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Management of Coal Fly Ash Leachates Generated from Disposal Sites Near Thermal Power Plants

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Water Quality, Assessment and Management in India

Part of the book series: Earth and Environmental Sciences Library ((EESL))

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Abstract

Coal fired thermal power plants generate large volumes of fly ash every year. Although, more than 60% of the fly ash produced in India is utilized in various industries yet the left bulk amount of ash is disposed in landfills. Presence of hazardous leachable heavy metals in fly ash have an adverse impact on the water environment due to their potential leaching into the groundwater and surface water. Moreover, many old disposal facilities are unlined which creates a potential risk for groundwater contamination. In this context, various national standards for monitoring fly ash disposal sites have also been made. Added to this the expense of the thermal power industry can hike if the existing or abandoned disposal sites come under regulation. This chapter aims to highlight the characteristics of fly ash and its leachates which can potentially harm the water environment. Various conditions which can potentially affect the leachate quality arising from the dumpsites have been indicated. The management and treatment measures have also been summed up which can be implied by the industries before coal combustion, and for fly ash disposal so as to prevent the adverse effects on the environment. The bottom line from the chapter suggests that sustainable utilization of technologies like, demineralization of coal, devising a suitable leaching method as per the local environment, treatment of fly ash using additives like lime, incorporation of attenuation barriers underneath fly ash ponds, efficient leachate collection system and further treatment of the leachates can ensure best management practices regarding pollution control from coal fly ash.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are grateful to Dr. Pradeep Kumar Singh, Director, CSIR-CIMFR, Dhanbad, for continuous support and motivation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Natural Resources and Environment Management, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India

    Deblina Maiti, Sundararajan Muniyan & Iqbal Ansari

  2. Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, Mizoram University, Aizawl, Mizoram, India

    Deblina Maiti, Sundararajan Muniyan & Iqbal Ansari

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  1. Deblina Maiti
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  2. Sundararajan Muniyan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rabindranath Tagore University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India

    Shalini Yadav

  2. Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Abdelazim M. Negm

  3. Madhyanchal Professional University, Bhopal, India

    Ram Narayan Yadava

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Maiti, D., Muniyan, S., Ansari, I. (2022). Management of Coal Fly Ash Leachates Generated from Disposal Sites Near Thermal Power Plants. In: Yadav, S., Negm, A.M., Yadava, R.N. (eds) Water Quality, Assessment and Management in India. Earth and Environmental Sciences Library. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95687-5_11

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