Analysis of industrial ecology approach in coal mines: A case study of Parvade coal mine in Tabas

The challenges in the coal industry are the environmental impacts caused by consumption of resources and emission of pollutants. An appropriate approach to exploitation of coal mines is the concept of industrial ecology. The main objective of industrial ecology is to optimize the three important factors include resources, energy, and capital. The mining industry is the base source and requires a lot of energy and capital, so it is a suitable option to implement industrial ecology. The relationship between industry and environment is established through the flow of material and energy, and the main way for best management is to create an industrial coexistence network with the establishment of ecological industrial parks. This study aims to establish an industrial coexistence network in Tabas coal mine. So planning to increase the rate of tailing and wastewater recycle, and methane gas recovery should be on the agenda. Applying industrial ecology and multilevel consumption of energy, material, and water, is an effective solution to sustainable development and resolving environmental problems; Furthermore, there are many positive economic and social impacts.