Air-substrate mercury exchange associated with landfill disposal of coal combustion products

Journal Article · Tue Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 2006 · Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/10473289.2006.10464543· OSTI ID:20790716

Xin, Mei; Gustin, Mae S; Ladwig, Kenneth; Pflughoeft-Hassett, Debra F ^[1]

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1. University of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States). Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science

Previous laboratory studies have shown that lignite-derived fly ash emitted mercury (Hg) to the atmosphere, whereas bituminous- and subbituminous-derived fly ash samples adsorbed Hg from the air. In addition, wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) materials were found to have higher Hg emission rates than fly ash. This study investigated in situ Hg emissions at a blended bituminous-subbituminous ash land-fill in the Great Lakes area and a lignite-derived ash and FGD solids landfill in the Midwestern United States using a dynamic field chamber. Fly ash and saturated FGD materials emitted Hg to atmosphere at low rates (- 0.1 to 1.2 ng/m{sup 2}hr), whereas FGD material mixed with fly ash and pyrite exhibited higher emission rates ({approximately} 10 ng/m{sup 2}hr) but were still comparable with natural background soils (- 0.3 to 13 ng/m{sup 2}hr). Air temperature, solar radiation, and relative humidity were important factors correlated with measured Hg fluxes. Field study results were not consistent with corresponding laboratory observations in that fluxes measured in the latter were higher and more variable. This is hypothesized to be partially an artifact of the flux measurement methods. 19 refs., 4 figs., 6 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 20790716
• Journal Information: Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, Journal Name: Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 56; ISSN JAWAEB; ISSN 1047-3289
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
ASHES
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BITUMINOUS COAL
COAL
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
DESULFURIZATION
EMISSION
FIELD TESTS
FLUE GAS
FLY ASH
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
GREAT LAKES
GYPSUM
HUMIDITY
LIGNITE
MERCURY
PYRITE
SANITARY LANDFILLS
SUBBITUMINOUS COAL
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL