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Title: Ameliorative effect of fly ashes

Abstract

Agronomic effectiveness and environmental impact of fly ashes used to reclaim pyritic acid mine spoils were investigated in the laboratory and field. Mine spoils at two abandoned sites were amended with three rates of fly ash, three rates of rock phosphate, and seeded with alfalfa and wheat. Application of fly ash decreased bulk density and increased moisture retention capacity of spoils. Fly ash application reduced cation exchange capacity, acidity, toxic levels of Al, Fe, and Mn in soils by buffering soil pH at 6.5, and retarded pyrite oxidation. The reduction in cation exchange capacity was compensated by release of plant nutrients through diffusion and dissolution of plerospheres in fly ash. Improvement of spoil physical, chemical and microbial properties resulted in higher yield, more nitrogen fixation, and utilization of P from rock phosphate by alfalfa. Laboratory investigations demonstrated that neutralization potential and the amounts of amorphous oxides of iron were more important for classifying fly ashes than the total elemental analysis presently used in a taxonomic classification system. Contamination of the food chain through plant removal of Mo and As in fly ash treated mine spoils was observed only for Mo and only for the first year of cropping. Plant availablemore » As and Mo decreased with time. Laboratory leaching and adsorption studies and a field experiment showed that trace metals do not leach from fly ashes at near neutral pH and more oxyanions will leach from fly ashes with low neutralization potential and low amounts of amorphous oxides of iron.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
5690875
Resource Type:
Miscellaneous
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.; FLY ASH; ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS; FOOD CHAINS; CONTAMINATION; SOILS; ABANDONED SITES; AGRICULTURE; ALFALFA; ALUMINIUM; BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS; FIELD TESTS; ION EXCHANGE; IRON; LAND RECLAMATION; LEACHING; MANGANESE; PLANT GROWTH; PYRITE; SPOIL BANKS; WHEAT; AEROSOL WASTES; ASHES; CEREALS; COMBUSTION PRODUCTS; DISSOLUTION; ELEMENTS; GRAMINEAE; GROWTH; INDUSTRY; LEGUMINOSAE; LILIOPSIDA; MAGNOLIOPHYTA; MAGNOLIOPSIDA; METALS; MINERALS; PLANTS; RESIDUES; SEPARATION PROCESSES; SULFIDE MINERALS; TESTING; TRANSITION ELEMENTS; WASTES; 540220* - Environment, Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-); 560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology

Citation Formats

Bhumbla, D K. Ameliorative effect of fly ashes. United States: N. p., 1991. Web.
Bhumbla, D K. Ameliorative effect of fly ashes. United States.
Bhumbla, D K. 1991. "Ameliorative effect of fly ashes". United States.
@article{osti_5690875,
title = {Ameliorative effect of fly ashes},
author = {Bhumbla, D K},
abstractNote = {Agronomic effectiveness and environmental impact of fly ashes used to reclaim pyritic acid mine spoils were investigated in the laboratory and field. Mine spoils at two abandoned sites were amended with three rates of fly ash, three rates of rock phosphate, and seeded with alfalfa and wheat. Application of fly ash decreased bulk density and increased moisture retention capacity of spoils. Fly ash application reduced cation exchange capacity, acidity, toxic levels of Al, Fe, and Mn in soils by buffering soil pH at 6.5, and retarded pyrite oxidation. The reduction in cation exchange capacity was compensated by release of plant nutrients through diffusion and dissolution of plerospheres in fly ash. Improvement of spoil physical, chemical and microbial properties resulted in higher yield, more nitrogen fixation, and utilization of P from rock phosphate by alfalfa. Laboratory investigations demonstrated that neutralization potential and the amounts of amorphous oxides of iron were more important for classifying fly ashes than the total elemental analysis presently used in a taxonomic classification system. Contamination of the food chain through plant removal of Mo and As in fly ash treated mine spoils was observed only for Mo and only for the first year of cropping. Plant available As and Mo decreased with time. Laboratory leaching and adsorption studies and a field experiment showed that trace metals do not leach from fly ashes at near neutral pH and more oxyanions will leach from fly ashes with low neutralization potential and low amounts of amorphous oxides of iron.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5690875}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991}
}

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