, S. (2025). Field calibration and performance evaluation of low-cost sensors for monitoring airborne particulate matter in the occupational mining environment. Journal of Aerosol Science. 184, 106519. Dubey, R., Patra, A. K., Joshi, J., Blankenberg, D., Penchala, A. and Lee, X. (2024). Vertical distribution of particulate matter near a national highway and influence of roadside tree canopy: A drone/UAVbased study. Atmospheric Environment. 336, 120761.
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