Impact of peat extraction from the peatlands of upper Pripyat basin on the environment

Introduction. One of the alternative fuel and energy sources that is economically attractive and available at the regional level is peat extraction and peat briquette production. This direction of development of the mining industry is especially relevant in regions rich in peat deposits which include Sumy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Volyn, Rivne regions. The Volyn region is one of the regions rich in peat deposits that can be used to meet the economic needs of the population. The objective of the work is the assessment and territorial distribution of natural reserve funds within the Pripyat River basin in Volyn. Methods. The research used a complex and systematic approach, as well as mathematical, cartographic and comparative descriptive methods. Results. There are 4 promising peat deposits in the region which are located in large peat bogs of the upper reaches of the Pripyat River basin, namely Stobykhiv, Koza-Berezyna, Velyke Bagno and Velyke Boloto. One of the newest peat deposits which is being exploited in the Volyn region in accordance with the specified environmental conditions for the planned activity listed in the conclusions of the environmental impact assessment is the Koza-Berezyna peatland. The deposit includes four areas, the Sadok tract (area of 108 ha), the Dolyna tract (146.1 ha), the Robittya tract (129.8 ha), the Kiliyev tract (170.8 ha). Extraction of raw peat as the material for the production of peat briquettes at the Koza-Berezyna deposit uses an industrial surface milling method. It is planned to rehabilitate the land plots disturbed by peat mining and return them to their natural wetland state. Most of the carting channels will be filled with peat from adjacent areas, the existing network of melioration channels will be abandoned by the time of extraction. A sanitary protection zone (SPZ) is established for the period of operation of the peat deposit, the standardized size for the Koza-Berezyna deposit being 100 m. During peat extraction, the pollution of the surface layer of atmospheric air at the SPZ boundary does not exceed hygienic standards. The quality of atmospheric air within the enterprise influence corresponds to the maximum permissible content of pollutants at which there is no negative impact on human health and the state of the environment. Conclusions. The project contains measures to reduce the impact on the environment: implementation of control over the volume and composition of pollutants emitted into the atmosphere and the levels of physical impact; development of special measures for the protection of atmospheric air in case of man-made and natural emergency situations.