Coal Resource Recoverability
A Methodology

U.S. Bureau of Mines Circular 9368

CONCLUSIONS

Without accurate data regarding the amounts and quality of economically recoverable coal, it is not possible to make informed decisions regarding National, regional, or local energy policies. Traditional procedures and methodologies used to estimate the coal reserve base have utifized historical mining recovery factors and applied them throughout coal regions to obtain the estimated recoverable coal tonnage. Restrictions relative to the environment and social concerns, site specific geology, mining technology, and economics were not considered.

The quality of a coal is not considered a restriction to its minability; however, quality can be a factor in the marketability of that coal. Increasing concerns for the environment and subsequent new regulation of environmental pollutants require a better understanding of the coal qualities than is now available.

Technical and barrier restrictions account for 27% (325 million tons) of the coal resource lost from the total original, in-place, resource. Research is needed on these areas of loss, to improve mining methods and efficiencies and to reduce mining costs. In addition, many more tons of coal are in the thinner seams (less than 12 in thick for surface mines and less than 24 in thick for underground mines), and research is needed on methods to enable recovery of these resources.

The information presented in this report is specific to one quadrangle; however, it does point out that the DRB appears overstated and that the DRB should be used with caution until further data are available. The Bureau Coal Recoverability program is continuing to study the central Appalachian coal region and, due to the importance of redefining the Nation's coal reserves, the next phase of the program will be to investigate the northern Appalachian coal region. Studies of the Illinois Basin and the Western coalfields will follow thereafter.

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