Assessment of Environmental Impacts of Limestone Quarrying Operations in Thailand

Environmental impacts of the mineral extraction have been a public concern. Presently, there is widespread global interest in the area of mining and its sustainability that focused on the need to shift mining industry to a more sustainable framework. The aim of this study was to systematically assess all possible environmental and climate change related impacts of the limestone quarrying operation in Thailand. By considering the life cycle assessment method, the production processes were divided into three phases: raw material extraction, transportation, and comminution. Both IMPACT 2002+ and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol methods were used. Results of IMPACT 2002+ analysis showed that per 1 ton crushed limestone rock production, the total depletion of resource and GHGs emissions were 79.6 MJ and 2.76 kg CO2 eq., respectively. Regarding to the four damage categories, ‘resources’ and ‘climate change’ categories were the two greatest environmental impacts of the limestone rock production. Diesel fuel and electricity consumption in the mining processes were the main causes of those impacts. For climate change, the unit of CO2 eq. was expressed to quantify the total GHGs emissions. Estimated result was about 3.13 kg CO2 eq. per ton limestone rock product. The results obtained by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol were also similar to IMPACT 2002+ method. Electrical energy consumption was considered as the main driver of GHGs, accounting for approximately 46.8 % of total fossil fuel CO2 emissions. A final point should be noted that data uncertainties in environmental assessment over the complete life cycle of limestone quarrying operation have to be carefully considered.

Biodiversity Indexing at HOLCIM Philippines Limestone Quarrying Site in Budbud, Bunawan District, Davao City

Quarry sites are actively rehabilitated to bring back that is almost similar, if not identical, to pre-quarry operations. The inventory assesses the rehabilitation effort conducted at the Quarry area of HOLCIM Philippines in Budbud, Bunawan District, Davao City. The study area consists of four separate small patches. Sampling stations for each group were randomly chosen and almost always situated with the boundaries, towards the interior or inside the patches. Two part surveys were simultaneously done on the site: vegetation analysis and faunal inventories. This survey accounts for a total of 22 species of birds representing 16 families (all residents), 4 bat species under one family, 5 frogs in 5 different families, 5 lizards in 3 families, and 1 snake species. In terms of endemic species, two are recorded for birds: Dicaeum austrade and Phapitretron leucotis, one for bats - Ptenochirus jagori, and one endemic lizard: Draco bimaculaus. In terms of vegetation, a number of non-endemic species are abundant in the site and cover is dominated by grasses like cogon, and basket grass. Tree species were mostly of non-native species as exemplified by the presence of Gmelinina (locally called Gemelina) and Swittenia (locally called Mahogany). A few native species were present: Artocarpuz locally called Kamansi and Molave type (Family Verbenaceae, Vitex sp.) with reduced frequency and quite interspersed distribution. Majority of the species accounted are known inhabitants of disturbed wildlife habitats.