Environmental Monitoring Commons^™

Thermal And Mechanical Activation Of Estonian Oil Shale Cfbc And Hydrated Legacy Fly Ash As An Alternative Binder System For Opc Replacement, Peeter Paaver

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

This study investigates high volume of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) substitution with fly ash based calcium sulfoaluminate binder. The utilization of circulating fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) boilers imposes limitations on the recycling of fly ash due to its lower combustion temperature inhibiting the formation of reactive calcium silicate minerals resulting in diminished pozzolanic properties of the ash paste. Our previous research (Paaver et al., 2020, 2022) has demonstrated that the mechanical activation of sulfur and calcium-rich Estonian oil shale CFBC fly ash produces calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) type active binder allowing high-volume OPC replacement of up to 50%, with a reduction …

Benefits Of Containerized Water Treatment Systems For Coal-Fired Power Plants, Andrew Vincent

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Containerized systems deliver many of the same functional benefits as housing treatment equipment in permanent buildings, while significantly reducing engineering, construction, and installation costs. By containerizing a water treatment system, a substantial portion of fabrication, assembly, and testing can be completed in a controlled shop environment rather than in the field. This approach greatly reduces on-site labor requirements, mobilization duration, and overall installation complexity. Once delivered to site, containerized systems can be used as permanent installations. Alternatively, they offer the flexibility to be relocated within a plant or transferred between different sites as operational needs change. Multiple containerized systems can …

Rare Earth Element Distribution And Mineral Host In Coal Derived Ash From South African Power Stations, Sanki Biswas, Nicola Wagner, Oftense Moroeng

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The global shift toward low-carbon energy systems, electric mobility, and digital technologies has sharply increased the demand for critical minerals, including rare earth elements (REY) vital for permanent magnets, batteries, wind turbines, photovoltaic cells, semiconductors, and modern defence applications. Coal by-products—particularly coal fly ash (CFA) and coal bottom ash (CBA)—are emerging as promising secondary sources of REY, but their economic viability depends on effective enrichment and extraction methods. South Africa’s coal-fired power plants generate nearly thirty million tonnes of coal-ash each year. This study investigates REY concentrations in CFA and CBA collected from five major power stations (PS-1 to PS-5) …

Lessons Learned From Managing Ash Pond Closure Waters, Danny Stephens, Tom Geeza, Phil Benson, Ashwin Ranna

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The water management issues created by ash pond closure are complex and can create technology selection and operational management challenges. Ash dewatering activities produce highly variable effluents, depending on ash composition, aging, and dewatering and stormwater management techniques. Effluent limitations can also be highly variable, depending upon the size of the receiving body and the anticipated composition of the effluent stream. The user often faces competing risks: installing an unnecessarily complex and expensive treatment plant, being limited on closure activities by limitations in water treatment capabilities, or both. This paper presents several lessons learned from assessing ash closure water management …

Epri Ccp Beneficiation Research Update, Benjamin Gallagher, Patrick Webb

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Coal combustion products (CCPs) are frequently utilized as supplementary materials in cement and concrete manufacturing. With an estimated 2 billion metric tons stored in repositories across the United States, interest in beneficial use has expanded beyond class F fly ash to include ponded and high-LOI ash. Beneficiation provides a critical pathway for managing CCP repositories, particularly under closure-by-removal strategies, and where ash sources have historically been difficult to process. Research conducted at EPRI’s Ash Beneficial Use Center (ABUC) examines the feasibility of processing these ash types into usable products and offers insights into repository variability and classification. Furthermore, the study …

Risk Evaluation Of Small Coal Combustion Residual Management Unit (Ccrmu) Fills, Andrew Bittner, John Kondziolka, Qian Zhang, Masoud Arshadi

