Studies on the Leaching and Weathering Processes of Coal Ashes

Abstract

Within the Swedish project Coal-Health-Environment (Kol-Hälsa-Mi1jö) leaching studies were made on several types of coal ashes, fly ashes, bottom ashes and scrubber sludges. Studies were made on the effects of pH, pCl, pCO3. pEDTA and pSO4, in the leaching solution on the leaching of metals from coal ashes. As a model for the leaching system, we studied the leaching of Cr, Co, Ni, tu, Zn, Mo, Se, As, Cd and Pb. The leaching of the metals was found to increase with pH for pH less than 2 and pH greater than 9, and to decrease for 2 > pH > 6. The metal leaching behaviour may in part be explained by the mass-action law. We have also made long-term leaching tests of several coal ashes from Danish and Finnish Power Plants using leaching water of different pH. The dominating crystalline phases in the different coal ashes have been identified by X-ray diffraction technique. The major species in the different coal ashes were found to be mullite (3A12.2SiO2), α-quartz (Sio2) and the iron oxides magnetite and hematite. Leaching and X-ray studies were also made on the magnetic fraction of the fly ashes. Equilibrium analysis were made on the system Me-OH-Cl-CO32− - SO42−, where Me = Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo, Se, As, Cd and Pb, partly using the computer program HALTAFALL. A model for the metal leaching from a coal ash deposit will be discussed.