The Impact of Sizing and Packaging of the Dzhebariki-Khaya Coal on Carbon Emissions Embodied in Final Demand

The paper provides a quantitative assessment of carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired boiler plants serving large areas of the Northeast of Russia. The assessment is exemplified by a case study of boiler plants fired by the coal sourced from the Dzhebariki-Khaya deposit. The calculations were made under the assumption that all the carbon contained in the delivered coal, including its loss in transit, through spillage and dust, and during combustion, is eventually converted into carbon dioxide through various oxidation processes. The method of calculation relies on a model of the change in the net calorific value of coal during long-term bulk storage in open stockyards and takes into account coal losses that occur throughout a complex supply chain. Two cases are analyzed: (1) the current conditions and (2) with the adoption of coal sizing and big bag packaging. The carbon dioxide emissions produced by the boiler plants running on the Dzhebariki-Khaya coal currently total about 670 thousand tons per heating season. However, coal sizing and bagging can reduce coal deliveries and, consequently, CO2 emissions by 21%.