Heye Town once flourished because of coal, which also took a heavy toll on it. In the past, this place was covered by black coal like a thick haze, but now it’s green and vibrant. 

 

At its peak, there were as many as 160 mines of various sizes here, making it one of the largest contiguous coal mining areas in the city. Those wellheads have witnessed the continuous transformation and development of the Heye mining area. 

 

“During the long-term operation of the Heye mining area, a large amount of solid waste from the mining industry, mainly coal gangue, has been left behind, which poses hidden dangers such as environmental pollution and geological disasters. It is urgent to carry out the ecological restoration of the mines,” said Shi Pengfei, deputy secretary of Heye town. 

 

The coal gangue covers an area of over 1,700 mu (about 113.33 hectares) with a total volume of over 4.1 million cubic meters. It seems to be an arduous task to deal with it. 

 

However, the market-oriented ecological restoration of the mining area effectively came like a timely rain, turning it green again. 

 

Guiyang County Jinjianwei Renewable Resources Company and Hunan Qixing Construction Engineering Company started businesses in the Heye mining area. 

 

Coal gangue is sorted and processed into building sand and gravel, bricks, and road construction materials based on its material composition, and the profits obtained from coal gangue are used as funds for mining ecological restoration projects.

 

And the government rewards enterprises with bonuses based on their restoration effects after planting grass, trees, and restoring farmland, forming a virtuous cycle of jointly promoting ecological restoration.

 

“Our company’s automated coal gangue processing production line can process 4,000 to 6,000 tons of coal gangue per day. It has revitalized over 80 hectares of mines and provided over 100 job opportunities for nearby villagers,” said the office director of Hunan Qixing Construction Engineering Company. Repairing the land while processing gangue brings significant effects.

 

With their efforts, the amount of coal gangue reused has continued to rise, with more than 3.9 million tons of coal gangue disposed. This has completely changed the ecological environment of Heye town. The regional water source conservation and soil and water conservation capabilities hae been enhanced, and the stability of the forest ecosystem has also improved. 

 

“Enterprises comprehensively utilize waste coal gangue, and process them into building sand and gravel, bricks and road construction materials, turning wastes into real benefits.” 

 

Shi Pengfei added that market-based operation not only helps reduce the burden on the government, but fully mobilizes all forces to engage in the endeavor. Ecological restoration is no longer the government’s task. Coal gangue, which was once seen as a burden, has now become the source of wealth in Heye Town.

 

In addition to the joint model of comprehensive utilization, engineering restoration and photovoltaic power generation, Heye Town has also adopted engineering means to address the ecological environment problems left over from mining history.

 

It has restored damaged farmland, vegetation and land functions, developed green new energy industries and modern agriculture and animal husbandry, creating a comprehensive utilization model of “photovoltaic power generation and modern agriculture” to turn natural resources into invaluable assets.

 

Heye Town has utilized over 3.9 million tons of coal gangue, restored more than 690 mu (46 hectares) of arable land and forest land, developed 600 mu (40 hectares) of photovoltaic power generation. It has added an average annual power generation of about 18.86 million kWh, reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 18,803 tons, and attracted more than 200 villagers to return home and start businesses. 

 

In recent years, the Heye mining area has achieved many gratifying results. In 2023, the ecological restoration of Heye Mine was awarded as one of the top ten examples of ecological restoration in the second national land space of Hunan Province and a national demonstration project for ecological restoration of historical legacy mines.

 

 

Chinese source: czxww