Use of Multimedia Environmental Goals to Evaluate Potentially Hazardous Trace Elements in the Drainage from High-Sulfur Coal Preparation Wastes

摘要

Multimedia Environmental Goals (MEGs) have been used to evaluate hazardous trace elements in the drainage from high-sulfur coal preparation wastes from the Illinois Basin. Potential contaminants have been evaluated using the Minimum Acute Toxicity Effluents (MATEs) criteria established by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Wastes from three Illinois Basin cleaning plants were collected and analyzed for trace element composition and mineral content. Leaching studies on these materials revealed that potentially hazardous trace elements could be released if the element were present in the coal refuse in large amounts initially or if the element existed in a form that was readily leachable. The trace element makeup of the leachates is described and compared to a MATE value for each element with compensation for dilution by surface or ground waters for each element. Using these criteria, the trace elements identified as released from coal preparation wastes in potentially hazardous concentrations are Al, As, Be, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn. The implication is that control technologies to prevent the release of these trace elements or to treat the effluents from coal waste piles are needed. (ERA citation 07:042170)