The closure of coal mines does not terminate their impact on the environment. Gas emissions into the atmosphere are the one of the problems. The closed “Gliwice II” shaft has been selected for a series of measurements to assess greenhouse gas emissions from the closed mine; however, only CO₂ emission has been detected. The article compromises obtained knowledge about the rate of emissions and the influence of meteorological parameters on this phenomenon—baric tendency, difference in dry-bulb temperature between flowing gas and the atmosphere (buoyancy effect) and wind speed. In the course of the conducted research, it was detected that the highest amount of carbon dioxide emission was \(V_{{{\text{CO}}_{2} }}\) = 0.023 m³/s (which is 82.8 m³/h) when baric tendency of pressure drop was 0.57 hPa/h, and the difference between dry-bulb temperatures gas and atmosphere was +4.4 °C (the highest difference in the obtained results). The rate of CO₂ emissions varied from 12.7 to 162.3 \({\text{kg}}_{{{\text{CO}}_{2} }} / {\text{h}}\). Carbon dioxide was detected up to 43 m from the shaft. The results can be considered as a general conclusion about gas behavior when it flows from the underground sites to the surface in natural conditions and about gas concentrations near a point of emission, especially in the case of former mines. However, it may also be useful for other applications, e.g., the leakages from installations of underground coal gasification, or gas drainage.

Dump fires are a significant environmental problem in post-mining areas. The TEXMIN project has shown that climate change could lead to more extreme weather events in the future, intense precipitation among them. The impact of water erosion on the development of endogenous fires in coal waste heaps has not been investigated thus far. Meteorological data collected from the studied dump area in Libiaz, Poland confirmed that heavy rainfall occurred many times, causing surface erosion on the slope. Gully erosion was observed on the western slope of the heap, the depth of which was up to 1.6 m. Data showed that between areas with and without water erosion, there was a significant difference in measured temperatures and gas concentrations that defined the fire intensity. Erosion facilitated self-heating such that internal temperatures increased to 52.9 degrees C. Further, at a depth of 1 m in the self-heating zone, maximum gas concentrations were 15.65 vol%. CO2 , 10 ppm CO, and 0.435 vol%. CH4 , while the O-2 concentration dropped below 1.0 vol%. These results show that despite preventative measures, thermal activity reactivated in the vicinity of gully erosion and caused the self-heating zone to expand.

Reversal ventilation is one of prevention methods against fire hazard in underground mines, but it is not recommended for the mines where methane is present. The authors introduce the new method of reversal and by conducting numerical simulations they prove that it allows to keep methane at the acceptable level during miners escape. However, it requires connection between the subnetworks of the main ventilation fans. It was also shown, that by using the method some escape routes will be shortened. It is possible to apply this method in the mines where the fans and stoppings are fully controlled across the full range of their operating parameters. The findings are important for underground mines, as well as for surface facilities where air control or smoke control is managed by two or more fans.

The article presents the history of iron ore mining and production in present-day Poland and takes into account mining and production techniques and the influence of mining on the development of the surrounding areas. Examples of development are presented for the most important iron ore mining centers established since the period of the so-called Roman influences—Lower Silesia in the region of Tarchalice and the Świętokrzyskie region in the area of Góry Świętokrzyskie (Świętokrzyskie Mountains). The oldest traces of underground iron ore mining in Poland date back to the 7th–5th century B.C., and iron production dates back from the 1st century B.C. in the Częstochowa region where economically significant iron ore exploitation started in the 14th century and lasted until the 20th century. Studies showed that the development of iron ore mining in today’s Poland was associated with significant events in the country’s history, for example, with the expansion of a network of fortified castles in Silesia or with the industrial revolution. In each case, the increase in iron production resulted in the development and growth of the surrounding areas.

Global warming increases the risk of power outages. Mine water pumping stations pump approximately 100 million m³ of water per year (2023). The cessation of mine water pumping would expose neighboring mines and lower lying areas to flooding. The pumping stations have some containment, but a prolonged shutdown could cause environmental problems. Remediation of the resulting damage would be costly and time-consuming. The combination of the problems of dewatering abandoned mines and storing energy in the form of hydrogen to ensure continuity of power supply to pumping stations has not been the subject of extensive scientific research. The purpose of this paper was to develop options for protecting mine water pumping stations against the “blackout” phenomenon and to assess their investment relevance. Six technically feasible options for the modernization of mine water pumping stations were designed and analyzed in the study. All pumping station modernization options include storage of the generated energy in the form of green hydrogen. For Q1 2024 conditions, the option with the partial retail sale of the produced hydrogen and the increased volume of produced water for treatment is recommended for implementation.