Coal waste management practices in the USA:an overview

This paper provides an overview of coal waste management practices with two case studies and an estimate of management cost in 2010 US dollars.Processing of as-mined coal typically results in considerable amount of coarse and fine coal processing wastes because of in-seam and out-of-seam dilution mining.Processing plant clean coal recovery values run typically 50%-80%.Trace metals and sulfur may be present in waste materials that may result in leachate water with corrosive characteristics.Water discharges may require special measures such as liner and collection systems,and treatment to neutralize acid drainage and/or water quality for trace elements.The potential for variations in coal waste production and quality depends upon mining or processing,plus the long-term methods of waste placement.The changes in waste generation rates and engineering properties of the coal waste during the life of the facility must be considered.Safe,economical and environmentally acceptable management of coal waste involves consideration of geology,soil and rock mechanics,hydrology,hydraulics,geochemistry,soil science,agronomy and environmental sciences.These support all aspects of the regulatory environment including the design and construction of earth and rock embankments and dams,as well as a wide variety of waste disposal structures.Development of impoundments is critical and require considerations of typical water-impounding dams and additional requirements of coal waste disposal impoundments.The primary purpose of a coal waste disposal facility is to dispose of unusable waste materials from mining.However,at some sites coal waste impoundments serve to provide water storage capacity for processing and flood attenuation.

Froth flotation of refuse coal fines and process optimization using 2D surface plots

Refuse coal fines of size <500 μm was collected from a metallurgical coal preparation plant located in the eastern coalfield region of India. The coal was beneficiated using froth flotation technique to recover clean coal with ash content of about 20% with the highest possible yield. Diesel oil as collector and pine oil as frother were used. Box-Behnken statistical design was followed for analyzing the performance at varying pulp density, collector and frother dosage. Results were discussed using 2D surface plots. Response function predictions determined by the regression analysis show coefficient of correlation(R^2) for yield and the ash content as 0.72 and 0.86, respectively. The highest yield of 45.79% is obtained at pulp density 10%, collector dose 2 kg/t and frother dose 1.5 kg/t. The lowest ash content of 18.9% is obtained at pulp density 10%, collector dose 1 kg/t and frother dose 1 kg/t.

COMPARATIVE RESEARCH ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FLYASH FROM COAL REFUSE-FIRED AND COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS

The physical,chemical and mineral facies properties of the flyash from Xiezhuang Coal Refuse Fired Power Plant have been studied by means of naked eyes,microscope,chemical composition analysis and XRD analysis,and compared with that of the flyash from Taian Coal Fired Power Plant.The result shows that the flyash from coal refuse fired power plant is of better quality in making construction items,for being brighter in color,fine and high activity.Some ways of comprehensive utilization of the ash have been suggested in this paper.

Optimizing calcination of coal by-products for maximizing REE leaching recovery and minimizing Al,Ca,and Fe contamination

High-temperature calcination is effective in improving the leaching characteristics of rare earth elements(REEs)from conventional REE-bearing minerals by transforming them into more leachable forms.However,the recovery of contaminants such as Al,Fe,and Ca also increases significantly.The objective of the study was to maximize the REE extraction while minimizing the concentration of contaminant ions(Al,Ca,and Fe)in the leach solution.Representative density fractions of the coarse refuse from the Baker and Fire Clay seam coal refuse were pulverized to a top size of 180μm and used as a feedstock for the study.All the samples generated from thermal treatment were leached at 1%(w/v)using 1.2 mol/L sulfuric acid at 75℃ for 2 h.Test results from a parametric program based on a Box-Behnken design were used for modeling and optimization of three operating parameters associated with the lab-scale calcination process.The parameters included temperature(400-800℃),ramp rate(2-10℃/min)and holding time(0-120 min).It was determined that the calcination temperature was the most significant parameter influencing REE recovery.The majority of the heavy rare earth elements(HREEs)were found to be present in an insoluble form in the calcination products and were marginally affected by thermal treatment.A strong correlation between light rare earth elements recovery(LREEs)and Al suggested a possible association with clays.The optimum operating conditions for high REE recovery with comparatively lower contaminant concentration for 1.6 specific gravity float and 2.2 sink fractions of Baker and Fire Clay seam material were determined to be at 776,800℃ and 407,800℃,calcining temperatures,respectively.A higher optimum temperature of 1.6 float fraction of Baker seam relative to Fire Clay seam material was due to elevated pyrite concentration in Baker seam material.Thermal treatment at 400℃ converted pyrite into a soluble intermedium iron oxide,resulting in a high Fe content in the leachate.Calcining at 776℃ converted most of the soluble iron oxide into insolubleα-hematite,considerably reducing the Fe concentration in the solution.

Leaching recovery of rare earth elements from the calcination product of a coal coarse refuse using organic acids

Due to the increasing criticality of rare earth elements(REEs),it has become essential to recover REEs from alternative resources.In this study,systematic REEs leaching tests were performed on the calcination product of a coal coarse refuse using hydrochloric acid and different types of organic acid as lixiviants.Experimental results show that the recovery of REEs,especially heavy REEs(HREEs)and scandium(Sc),is improved by using selected organic acids.Citric acid and DL-malic acid afford the best leaching performances;whereas,malonic acid,oxalic acid,and DL-tartaric acid are inferior to hydrochloric acid.Results of zeta potential measurements and solution chemical equilibrium calculations show that malonic acid is more likely adsorbed on the surface of the calcined material compared with citric acid and DL-malic acid.The adsorption may reduce the effective concentration of malonic species in solution and/or increase the amount of REEs adsorbed on the surface,thereby impairing the leaching recovery.Compared with light REEs(LREEs),a stronger adsorption of the HREEs on the surface is observed from electro-kinetic test results.This finding explains why organic acids impose a more positive impact on the leaching recovery of HREEs,By complexing with the HREEs,organic acids can keep the metal ions in solution and improve the leaching recovery.The adsorption of Sc^(3+)on the surface is the lowest compared with other REEs.Therefore,rather than complexing,the organic anionic species likely play a function of solubilizing Sc from the solid,which is similar to that of hydrogen ions.