Digital Commons Network^™

Anthropogenic Lithologic Characterization Through Use Of Advanced Visual Tools As A Means Of Identifying Coal Ash, Stephen Papageorge, Lucas Mangold

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Identification and differentiation of particular Anthropocene strata such as coal ash and historic fill intermixed with native unconsolidated overburden presents significant challenges. To make specific determinations about origin and composition, a variety of tools are available such as our well-defined lithologic characterization processes. However, additional tools are required, as important and defining characteristic evidence isn’t available or obvious to our senses in the field. One challenge is the absence of surficial evidence of ash areas. Secondly, we are faced with limited access, as the responsible party no longer owns the site, there is new construction in the area of historic …

Ensuring Quality Geosynthetics Installations Throughout The Project Lifecycle, Glen Toepfer

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Geosynthetics serve numerous functions in containment systems used within the Coal Ash Industry and ultimately protect the site owner from liability. A failure in the geosynthetics containment system exposes the owner to liability; therefore, it is imperative that these geosynthetic containment systems be installed correctly to mitigate the risk of failure. Avoiding failure is not just the responsibility of the geosynthetics installer – it is the responsibility of every party involved in the project lifecycle from conception through post-closure. In fact, the success of the field installation is largely determined before the first panel of geomembrane is ever installed. The …

Germanium And Gallium: Evaluating Their Potential In Coal Ash, Ari Campanaro

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Germanium (Ge) and gallium (Ga) have been classified as critical minerals by the Department of the Interior due to their unique properties and security risk to the supply chain. Recent restrictions on Ge and Ga imports have exacerbated the need for domestic Ge and Ga from resources such as coal ash, the largest source of industrial waste in the U.S. Understanding the abundance and modes of occurrence of Ge/Ga in a specific fly ash source is essential to evaluate its feasibility as a Ge/Ga resource. Microbeam Technologies, Inc (MTI) is evaluating fly ash resources from coal combustion and gasification systems …

Novel Use Of Ped-Xrf For Identification Of Ccr In Fill Units And Comingled Media, Charla Barnes, Harris Byers, Eric Hageman

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The EPA CCR Legacy Rule requires utilities to identify any areas of land on which noncontainerized accumulation of CCR is received, is placed, or is otherwise managed. While performing preliminary delineation efforts for implementation of the Legacy Rule, it has become apparent that not all encountered materials are easily identified through visual means. Depending on unit location, previous uses of the land underlying the potential CCR Management Units, and the type of native soils present, there may be uncertainty if an encountered material is CCR, native soil, or another non-CCR material. In cases where the color/texture of CCR fill is …

Tuning Boilers To Reduce Carbon In Fly Ash - Making Salable Ash, Rod Hatt

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

This paper will describe various coal quality and combustion improvement facts and methods. Impact of fuel parameters like calorific value, ash, HGI, and volatile will be briefly covered. The main focus of this paper is on pulverizer performance and balancing combustion to lower carbon in fly ash. Pulverizers operating with larger than design coal particles tend to create an unbalanced pipe to pipe coal flow. This results in zones of low excess O2, even if average O2 settings are maintained. Impact on coal size and pipe balance of classifier settings and primary air flow will be covered. The importance of …

Evaluation Of Bottom Ash For Beneficial Use, Danielle Sylvia Cofelice, Thomas Haskins

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Historically, bottom ash has been beneficially used as a drainage layer within the final cover system for a coal combustion residual (CCR) landfill, positioned above the linear low-density polyethylene liner and below the protective soil cover and topsoil layers. This sustainable approach not only diverts bottom ash from waste management streams but also conserves natural resources by replacing the need for virgin materials, resulting in significant cost savings for ratepayers. To support the continued use of bottom ash in this application, an environmental assessment was completed. The assessment included sampling of bottom ash, an alternative drainage layer composed of virgin …

Fifteen Years, 450 Acres: Inside The Tva Gallatin Ash Pond Closure, Brian Egan, Shane Harris

