Coal ash – namely how to dispose of it – has been a major issue facing power companies and their regulators in recent years. Coal ash ponds were once the primary means of disposal, but they have fallen out of favor because of the risk of spilling out into groundwater – in fact their closure and monitoring have been written into recent legislation. Georgia Power, the state’s largest utility, continues to close its ash ponds around the state, but the question remains – what to do with all that ash?
A new collaboration between Georgia Power and the Electric Power Research Institute has resulted in the creation of the Ash Beneficial Use Center (ABUC), which will seek to test and develop ways to recycle and make new products from coal ash. Located at Georgia Power’s Plant Bowen in Bartow County, ABUC will test pilot project technologies to find more ways to recycle and reuse coal ash for commercial use, particularly in the construction industry. Plant Bowen is one of the nation’s largest capacity coal-fired plants.
Georgia Power says it currently recycles over 85% of the ash and gypsum it produces from operations.
For years coal ash has been used as infill for abandoned mines, or a top layer for unpaved roads or running tracks. A more recent use is to “encapsulate” the ash for use in concrete, bricks, or even bowling balls, ensuring that the ash and its often toxic contaminants are locked away. ABUC hopes to further develop that latter route, finding new ways to productively remove and use coal ash. The Center’s mission is to increase the potential value of ash and other CCPs stored in landfills or ash ponds, providing research and large-scale testing to find new opportunities for ash use. At Plant Mitchell, near Albany, efforts are underway to remove approximately two million tons of ash from ponds to be used in cement manufacturing. That project marks the first time that stored ash in Georgia has been removed and reused as part of an ash pond closure project. If ABUC officials have their way, it won’t be the last.
“As a part of our ash pond closure efforts, Georgia Power is always looking for opportunities to use coal ash that are not only beneficial to our customers, but for our communities and environment,” says Dr. Mark Berry, vice president of environmental and natural resources for Georgia Power. “The Ash Beneficial Use Center is paving the way for the latest coal ash technologies. We hope to see closed ash ponds and landfills become resources as new and improved uses are developed and proven through this center.”
