ISSN: 0090-3973
Page Count: 8

The Quality of Runoff from Model Coal Piles
Stahl, RG
Postdoctoral fellow, University of Washington, School of Fisheries, WA

Davis, EM
Associate professor, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, Institute of Environmental Health, TX

Abstract

Four different coals were tested under controlled laboratory conditions of simulated rainfall events over a 120-day period to determine some of the changes in the quality of the runoff. Illinois #6, Western Kentucky, Montana Nerco, and Central Texas lignite coal-pile runoffs were analyzed for 13 standard water quality parameters. Ranges of the average values for those runoffs were pH, 2.2 to 7.1; oxidation-reduction potential, −3 to 284 mV; conductivity, 200 to 5833 μmhos/cm; turbidity, 5 to 98, number of transfer units; ammonia, 0.2 to 1.0 mg/L; nitrate 0.3 to 27.0 mg/L, organic nitrogen, 9 to 50 mg/L; sulfate, 65 to 7211 mg/L; total organic carbon, 6 to 70 mg/L; inorganic carbon, 2.6 to 21 mg/L; biochemical oxygen demand <5 to 20 mg/L; chemical oxygen demand, 65 to 744 mg/L; and suspended solids (nonfiltrable residue) 54 to 596 mg/L. This research demonstrated some of the qualities of runoff that may be expected from stockpiles of these four representative coals.

Keywords:
water quality, water pollution, runoff, coal pile runoff

Paper ID: JTE11069J
DOI: 10.1520/JTE11069J
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