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Characterization of Coal Combustion Residues from Electric Utilities--Leaching and Characterization Data
Citation:
KOSSON, D. S., F. SANCHEZ, P. KARIHER, L. H. Turner, R. Delapp, AND P. Seignette. Characterization of Coal Combustion Residues from Electric Utilities--Leaching and Characterization Data. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-09/151, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
EPA report
Description:
This report evaluates changes in composition and constituent release by leaching that may occur to fly ash and other coal combustion residues (CCRs) in response to changes in air pollution control technology at coal-fired power plants. The addition of flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) systems, selective catalytic reduction, and activated carbon injection to capture mercury and other pollutants will shift mercury and other pollutants from the stack gas to fly ash, FGD gypsum, and other air pollution control residues. This report includes data on 73 CCRs analyzed for a range of physical properties, total elemental content, and leaching characteristics for mercury, aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, boron, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, molybdenum, selenium and thallium. Because of the range of field conditions that CCRs are managed during disposal or use as secondary (or alternative) materials, it is important to understand the leaching behavior of materials over the range of plausible field conditions that can include acid mine drainage and co-disposal of fly ash and other CCRs with pyrites or high-sulfur coal rejects. The methods have also been developed into draft protocols for inclusion in EPA’s waste testing guidance document, SW-846, which would make them available for more routine use. (http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/testmethods/sw846/index.htm) The major conclusions from this research include: there is great variability in both the range of total constituent concentration values and in leaching values (orders of magnitude); there are multiple COPCs of potential concern; distinctive patterns in leaching behavior have been identified over a range of pH values that would plausibly be encountered for CCR management; and, total constituent content is not a good indicator of leaching which has been found to be more of a function of the characteristics of the material (pH) as well as field conditions that the material is managed.
URLs/Downloads:
CHARACTERIZATION OF COAL COMBUSTION RESIDUES FROM ELECTRIC UTILITIES--LEACHING AND CHARACTERIZATION DATAURL.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 24 KB, about PDF)
Abstract