Technical Aspects of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Upon Coal Combustion and Conversion Systems

摘要

An analysis of the technical impacts of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) upon coal combustion and coal conversion processes was conducted. An extensive literature review was conducted in order to evaluate the hazardous potential of the various solids; literature based leachate data were compared to inorganic drinking water standards. All processes studied, even under leaching conditions defined by this study, have a hazardous potential. Two conventional steam generation facilities, which have electrostatic precipitators, but do not have sulfur removal, were used as case studies. In each case, RCRA should induce minimal technical and cost impact; the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the Federal Clean Air Act may have potentially more future impact on these two plants than does RCRA; it is not certain that this conclusion holds for all conventional steam plants or that it holds for other processes. (ERA citation 04:029013)