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

US EPA expanded the scope of CCR regulations in 2024 to areas of historical CCR placement not regulated under the 2015 CCR rule, including CCR used as fill. US EPA presented new risk analyses specific to CCRMU fills and defined different regulations for CCRMU fills from 1 to 1,000 tons, noting uncertainty as to whether there was a size of CCRMU fill below which acceptable risks could be expected. This research fills US EPA's stated data gap by modeling and analyzing impacts from small CCRMU fills. Modeling was conducted using the same methods, models, and most of the same inputs …

Consolidation Modeling To Support Closure Planning Of An Upstream Raise Ccr Surface Impoundment Containing Fgd Material, Tanya Walkenbach, Craig Schuettpelz, Todd Stong, Shane Stockdill

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Rainbow Energy Center’s (REC’s) Coal Creek Station has managed calcium sulfite flue gas desulfurization (FGD) material in composite-lined upstream raise surface impoundments since 2001. The upstream raise surface impoundment utilizes bottom ash (drainage zone) and fly ash (structural zone) produced at Coal Creek Station to contain the FGD placement. FGD material was hydraulically sluiced to the center of the 110-acre Upstream Raise 92 (UR92) coal combustion residual (CCR) unit between 2001 and 2021. The FGD was deposited to a maximum thickness of approximately 100 feet in the center of the unit. Significant consolidation of FGD material occurred with subsequent FGD …

Investigating The Performance Of Processed Stockpile Fly Ash For Low Carbon Concrete, Michael Mccarthy, Arfas Habeeb, Laszlo Csetenyi, Roderick Jones

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Reducing embodied carbon in concrete has increasingly focused on clinker substitution through the use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). However, the local availability of fly ash, a widely used SCM in the UK, offering benefits in this role, has reduced over the past decade, as coal-fired electricity generating plants have gradually been taken out of service. Attention has, therefore, increasingly focused on fly ash from stockpile and landfill sites to maintain supply, i.e., material not used following production and put into storage. Most UK fly ash originated from the burning of bituminous coal, producing low-lime siliceous material, which although undergoing …

Solar Solution For Closed Ccr Units And Adjacent Land, Chris Fairey

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Solar Solution for Closed CCR Units and Adjacent Land Chris Fairey1, Kenny Hughes1 1Watershed Geo, 1125 Sanctuary Pkwy, Suite 180, Alpharetta, GA 30009 KEYWORDS: Solar, Racking, Brownfield, Greenfield, Slopes, PowerCap® ABSTRACT With the reduction in coal fired power generation, there is a consistent trend in the industry to supplement generation with solar power. The property located within and surrounding these decommissioned power plants offers a significant opportunity to create a renewable solar power asset. The PowerCap® Nail to Rail System, developed by Watershed Geo, is an advanced solar racking solution designed for sites that do not require environmental closure such …

Investigation Of A Historical Coal Combustion Residuals Management Unit (Ccrmu), Todd Stong, Shane Stockdill, Erin Hunter

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Rainbow Energy Center’s (REC’s) Coal Creek Station has managed coal combustion residuals (CCR) in various engineered impoundments and landfills since plant operation began in 1978. Since then, waste containment methods have evolved resulting in significant changes to their CCR management practice. In the late 1980s and early 1990s REC closed several existing CCR units with natural soil liners and constructed several new CCR units with composite liner systems. One of the closed units was an area now referred to as North Section 16, an impoundment that received CCR including bottom ash, fly ash, and flue gas desulfurization material. North Section …

Transportation Logistics Panel, John Ward, Andrew Vollmer, Tracy Zea, Marci Jenks

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

As the industry shifts from freshly generated ash to harvested materials and advanced utilization, logistics is becoming one of the primary drivers of project success or failure. This moderated panel will explore how sourcing, transportation, and storage realities are changing — and what project teams most often underestimate when working with harvested coal ash. Panelists will discuss what breaks, what becomes more complex, and how logistics considerations are reshaping planning and development.