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

This presentation is focused on the TVA Gallatin Ash Pond Complex Closure. The project team embarked on a major coal ash pond remediation effort in 2023, targeting a 450-acre site with operations expected to continue over a 15-year period. The long-term and massive scope of this dig and haul project required the design and construction of extensive supporting infrastructure, including haul roads suitable for large earthmoving equipment, major pipelines for process water rerouting, and a robust water treatment facility. Key components of the work include maintaining slope stability, conducting comprehensive air quality monitoring, and ensuring high standards for coal ash …

Liquefaction Susceptibility And Brittleness Of Coal Ash - A State Parameter Approach, Suafa'i Manson, Benoit Wentzinger, Scott Lines

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Limited data exists on the liquefaction susceptibility of combined fly ash and bottom ash deposits. Their low plasticity and settling density pose a risk of liquefaction under certain triggers. The liquefaction potential is linked to the in-situ state, defining its shearing behaviour as dilative or contractive based on relative density and effective confining stress. This can be assessed using the state parameter (Ψ) concept from critical state soil mechanics theory. This paper presents findings from a follow-up to our 2021 study, which used cone penetration test (CPT) based methods to estimate the in-situ state parameter and perform liquefaction susceptibility screening. …

Carbon-Negative Supplementary Cementitious Materials Produced From High-Calcium Coal Ashes, Hongyan Ma

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

High-calcium coal ashes, traditionally considered challenging for use in blended cements, offer unique opportunities for the development of carbon-negative supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). This study explores innovative processing and carbonation strategies to transform high-calcium ashes into reactive binders that not only reduce clinker demand but also permanently sequester CO2. Through multiple optimized and enhanced carbon mineralization pathways, the treated ashes exhibit enhanced pozzolanic performance, durability, and compatibility with Portland cement systems. Life-cycle analysis confirms that the dual benefits of CO2 capture and clinker displacement yield a net carbon-negative profile, advancing both decarbonization of cement production and sustainable coal ash management.

Evaluating And Managing Ccr Variability At An Active Beneficial Use Clean Closure Site, John Garten, Bob Baker, Lee Lenhart

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The basin is a 132-acre (534,200 square meter) coal combustion residual (CCR) disposal impoundment that has been undergoing closure-by-removal since 2021, with CCRs harvested for use in concrete manufacturing. Excavated CCRs are processed on-site through initial drying and screening before being routed through a thermal beneficiation process. Despite an extensive pre-closure CCR characterization program, pockets of material encountered in 2025 caused significant off-specification issues for the beneficiation feedstock that required immediate corrective action. To address this, a supplemental surveying, sampling, and on-site testing program was implemented to obtain additional grainsize and Loss on Ignition (LOI) data for active and upcoming …

Identifying And Controlling Landfill Construction Impacts To Stormwater Flow Paths, Kory Anstead

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

This presentation will examine the engineering challenges and lessons learned associated with construction impacts and altered stormwater flow paths in the vicinity of a Sediment Pond adjacent to a newly constructed landfill. During construction activities, the sediment basin liner experienced multiple instances of flotation. Early corrective measures were implemented as quick fixes; however, these proved ineffective and ultimately necessitated more comprehensive solutions once the underlying causes were better understood. The presentation will begin with an analysis of the initial liner flotation events, focusing on the conditions that led to the problem, the immediate responses, and the eventual engineered solution. It …

Three Use Cases For Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (Insar) For Coal Ash Combustion (Ccr) Pond Closure Projects, Zach Boucias

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a satellite-based radar system that uses electromagnetic pulses and advanced post-processing software to detect ground subsidence across large areas with millimetric precision. This paper has two primary objectives: (1) to outline the advantages and limitations of InSAR and (2) to present three specific use cases for InSAR in connection with coal combustion residual (CCR) pond closures. InSAR offers key advantages over traditional monitoring methods: remote monitoring without field intervention, full-surface coverage, all-weather and day/night operation, and high precision. InSAR also has limitations in connection with rapidly changing surface conditions, and the presence of water …

