Mine remediation

Mine waste project starts £6m https://www.gov.uk/government/news/work-starts-on-6m-river-clean-up-project & Innovation for use of Minewater to heat cities.

The Environment Agency and Coal Authority has started work on Nent Haggs Mine Water Treatment Scheme to address a harmful legacy of the industrial revolution. The River Nent is the second most metal polluted river in England with very high concentrations of cadmium, lead and zinc which are toxic to fish and the insects they feed on.

The Romans first dug lead out of the North Pennines but the peak of metal mining was in the 1800s. Although almost all the mines had been closed by the early 20th Century, they have since flooded and polluted water continues to pour out of the ground and will do so for hundreds of years without Government action.

The effect on water quality and aquatic life can be seen for 60km along the River South Tyne through Cumbria and Northumberland, with the metals ultimately accumulating in the River Tyne estuary sediments.

It’s estimated that cleaning up the river has the potential to add up to £44million to the local economy over the next 25 years, with additional economic benefits coming from significantly decreasing the amount of zinc which accumulates in the Tyne estuary sediments each year.

Click here to read more 

Using heat from disused mines to heat homes – Hot Scot project

Latest round of UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI’s) Strength in Places Fund delivers boost to 17 projects across the UK, including pioneering clean tech developments to use heat from disused mines

“We are backing our innovators and with the support they need to turn great ideas into first-class industries, products and technologies,” said Business Secretary Alok Sharma. “From virtual construction projects to extracting clean heat from disused mines, the pioneering projects we are funding today will help create jobs and boost skills across the UK as we continue to drive forward our economic recovery.”

Many of the selected projects are geared at decarbonising and revitalising the UK’s economy as it recovers from the coronavirus crisis while striving towards meeting its 2050 net zero emissions goal.

One such project is a University of Strathclyde-led initiative to extract trapped heat from disused, flooded mines at three different locations in Glasgow in order to provide low carbon heat to homes and businesses. The developers said the approach had the potential to generate nearly 10,000 jobs across the Central Belt of Scotland.