Assessment of potential environmental impact from fly ash landfill

국내 석탄회 육상매립의 오염 잠재성 평가

Fly ash, by-product from coal fired power station, has long been regarded as a potential contamination source for heavy metals and inorganics due to their enriched concentrations and associations with particle surface. Feed coal and fly ash samples were collected from two power stations; Yongdong deliang with domestic anthracite coals and Boryong with imported bituminous coals. The coal and fly ash samples were analyzed for chemical composition and mineral components, using XRF and XRD. Batch leaching experiments were conducted by agitating samples with deionised water for 24 hours. Anthracite coals are generally higher in Al and Si contents than bituminous coals. This is due to the higher ash contents of the anthracite coal than bituminous coal. The chemistry of the two fly ash samples shows broadly similar compositions each other, except for the characteristically high contents of Cr in anthracite coal fly ash. Leaching experiments revealed that concentrations of metals gradually decreased with leachings in general. However, measurable amounts of metals were present in the effluent from weathered ash and the samples subjected to the leaching procedure. These metals are likely to indicate that the metals in fly ash were incorporated into glass fraction as well as associated with particle surface of samples. Dissolution of aluminosilicate glass would control releasing heavy metals from fly ash as weathering progresses during landfill with implication of possible groundwater contamination through fly ash landfill.