Harvesting Rare Earths From Coal Ash Using An Ionic Liquid, Laura Stoy

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

This presentation highlights a promising early-stage pathway for transforming coal fly ash from a long-term liability into a source of both critical minerals and construction materials. The speaker describes a recyclable ionic-liquid process that, at bench scale, demonstrates selective recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from a wide range of U.S. fly ashes under mild conditions while preserving the treated solids for potential use as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Attendees gain insight into why this chemistry is attracting attention: it avoids full acid digestion, shows strong preference for REEs over bulk metals, and enables repeated solvent reuse in a closed …

Testing Of Accelerated Pozzolanic Activity Of Fly Ash, Anne Oberlink, Tom Robl, Bob Jewell, Haley Johnson

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The determination of the pozzolanic reaction in fly ash by ASTM strength activity index has been shown to be problematic, frequently producing false positives. The use of Wenner probe resistivity has been demonstrated to be rapid, simple and non-destructive method, producing no false positives. However, using this method and confirming it with other techniques finds that the reaction itself is slow with a dilatancy of 28 days or more before the measurements become discriminatory, a major drawback to this method. This study used high-temperature, high humidity curing of OPC-based mortars with various fly ash sources to determine how pozzolanic activity …

Innovative Analysis Of Groundwater Data For Scalable, Defensible, And Predictive Compliance, Shannon Zahuranec

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Groundwater monitoring networks at coal combustion residual (CCR) facilities now yield dataset volumes that routinely exceed the capacity of traditional, univariate interpretation. This presentation introduces a scalable multivariate and machine learning (ML) framework that prioritizes understanding data structure before predictive models are applied. The workflow applies Principal Component Analysis and other multivariate statistics to groundwater datasets, to illustrate how unsupervised learning can rapidly reveal dominant sources and controls on impacted and unimpacted groundwater quality. The talk frames multivariate analysis as a practical portfolio management tool, emphasizing inference categories rather than concentrations or site identifiers. Fleet-scale multivariate screening offers strategic advantages …

Subsurface Delineation Of Coal Combustion Residuals Using Multiple Geophysical Methods, Eric Hageman, Adam Rak, Thomas Jordan, Kate Mckinley

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Geophysical techniques provide alternative methods of Coal Combustion Residual (CCR) delineation and characterization to supplement more invasive boring programs used for beneficial reuse planning. A demonstration project was designed to characterize the electromagnetic and seismic stratigraphy of CCR material and test the effectiveness of three geophysical techniques: Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI), Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) induction, and Multi-channel Analysis of Surface Wave (MASW). The demonstration project was completed at a dry-stack CCR unit containing a variety of CCR ash, gypsum, and thin layers of drainage aggregate (limestone). During a single-day deployment, several geophysical survey tests were conducted in specific areas of …

Geopolymers For Construction And Mining: Material Characterization And Application Prospects, Radoslaw Pomykala, Gabriela Fuks

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Geopolymers have long been presented as an alternative to conventional concretes and cement-based binders, yet their practical use remains limited for various reasons. This paper examines both the material properties of such mixtures and their potential for broader application.

The study evaluated geopolymers produced from different types of fly ash, including typical siliceous ashes and ash with elevated CaO content. The influence of mixture components, such as solids content, activator type, and sample preparation and curing methods, on technological properties was investigated. Research covered fresh mixtures—rheological behavior and setting time—as well as hardened samples using mechanical testing, XRD, and SEM. …

Riki&Dolphin: Real Time Data Transmission From The Bottom Of A Cave To A Website, Luca Tringali, Giacomo Canciani Dr., Tecla Tripari, Alexander Debenjak, Caterina Bearzotti

International Journal of Speleology

Coming from over 10 years of experience in cave monitoring in northeast Italy, Gruppo Speleologico Talpe del Carso, has designed Riki and Dolphin: customizable, low cost, and easy to assemble tools for getting real time data transmission from the bottom of a cave, even underwater, to a webserver. Their use has been tested to monitor air temperature inside the Abisso Bonetti Cave (Classical Karst, Italy), proving for the first time that a cave in Gorizian Karst can systematically be colder than the outdoor temperature even in winter, recording an internal temperature even lower than 0°C. The Dolphin device can be …

Evaluating The Properties Of Ohio Ponded Fly Ash For Reliable Use In Concrete Mixtures, Ayah Suliman

