Coal Ash Treatment

By-Product Treatment via Calcium Polysulfide

United States Patent #8,741,058 B1
JJG Environmental Solutions, llc
Steamboat Springs, Colorado

World of Coal Ash International Conference

Nashville, Tennessee

By-Product Treatment Via Calcium

Polysulfide is a

TODAYS
GOALS

Patented Process Providing Solutions for

1. Ground Water Remediation
2. Elimination of Toxic Leachates
3. Precipitation of Heavy Metals
4. Preparation of Beneficial Material
5. New Corporate Profit Streams
6. Reduction of Litigation Risk

COST RECOVERY
PROFIT GROWTH
PUBLIC SAFETY
CEMENT CHEMISTRY
BENEFICIAL USE OF

COAL ASH
SUPER FUND

REMEDIATION

Coal Ash Storage &

Super Fund
Remediation

Super Fund
Remediation
The Berkeley
Pit, Butte, MT.
1,780 deep
Super Fund sites are created by Toxic
Waste Material left over from

Mining

Smelting

Weapons Manufacturing

Petroleum Production

Electroplating

Industrial Production

Dry Cleaning Facilities

Etc

Coal Ash
Storage
Locations

Over 1,500 Coal Ash Storage sites

currently exist in the United
States.

Residual Coal Ash has been placed

in Land Fills, Impoundment Ponds
and other locations for more than
80 years.

Ground Water Pollution caused by

leaching of toxic materials has
become an environmental threat.

Ground Water is now a considered

a criminal action under current
Federal Environmental
Legislation.

Hydrology

Basic
Concepts of
Hydrology

Water continuously flows

underground.

Natural sources such as Lakes,

Rivers, Streams and Rainfall
provide a constant water source.

Man-made facilities such as Land

Fills, Service Stations, Factories,
Farm Lands, Septic Tanks and
Municipal Sewers are known to
flow into underground water
supplies.

Typical
Contaminant
Flow Model

Potential Toxins are typically water

soluble in their Elemental state.
Ex. Lead, Mercury, Zinc, Copper,
Chromium, Cadmium, etc

Leaching is the dissolution of

potentially toxic material into
water supplies.

Potentially toxic materials easily

travel in underground water
systems.

Public water supplies can be easily

contaminated by the movement of
toxins.

In Situ
Environmental
Remediation

In Situ Chemical
Reduction
US EPA
Approved
Method of
Remediation
Identified Processes

CLU-IN.org

Anaerobic Biostimulation

Calcium Polysulfide

Zero Valent Iron

US EPA
Identification of
Elements and
Potential In Situ
Precipitates

Calcium Polysulfide provides

direct precipitation of Metal
Sulfide minerals.

Sulfur will generate Hydrogen

Sulfide when contact with organic
material is made.

Hydrogen Sulfide will precipitate

Metal Sulfide minerals.

Hydrogen Sulfide in Hydroxide

solution will precipitate Metal
Sulfide minerals.

Direct
Vertical
Injection

Provides targeted delivery of

chemical reducing agents.

Limited in potential area of

dispersion.

Multiple injection locations

required for large scale
contaminant plumes.

Directional Drilling
to Isolate
Coal Ash
Impoundments

Low impact method of chemical delivery

Provides benefits of both Direct Vertical

Injection and PRBs

Ability to deliver reagent under and

through Coal Ash accumulations

Avoids surface disruption

No transportation of Coal Ash material is

required

Risk of Ground Water pollution is

mitigated

Remediation takes place below ground

protecting workers and the general
population

Land Fill Costs are eliminated

1.

Passive Remediation

2.

No On-Going Energy Expenditures

3.

Limited Long-Term Maintenance

4.

No Surface Structures are Required

5.

Minimal Surface Disturbance

6.

Ability to Remediate Plume without Knowing Specific

Source

7.

Low Risk of Alteration of Natural Hydrology

8.

Contaminants Are Not Brought to the Surface

9.

Potential Toxic Material is not Transported

10. No Disposal is Required

11. No Disposal Costs for Treated Wastes
12. Ability to Customize System
13. Ideal for Shallow Plumes

Benefits of
In Situ Chemical
Reduction

Solubility Rules &

Sulfide Formation
The rules of Solubility are governed by the laws of Chemistry

Solubility Rules
1.

All Compounds of Alkali and Alkali

Earth Metals are soluble

2.

All Ammonium Salts are soluble

3.

Most Sulfate (SO4) molecules are

soluble

4.

Hydroxide (OH-) compounds are

slightly soluble

5.

All sulfide (S2-) compounds

areinsolubleexcept those of
Groups I-A and II-A (alkali metals
and alkali earths).

6.

Most all Sulfites, Carbonates,

Chromates and Phosphates are
insoluble

7.

