Land Reclamation Using Typical Coal Gasification Slag in Xinjiang: A Full-Cycle Environmental Risk Study

Abstract

A rising quantity of coal gasification slag (CGS) is produced annually. Land reclamation is a valuable method for efficiently utilizing coal gasification slag on a large scale. The ecological influence of CGS during land reclamation has not been widely investigated. This article covers the entire CGS use cycle for land reclamation, which includes generation, storage, and disposal. The environmental risk of using CGS for land reclamation was assessed by combining four environmental risk assessment methods. The results show no environmental risk for coal gasification coarse slag (CGCS) and coal gasification fine slag (CGFS) at the generation and storage stages. However, a concern remains regarding manganese leaching from CGCS during the storage stage. In the disposal phase, no environmental risk is present when up to 15% of CGCS and CGFS are applied to land reclamation projects. However, the environmental risk of disposing of 100% of CGS in a landfill cannot be disregarded. Conversely, the full-cycle use of CGS for land reclamation carries no environmental risk.