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Concrete producers are under pressure to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete while maintaining a reliable supply of supplementary cementitious materials. Meanwhile, U.S. coal production in 2023 declined to less than half of its 2008 peak, significantly reducing the availability of fresh ASTM C618 compliant fly ash. At the same time Ohio contains more than 145 million cubic yards of coal combustion residuals stored in ponds, representing a large and underutilized source of potential fly ash for concrete applications. This study evaluates the suitability of harvested Ohio ponded fly ash for use in concrete through practical and specification-driven testing aligned …

Benefits Of Geophysical Imaging For Coal Combustion Residuals Management Unit Delineation, Gabriel Herbert

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Gabriel J. Hebert1, Gregory B. Byer1, Margaret Gentile1 1Arcadis U.S., Inc., 2839 Paces Ferry Road SE, Suite 1000, Atlanta, GA 30339 KEYWORDS: geophysical imaging, delineation, CCRMU ABSTRACT Under the 2024 Legacy CCR Rule detailed in 40 CFR Part 257, Section 75, all electric utility companies with a known legacy coal combustion residuals (CCR) surface impoundment are required to conduct a facility evaluation to identify the location, dimensions, and volumes of CCR placed and remaining on site and to assess structural stability. At a minimum, the presence or absence of CCR management units (CCRMUs) must be documented through a desktop records …

Extracting Rees From Refuse Pile Coal, Howard Mcclintic

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) has a patented high temperature electric arc furnace (EAF) technology that reaches 4000-degree centigrade temperature(s). Such high temperatures are sufficient to extract each of the seventeen rare earth elements (REEs) from coal fly ash to ultimately manufacture diverse magnets. Neodymium iron boron magnets (NdFeB) are the strongest magnets produced, heretofore almost exclusively by the Chinese. For national security reasons, CTC has become part of the domestic supply chain, as an alternate to China. Scaling is the next hurdle, since our demonstration unit is operational. Nationwide, coal is decreasingly used as a fuel for generating electricity. However, …

Basin Ash Harvesting At The Brunner Island Station, Kyle Flynn

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Tribo-electrostatic separation has been used for the commercial beneficiation of coal combustion fly ash to produce a low carbon product for use as a cement replacement in concrete for over twenty-five years. With 24 separators in 18 coal-fired power plants and cement plants across the world, ST Equipment & Technology LLC’s (STET) patented electrostatic separator has been used to produce over 25 million tons of low carbon product that has been recycled for use in concrete or cement production. STET has developed and commercialized a new process for beneficiation of reclaimed fly ash from landfills and ponds that utilizes fly …

Adaptive Design And Execution In Ccr Pond Closure: A Case Study Of Technical And Regulatory Innovation, Jay Mokotoff, Angie Casbon-Scheller

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Closure by removal (CbR) of CCR impoundments presents complex challenges, particularly when unique hydrogeologic conditions exist. This presentation highlights the advance planning and ongoing closure of a Midwestern utility’s East Ash Pond (EAP), a relatively small facility with highly atypical characteristics. To comply with the CCR Rule, sluicing to the EAP ceased while the generating unit remained operational. Fly ash handling was converted to a dry system for beneficial reuse; however, wet sluicing of bottom ash continued. To avoid constructing a new regulated CCR impoundment, an innovative geotextile tube containment area (GTCA) was designed and implemented to capture bottom ash …

Evolution Of Instrumentation Use For Ccr Unit Decision Making, Nick Mcclung, Victoria Bierwirth, Matt Bishop

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Over the past decades, the power industry’s instrumentation needs and requirements have shifted to meet industry standards and regulations. In the early 2010s, piezometers and slope inclinometers were the primary types of instrumentation used to evaluate the stability of a CCR Unit. Some of the piezometers and slope inclinometers installed are still in use today to evaluate long-term stability for operations and closure. Since this time, additional instrument types were selected for installation including observation wells and temporary wells to further understand phreatic conditions within the CCR Unit. As utilities are faced with closures including removal of free liquids, data …

