Determination of the potential for release of mercury from combustion product amended soils: Part 1 - Simulations of beneficial use

Journal Article · Thu May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3155/1047-3289.58.5.673· OSTI ID:21084963

Gustin, Mae Sexauer; Ericksen, Jody; Fernandez, George C ^[1]

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

This paper describes a project that assessed the potential for mercury (Hg) release to air and water from soil amended with combustion products to simulate beneficial use. Combustion products (ash) derived from wood, sewage sludge, subbituminous coal, and a subbituminous coal-petroleum coke mixture were added to soil as agricultural supplements, soil stabilizers, and to develop low permeability surfaces. Hg release was measured from the latter when intact and after it was broken up and mixed into the soil. Air-substrate Hg exchange was measured for all materials six times over 24 hr, providing data that reflected winter, spring, summer, and fall meteorological conditions. Dry deposition of atmospheric Hg and emission of Hg to the atmosphere were both found to be important fluxes. Measured differences in seasonal and diel (24 hr) fluxes demonstrated that to establish an annual estimate of air-substrate flux from these materials data on both of these time steps should be collected. Air-substrate exchange was highly correlated with soil and air temperature, as well as incident light. Hg releases to the atmosphere from coal and wood combustion product-amended soils to simulate an agricultural application were similar to that measured for the unamended soil, whereas releases to the air for the sludge-amended materials were higher. Hg released to soil solutions during the Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure for ashamended materials was higher than that released from soil alone. On the basis of estimates of annual releases of Hg to the air from the materials used, emissions from coal and wood ash-amended soil to simulate an agricultural application could simply be re-emission of Hg deposited by wet processes from the atmosphere; however, releases from sludge-amended materials and those generated to simulate soil stabilization and disturbed low-permeability pads include Hg indigenous to the material. 37 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 21084963
• Journal Information: Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, Vol. 58, Issue 5; ISSN 1047-3289
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
MERCURY
SOILS
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
WOOD
COAL
SUBBITUMINOUS COAL
SEWAGE SLUDGE
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
COKE
MIXTURES
SEASONAL VARIATIONS
METEOROLOGY
DEPOSITION
EMISSION
DAILY VARIATIONS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
LEACHING
ASHES
AGRICULTURE
STABILIZATION
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION
PERMEABILITY
SOIL CONSERVATION