Abundances Of Elements In Global Coals, Shifeng Dai

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The abundance of elements in coal is important not only because it provides a solid scientific and practical foundation for various geochemical comparisons, but also because it helps address broader questions in Earth Sciences. In this study, data on major and trace elements in global coals comprising hundreds of thousands of coal samples were compiled from peer-reviewed journal articles, books, various databases, dissertations, and technical reports. These data formed the basis for estimating element abundances in global coals presented in this study. All collected data were rigorously screened for reliability, and any records with questionable quality were excluded from the …

Optimization Of Remedial Strategies For Ccr Site Corrective Action Through Advanced Geochemical Modeling, Cole Mayer, Pj Nolan

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The power industry is actively designing and implementing corrective measures for Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR). In many cases, these measures include active remedies such as pump and treat, in-situ injection, or reactive barriers, all of which demand a thorough understanding of the underlying geochemical system. Depending on the geochemical characteristics of an aquifer, different chemical reagents can achieve varying degrees of success or even be detrimental to the remediation of the site. Advanced geochemical modeling is an invaluable tool for developing a remedy that is optimized to the site-specific geological, hydrological, and geochemical environment. In the case study presented here, …

Application Of Stable Isotopes In An Alternative Source Demonstration, Alison O'Connor

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Stable isotope analysis is commonly used in age dating, provenance studies and to differentiate between sources of groundwater. Multiple studies have shown that strontium and boron isotopic ratios can be successfully used in identifying CCR impacts to groundwater. This talk presents an applied case study using boron and strontium isotopes in conjunction with additional geochemical approaches in an alternative source demonstration. Boron and strontium isotopes were measured in both groundwater and CCR leachate over sampling events from 2019 to 2025. The data revealed that strontium and boron isotopic signatures in groundwater near the CCR unit differed significantly from both site-specific …

Alternative Cover Permitting And The Ccr Rule, Evan Andrews, Victor Damasceno

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Federal rules (40 CFR Parts 9, 257 and 261) that regulate coal combustion residuals (CCR) created a significant demand associated with closure of coal ash management and storage facilities using liner systems. Timelines associated with these facility closures combined with substantial project scale and potential for future mining /reuse has driven the need for closure systems that perform beyond the prescriptive soil / geomembrane caps outlined in the federal regulations. As outlined in section 257.102 (d)(3)(i) of the CCR Rule, the standard cover system must include an infiltration layer of at least 18 inches of earthen material and an erosion …

Ccr Landfill Closure Challenges, Solutions And Innovation, Jay Mokotoff, Drew Browning, Steve Applegate

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

CCR landfills can present unique design and construction challenges for the industry when closing these units at the end of their life. In comparison to CCR surface impoundments, CCR landfills typically have greater flexibility under the CCR Rule for operations and beneficial use purposes and may not have defined closure dates which results in some of these closures extending further into the future. However, as coal burning plants continue to shudder, the closure of these landfills is rapidly approaching. This presentation will focus on the challenging site conditions, site specific considerations and potential solutions when designing and constructing the landfill …

Distinguishing Ccp From Nuclear Impacts In Groundwater, Lea Millet

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

As the energy transition from fossil fuels to other generation technologies continues, many companies worldwide are evaluating the feasibility of constructing nuclear power plants at sites previously used for coal-powered generation. Thermal power plant sites offer advantages for siting nuclear generation such as proximity to cooling water and grid connections; however existing impacts to groundwater from coal combustion product (CCP) management units may confound monitoring programs designed to detect impacts from nuclear operations. For example, boron and lithium may be present in waters associated with CCP management and nuclear power plant operations, and potassium that often has concentrations above background …

Engineering Granulometry To Optimize Performance Of Reclaimed Ash, Russell Hill

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

As utility production of fresh fly ash declines, the concrete industry is turning to reclaimed and beneficiated materials to maintain reliable SCM supply. This transition creates an opportunity not only to secure volumes but to engineer improved performance. The ReCinis™ beneficiation process enables this by providing controls that tune particle-size distribution (PSD), sphericity, packing behavior, surface area, and surface activation. Processing trials show that blends combining fine ground fractions with spherical, broad-graded hydrocyclone overflow (OF) materials can balance high reactivity with favorable rheology. Mechanochemical activation during grinding appears to increase reactivity beyond what surface-area metrics alone predict, likely through removal …

