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Abstract
With the rapid growth of its economy in the past two decades, China is facing a serious energy shortage. Energy consumption of China is currently based on coal, but intensive exploitation of coal resources is accompanied by serious threats to the environment. In order to balance economic development, environmental protection, and natural resource conservation, there is an opportunity for development of eco-industry in the coal industry. This paper examines a case study of Yanzou Coal Mining Group (YZCMG), which can be viewed as a typical mining enterprise in China. The aim is to identify the benefits of developing an eco-industry in the coal industry. The significant reduction of environmental pollutants, economic benefits from recycling and reuse of wastes, and increased energy efficiency, together with reduced consumption of natural resources (mainly coal and water), reveal that development of an eco-industry within YZCMG is a promising option. This is also an opportunity for the coal industry to contribute to more sustainable development.
Acknowledgements
This research was financially supported by China Postdoctoral Fund (No. 200904501187) and Shandong Provincial Postdoctoral Fund (No. 200803065). Thanks are also due to the managers and engineers in YZCMG for providing support during data collection.