Environmental Impacts of Coal Combustion Residuals: Current Understanding and Future Perspectives.
Environ Sci Technol
; 57(5): 1855-1869, 2023 02 07.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36693217
ABSTRACT
On-site solid-waste impoundments, landfills, and receiving water bodies have served as long-term disposal sites for coal combustion residuals (CCRs) across the United States for decades and collectively contain billions of tons of CCR material. CCR components include fine particulate material, minerals, and trace elements such as mercury, arsenic, selenium, lead, etc., which can have deleterious effects on ecosystem functioning and public health. Effects on communities can occur through consumption of drinking water, fish, and other aquatic organisms. The structural failure of impoundments, water infiltration, leakage from impoundments due to poor construction and monitoring, and CCR effluent discharges to water bodies have in the past resulted in harmful environmental impacts. Moreover, the risks posed by CCRs are present to this day, as coal continues to account for 11% of the energy production in the United States. In this Critical Review, the legacy of CCR disposal and the concomitant risks posed to public health and ecosystems are assessed. The resiliency of CCR disposal sites in the context of increased frequency and intensity of storm events and other hazards, such as floods and earthquakes, is also evaluated. We discuss the current state of knowledge on the environmental fate of CCR-derived elements, as well as advances in and limitations of analytical tools, which can improve the current understanding of CCR environmental impacts in order to mitigate the associated risks. An assessment of the 2015 Coal Ash Final Rule is also presented, along with needs to improve monitoring of CCR disposal sites and regulatory enforcement.
Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Selenium
/
Trace Elements
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
Environ Sci Technol
Year:
2023
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States