Sustainability And Waste Diversion At Tva Shawnee "Project Phoenix", Bryan Jacob, Shane Harris

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

An engineered turf closure system can serve as an ideal foundation for a solar energy system to be installed atop coal combustion residual (CCR) impoundments. This approach not only enables productive power generation during the post-closure period, it also preserves opportunities for recovery and beneficial use of CCR material in the future. “Project Phoenix” at TVA’s Shawnee Fossil Plant offers an illustrative example. This paper will cover the sustainability benefits of the companion ClosureTurf® and PowerCap® systems installed at that site as well as waste diversion activities undertaken during construction to recycle as much as practical and minimize waste destined …

Expert Perspectives On The U.S. Coal Combustion Products Market – Now, Then, And The Future, Mark Rokoff, David Cox, Walter Lemaire, John Ward

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

This panel discussion will explore the continued evolution of the U.S. coal combustion products market, with a focus on the impacts of dynamic regulatory and market forces. Invited expert panelists will share perspectives on developments over the past several years (building on discussions from WOCA 2022 and WOCA 2024), current conditions, and expected future trends—particularly those likely to shape the market between 2026 and 2030. The discussion will address the interrelated markets for engineering, construction, and beneficiation of ash from both operating and inactive plants. Panelists will offer perspectives relevant to the full coal ash industry, from owner/operator organizations to …

Demystifying Large Language Models: How Ai Is Transforming Data, Compliance, And Decision-Making In Coal Ash And Environmental Management, Scott Pfeiffer

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The environmental and coal combustion residuals (CCR) industries generate vast amounts of information—from groundwater monitoring reports and RCRA documentation to closure plans and analytical data. Managing, interpreting, and communicating this information is a growing challenge for utilities, regulators, and consultants alike. Large Language Models (LLMs), such as OpenAI’s GPT architecture, represent a breakthrough in how organizations can interact with their technical data. These models use deep neural networks trained on billions of words to understand, summarize, and generate language with human-like accuracy. When securely adapted for enterprise use, LLMs can automate routine reporting, extract data from technical documents, generate regulatory …

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 …

2026 Workshop On Bridging The Gaps: Tackling Microplastics And Nanoplastics Challenges In Coastal Ecosystems, Shenghua Wu, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Melike Dizbay-Onat, Alexandra Stenson, Jinhui Wang, Tina Miller-Way, Ebenezer Nyadjro, Bhuvnesh Bharti, John Weinstein, Yi Bao, Shihui Shen, Valerie Longa, Shenghua Zha, John Cleary, Marty Lind

Workshops

This report presents the findings from the 2026 Workshop on Tackling Microplastics and Nanoplastics (MNPs) in Coastal Ecosystems, which took place in Mobile, Alabama. More than 140 experts from universities, government, industry, and community organizations gathered to address the increasing issue of MNPs in coastal regions.

Developing A Multi-Band Gnss Remote Sensing Station To Measure Precipitable Water Vapor For Flash Flood Nowcasting, Madison Gleydura

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Flash flood nowcasting in Central and Southern Appalachia is particularly challenging due to steep terrain, narrow valleys, highly localized rainfall patterns, and limited measurement coverage. Traditional remote sensing methods, such as Doppler radar and microwave radiometry, suffer from reduced resolution at long range and signal blockage by mountains. GNSS-meteorology offers an established alternative for measuring precipitable water vapor and is currently integrated into several numerical weather models. Recent research demonstrates that commercial-grade GNSS receivers can produce tropospheric products comparable to those from geodetic-grade equipment. The gaps in mountain coverage can be addressed by developing a low-cost, self-contained embedded system that …

