GH005
Coal and Coal Combustion Residuals Impacts on the Environment and Human Health: A worldwide problem of increasing concern

Session ID#: 77583

Session Description:
Coal is the major energy source for electricity and industrial sectors, providing cheap and reliable energy worldwide.  Yet coal mining, combustion, and waste disposal have impacted the environment and human health in many ways that have not been fully evaluated. Coal deposits have been linked to kidney issues for populations consuming associated groundwater; coal mining has long had environmental repercussions from acid mine drainage and selenium contamination. In addition to carbon dioxide emissions as the major driver for climate change, coal combustion emits volatile contaminants and nano-size fly ash particles containing elevated concentrations of toxic and radioactive elements. The storage of coal combustion residuals in ponds and landfills has resulted in contamination of nearby waterways and underlying groundwater, in addition to several devastating coal ash spills. This session aims to present new and interdisciplinary research on the environmental and human health implications of coal mining, combustion, and waste storage.
Co-Organized:
  • H - Hydrology
  • SI - Societal Impacts and Policy Sciences
Index Terms:

0210 Coal geology [GEOHEALTH]
0495 Water/energy interactions [BIOGEOSCIENCES]
1803 Anthropogenic effects [HYDROLOGY]
1834 Human impacts [HYDROLOGY]

Primary Convener:  Avner Vengosh, Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
Convener:  Laura S. Ruhl, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Earth Sciences, Bentonville, AR, United States
Primary Liaison:  Avner Vengosh, Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
 
Hydraulic Conductivity of Bentonite-Polymer Geosynthetic Clay Liners to Coal Combustion Product Leachates (495224)
Sarah Gustitus-Graham1, Jiannan Chen2 and Craig H Benson2, (1)University of Virginia, Engineering and Applied Science, Charlottesville, VA, United States, (2)University of Virginia, School of Engineering, Charlottesville, VA, United States
 
Lead isotopes in coal combustion residuals from the United States: Characterization and environmental application (504494)
Zhen Wang1, Gary S. Dwyer1, Drew Steven Coleman2 and Avner Vengosh1, (1)Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States, (2)Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
 
Tracing unmonitored coal ash spills in the environment (504564)
Avner Vengosh1, Ellen A Cowan2, Rachel Coyte3, Andrew Kondash4, Zhen Wang1, Jessica E. Brandt5 and Gary S. Dwyer1, (1)Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States, (2)Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, United States, (3)Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment, Durham, NC, United States, (4)Duke University, Durham, NC, United States, (5)Duke University, Durham, United States
 
Modeling biogeochemical interactions and effects of phytoremediation for coal piles of abandoned mines (611437)
Hector William Clavijo, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States and Xu Liang, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
 
Contaminants from Coal Combustion Residuals in a Closed Ash Impoundment: an Environmental Case Study (628612)
Laura S. Ruhl, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Earth Sciences, Bentonville, AR, United States, Micheal T. Kee, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Earth Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States, Robert B. Jewell, University of Kentucky, Center for Applied Energy Research, Lexington, KY, United States and Erik D. Pollock, University of Arkansas, Stable Isotope Lab, Fayetteville, AR, United States
 
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s coal-driven air pollution crisis and its role on adverse birth outcomes (630465)
Meredith Franklin1, Temuulen Enebish2 and Khang Chau1, (1)University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States, (2)University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
See more of: GeoHealth
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