Short-term leaching behavior of mixtures of swine manure and flue gas desulfurization byproducts

Shane K. Butler, William R. Roy, Zakaria Lasemi

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Coal combustion byproducts (CCBs) from flue gas desulfurization (FGD) units are produced in coal burning power plants where limestone is generally used to remove SO2 from the flue gas. Spreading manure on the surface of no-till fields or pasture land is a common practice for many farmers with application occurring both during the growing season and the non-growing season as dictated by storage capacity, seasonal weather variations and seasonal labor constraints. The potential problems with manure application are its nitrates, bacteria, viruses, as well as the phosphorus (P) that is prone to leaching and run-off, particularly if applied during non-growing seasons. Mixing FGD byproducts with manure could solve some problems (such as phosphate leaching) as well as provide a new market for the FGD waste product. This study suggests that the ratio of FGD byproduct to manure can det. concns. of key elements in terms of soil nutrients. These nutrients would have a direct impact on crop variables such as root growth, crop yield, crop health, or growth rates. The addn. of manure mixed with FGD byproduct to the system would undoubtedly affect crops because of the addn. of nutrients (phosphate, calcium, etc) to the soil. However, the soil itself would be a key variable in understanding the full extent of the impact. Thus, the direct impact of FGD byproduct as an additive cannot be accurately predicted yet because of a lack of lab. and field-scale experimentation with variable soil characteristics. The main objective of this project was to provide preliminary information on the potential use of FGD byproducts for agricultural purposes with the ultimate goal of detg. methods to further test the products in an effort of promoting CCBs as marketable resources in the future. Previous studies pointed to the possible benefits of combined CCBs-manure, but have not fully analyzed the potential drawbacks related to the possible mobilization of these elements in groundwater as contaminants. on SciFinder(R)]
Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationInternational Technical Conference on Clean Coal and Fuel Systems
PublisherCoal Technology Association
Pages1330--1341
Volume35
StatePublished - 2010

Keywords

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