Genesis of Antibiotic Resistance (AR) XXXII Effective Implementation of “Best Manufacturing Practices (BMP)” in coal mining relegates Particulate Matter (PM) inflicted alteration in Commensal Microbial Genome consequential antibiotic resistance (AR)
Authors: Fuentes Liliana , Balino Armando , Cervantes Karla , Fernandez Alayza , De Los Santos Ludwig , Espinoza Ivan , Villarreal Diego , Huerta Jose , Pointdexter Ursula , Munoz‐Chacon Jesus E. , Theiss Savanna , Leland Starks , Munoz Rey , Peters Lyle , Kannan Subburaj 
Published: June 2021

To determine the probability and its impact of PM from coal mining industry on Commensal Microbial Genome consequential antibiotic resistance (AR), a guided field trip to the North American Coal Corporation – Camino Real Fuels, LLC, Eagle Pass (CRF‐EP), has been completed. The established and implemented BMP at CRF‐EP mitigate and/or minimize the PM and its role in sustainability of soil, water, air and biodiversity are presented here. Air Monitoring Stations are placed throughout the site to analyze the quality, wind flow direction, barometer pressure, also ambient temperature. The air monitors collect data for 24 hours, every 6 days. A meteorological station is set up to collect data every 15 minutes. First, they do the mining to rescue and relocate the wildlife to areas evaluated then approved as receptor sites. Secondly, they clear the area then remove the topsoil and the subsoil. Then the process of drilling and breaking the overburden. The overburden is loaded into haul trucks until the layers of coal are visible, clearing the overburden from the site using the dozer to move it to the old pit where it was. Once the topsoil is removed, then the subsoil, which is about four feet under, then the overburden to get to the surface of the coal scene. When all the layers of coal are loaded and are taken out, they take it through haul trucks so it can be transported to dump sites for final disposal. Next, they take it to the coal preparation plant which is a facility that washes coal of soil and rock. Once it is washed, they crush it into graded sized chunks so it can be easy to handle and prepared for proper discharge to transport to market. At last, the coal is loaded into train cranes to be sent back to Mexico, the staff members explained it takes about eight hours to load and it is done every 24 to 36 hours. After all that process is finished, they start by covering the area the way it was taken out. The environmental group goes and starts the seeding in order for the final stage, which is the reclamation plan, to take effect. The land is restored from the whole mining process for the vegetation to go back to its natural state. With the growth in depth of mines, the movement and the spreading of particulate matter (PM) are very difficult to see due to wrong ventilation. The water that is found near the coal mines, also known as surface water control, help in suppressing the dust. With the dust suppressed, it is no longer able to contaminate the atmosphere. By reclaiming the land used in the coal mining process, the landowners will be able to have their lands back just as if nothing ever happened. Just as important as the reclamation stage of the coal mining process, the mining company also has strict regulations in place in order to minimize the impact the operation has in the surrounding environment. In this site they use trucks using a water mister to control and minimize the dust so that no particulate matter is formed. Once the coal has been removed, a Reclamation Plan is then followed. This plan (or timeline) is used to set goals to accomplish final bond release. The post‐mine conditions are monitored over a period of 10 years and are compared with the baseline conditions. As pointed out by the professional representing the CRF, it has complied with all regulatory criteria. Taken together, CRF‐EP demonstrated that the probability of formation and dissemination of PM from the mining site is minimum as monitored by vigilant internal measures and as well the city, state, and federal agencies.

Support or Funding Information

Supported by the Professional Development Funds to Subburaj Kannan

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.