Land application uses for dry flue gas desulfurization by-products: Phase 2. Final report

The Clean Air Act, as amended in 1990, spurred the development of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technologies, several of which produce a dry, solid by-product material consisting of excess sorbent, reaction products containing sulfates and sulfites, and coal fly ash. A three-phase study was initiated in December 1990 to demonstrate high-volume beneficial uses of FGD by-products as alternates to landfilling. Phase 1 characterized the chemical, physical, mineralogical, and engineering properties of FGD by-products from 13 coal-fired boilers, and provided a preliminary evaluation of the economic feasibility of various FGD by-product applications. This report covers Phase 2 of the study, which included (1) laboratory and greenhouse studies to evaluate the use of dry FGD by-products as a soil conditioning amendment for acidic minespoils and agricultural soils, (2) field studies to test several high-volume agronomic and engineering uses, and (3) development and preliminary application of a basic methodological framework for estimation of the economic costs and benefits to society of various beneficial reuse options.