Contrasting Coastal Dune Environments In Chile, Aurora Christianson

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

Emerging coastalization and urbanization threats to the prehistoric Concón Dunes and Humedal de Mantagua coastal area of Chile is being investigated by researchers via uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). Four UAS were utilized: Anzu Raptor T, DJI Mavic 3E, DJI Mavic 3M, and DJI Air 3 to collect various images of the coastal dunes. Multispectral and RGB cameras gather images by photogrammetry to create orthomosaics and monitor vegetation indexes in Pix4Dmapper. Thermal cameras provided images in rainbow, white hot infrared, and black hot infrared schemes to monitor wildlife and vegetation. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was calculated to visualize overall …

When Words Flow Like Water: How The Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline Environmental Impact Statement Failed To Prevent Hydrogeologic Harm In Minnesota, Carly Gutzmann

Journal of Earth and Life Science

For the aquifers of Minnesota, the environmental impact statement (EIS) was a promise of protection that never left the page. An environmental impact statement is meant to be an aid in the decision making process in order to ensure that projects consider potential environmental harms that may occur. However, they are often used instead as another regulatory box to check, rather than as active considerations when planning. As such, a project plan can be flawed from the start—if project developers only consider environmental impacts after they have already put considerable time, effort, and funding into their project as-is, they may …

Novel Methods For Environmental Fluoride Measurement, Cable Warren

Chemistry & Biochemistry Dissertations

Fluoride analysis has been an important focus of analytical analysis for many years and will continue to be so going forward. Today, fluorinated compounds, specifically per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), better known as “forever chemicals” have captured the moment and are the subject of vast research and regulation. Under this context, I have researched new methods of fluoride separation and concentration in complex media as well as a novel method of PFAS destruction and total organic fluorine analysis for screening of PFAS in aqueous samples. Through research and work on micro-scale detection methods, an understanding of the state of the art and …

A Predictive Model For Multi- Week Respiratory Risk From Red Tide On Florida’S Gulf Coast., Elmer S. Ochaeta

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Florida’s Gulf Coast red tide (Karenia brevis) can put toxins into the air, making people cough, irritating the throat, and worsening asthma or other breathing problems especially when winds blow from the ocean toward the beach. Right now, most public updates don’t really help with the question people actually ask when planning a weekend or vacation: “Will going to or close to the beach be risky in the next few weeks?”.

In this project, I build a weekly early warning system that estimates respiratory risk for specific beaches and predicts that risk 2 to 4 weeks ahead. The study covers …

Rainfall-Runoff Modelling In An Indonesian Humid Tropical Area Using Satellite-Based Precipitation Products, Noordiah Helda

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation explores three rainfall-runoff models in the humid tropical regions of Indonesia using satellite-based precipitation products (SBPPs) and develops integrated machine-learning modeling frameworks. Several ground-based observations from BMKG (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (also known as the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics)) stations across Indonesia (133−165 stations) are compared and evaluated against satellite products, indicating that GPM performs well, with R-squared values ranging from 0.54 to 0.76 and correlation coefficients ranging from 0.45 to 0.69, respectively.

In the Martapura Watershed, South Kalimantan, due to a lack of observational discharge data, streamflow was generated using the FJ Mock …

Residential Hvac Installation Faults: Field Prevalence, Drivers, And Energy Impacts, Seyed Ali Rooholghodos

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Faults in residential comfort systems can have detrimental effects on the performance of the system, reducing the energy efficiency, affecting indoor comfort, and shortening equipment lifespan. Many of the faults occur at installation. However, there has not previously been a systematic and nationally representative study to indicate the prevalence of the faults, meaning the distribution of faults by fault type and fault intensity. Understanding true fault prevalence is essential to be able to identify derivers, and to assess the incremental electricity consumption of the new installation systems.

This study presents on-site data from 341 new central cooling systems—air conditioners and …