Current Atmosphere Of Artificial Intelligence Liability: Implications And Best Practices For Legal Professionals And Ai Providers, Alyssa Heinze

NSU Undergraduate Law Journal

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into the legal profession has transformed legal research, drafting, and decision-making, while simultaneously introducing novel ethical, regulatory, and liability risks. As attorneys increasingly rely on generative AI systems, concerns surrounding hallucinations, bias, confidentiality breaches, and deceptive outputs have led to heightened scrutiny for both legal professionals and AI developers. This paper examines the current and emerging landscape of artificial intelligence liability in the United States. It gives particular attention to the absence of a comprehensive federal regulatory framework, the constitutional controversy surrounding Executive Order 14179, and its preemption of state AI legislation.

By analyzing …

System And Method For Relational Matching Using Non-Presentational Behavioral Signals With Pre-Exposure Bilateral Model Correction, Joseph Jm Walker

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure establishes prior art for a computer-implemented system and method for privacy-first, values-aligned relational matching and community formation. The system is defined by a fixed operational sequence: private reflection, behavioral observation, simulated interaction modeling, bilateral correction, and conditional identity revelation. Behavioral modeling is performed on non-presentational behavioral signals—user-generated data produced in the absence of a perceived audience—thereby reducing incentive for strategic self-representation and mitigating data distortion common in existing social and dating platforms.

A Behavioral Pattern Recognition Engine (BPRE) generates compatibility distributions grounded in established relational research frameworks. A Simulation and Correction Interface (SCI) presents interpretive models of potential …

Gci Aurora-Grid Ev Structural Battery Pack (G-Sef), Michael Victor Caldwell Mr.

Defensive Publications Series

The Aurora-Grid EV Battery Pack (G-SEF) is a next-generation electric vehicle battery pack architecture that replaces conventional EV pack structures—housing, cooling plates, and busbar assemblies—with a unified gyroid-based structural-energy frame.

The system is designed specifically for electric vehicle applications, where pack-level mass, thermal bottlenecks, and interconnect complexity limit charging speed, range efficiency, and long-term durability.

By embedding mechanical load-bearing, thermal distribution, and electrical routing into a single structural lattice, the design reduces subsystem redundancy while maintaining compatibility with standard lithium-ion EV cells (LFP/NMC).

The result is a structurally integrated EV battery pack intended to improve:

• driving range efficiency (mass reduction) …

  ---

  Go to article

Comparative Analysis Of Antegrade And Retrograde Nailing For Proximal, Shaft, And Distal Femur Fractures, Saahil Noupada

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background:

Antegrade and retrograde intramedullary nailing are widely used for femoral fractures, yet their relative advantages across fracture locations remain debated. This study compares union rates, time to union, malunion, and functional outcomes between approaches, stratified by AO/OTA classification.

Methods:

A systematic review of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus (2015 to 2025) was performed. Studies reporting outcomes of antegrade and/or retrograde nailing for proximal (31), diaphyseal (32), and distal (33) femoral fractures were included. Data on demographics, fracture classification, fixation method, and outcomes were extracted. Risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-I. Pooled estimates were calculated …

Faith, Science, And Choice: Vaccine Attitudes Among Religious University Students, Jamie Jensen

ScholarsArchive Data

These data comprise a Q-methodology study conducted at Brigham Young University among undergraduate students to determine vaccine attitudes in relation to religious and political ideologies. It includes raw sort data, templates for running Q-methodology, and interview transcripts.

Becoming Mandan: The Collaborative Life History Of Robert O’Brien, Douglas D. Meigs

Sociology and Anthropology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

This thesis examines how separation from—and later discovery of—an Indigenous family and culture shapes ethnic identity formation. Grounded in Charles Horton Cooley’s theory of the looking-glass self, it uses collaborative life history methodology to analyze the process of Indigenous identity formation experienced by Robert O’Brien, a Native American orphan who discovered his Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara (MHA) heritage as an adult. Drawing on two decades of reflexive research, unstructured interviews, participant observation, and archival documents, the case study shows how O’Brien’s sense of identity developed in response to shifting and often contradictory social mirrors.