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CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS FROM COAL CLEANING PROCESSES
Citation:
Ewing, R., B. Cornaby, P. Voris, J. Zuck, AND G. Raines. CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS FROM COAL CLEANING PROCESSES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/7-79/140 (NTIS PB80102791), 1979.
Description:
The report describes the development of criteria for assessing environmental pollutants associated with coal cleaning processes. The primary problem concerns emissions of pollutants to all three media--air, water, and land--and assessing their effects on humans and the environment. Pollutants associated with coal cleaning are primarily inorganic compounds associated with the ash fraction. Lists of potential pollutants from coal cleaning and utilization, containing hundreds of entries, have been proposed. Selected for investigation were 51 elements and 23 substances or groups of substances. The major criterion for ranking the importance of any pollutant is the relationship between its expected environmental concentration and the maximum concentration which presents no long-term hazard to humans or biota. Environmental concentrations depend on emission rates and the effects of physical transport and dispersion. Although these data will ultimately come from field measurements, for now they must be estimated. Methodology for these estimates are reviewed; the methodology is well developed and little further development appears necessary. Ecological transport and distribution is much less well developed: investigation shows large data gaps for many elements and species. Illustrative data are presented for eight of the more important trace elements.