All nitrate (NO3-), chlorate (ClO3-),

perchlorate (ClO4-), and acetate
(CH3COO-or C2H3O2-) salts
aresoluble

8.

All chloride (Cl-), bromide (Br-), and

iodide (I-) salts are soluble except
for those of Ag+, Pb2+, and Hg22

 Calcium Polysulfide (CaSx) - made by boiling Chemical

Lime (CaO) in water with Sulfur

Calcium Polysulfide quickly degrades to Calcium

Calcium
Polysulfide

CaSx

Hydroxide Ca(OH)2 and Elemental Sulfur

Calcium Polysulfide is a highly Alkaline (basic) solution

Approved for use by US EPA

Registration Eligibility Decision
2005

Actively used in Commercial

Agriculture as an Insecticide and
Fungicide

First used in the 1840s in France

Approved by the US FDA GRAS

Rating Generally Regarded as
Safe.

Approved for use by the State of

California

The negatively charged dianion of Sulfur (S2-) is

presented in highly alkaline aqueous solution

Direct bonding of positively charged transition metals

to the negatively charged Sulfur ion will occur

Calcium Polysulfide will evolve Hydrogen Sulfide (H 2S)

in the presence of organic material

Hydrogen Sulfide will react with transition metals to

form Sulfide compounds with or without the presence

of a Hydroxide solution

Concrete &
Encapsulation

Chemical
Composition of
Portland Cement Vs.
Coal Ash

Source: Headwaters Technical Bulletin

A small portion of Portland

Cement is typically referred to as
additional constituents

Additional material found in

Ordinary Portland cement is often
made up of potentially toxic
transitional metals

Encapsulation in concrete is
identified by the US EPA as a
preferred method of remediation
of potentially toxic materials

The Lime Cycle

Basic Cement
Chemistry

Chemical Formula of Cement

2 Ca3SiO5 + 7 H2O
3 CaO 2 SiO2 4 H2O + 3 Ca(OH)2 + 173.6 kJ

Cement is formed by chemical

reaction of Calcium Hydroxide
and Silicate Dioxide.

Water is essential to the

formation of cement.

Ordinary Portland cement

contains Silicates (Silicate
Dioxide) and Lime in a dry form.

The Chemical composition of Coal

Ash and/or Fly Ash is similar to
Ordinary Portland cement.

US EPA Press
Release
regarding
beneficial use
of Coal Ash
residuals in
construction
materials

US EPA
Publication on
Coal Ash Reuse

Beneficial Reuse of Coal Ash

material is a preferred method of
waste disposal.

Potentially Toxic materials may

be full reacted to create safe,
non-harmful compounds.

Potentially Toxic material can be

chemically reacted at the
molecular to encapsulate
Potential Toxins.

Nanotechnology provides a
method for the manipulation of
Atomic particles to force
predictable behavior of
molecules.

 Current ACI specifications restrict Fly Ash content to 35% of the

volume of OPC
OPC is only 11% of the makeup of Concrete
11.8 million Tons of Fly Ash are utilized in Concrete annually,

only 3.5% of the total mass of concrete

Aggregate makes up 60% of concrete
Replacement of Gravel Aggregate with Synthetic Aggregate can

increase the amount of Coal Ash in concrete by over 17 times

the current amount - totaling to over 200 million tons
200 million tons exceeds the amount of Coal Ash produced

annually in the US by over 60 million tons

Synthetic Aggregate from Coal Ash is Siliceous Aggregate used

in Acid/Chemically Resistant concrete blends Ideal for

Highway and Road Construction

Why Expansion
of Beneficial Use
of Coal Ash
makes sense

Land Fills

Composition
of US EPA Approved
Landfill for Potentially
Toxic Material

Groundwater and runoff

protection is required.

Leachate collection systems are

required.

Chemical reduction (Treatment)

of leachate is required before
disposal.

Future land utilization is limited.

Continuous Monitoring and

Maintenance are required.

Pros
Potential Toxins are sealed in a
protective container
Potentially Toxic material can
be located away from public
waterways
A level of Ground Water
protection is achieved
Cons
High Cost of Implementation, Long Term Obligation
Transportation of material is problematic
Public resistance to construction of new Land Fill sites
5 Year warranty on liner systems
30mil thickness of liners is equal to thickness of a credit card
Disposal of Potentially Toxic leachate
Exposure of potentially toxic material to workers and public
High risk of Civil litigation
High risk of Environmental Criminal action by US EPA
Interference of Environmental entities
Loss of Corporate Revenue stream

Pros and Cons

of Land Fill
Disposal

Land Fill solutions are not

permanent solutions for problems
surrounding Coal Ash
Impoundments.

Land Filling does not eliminate the

future risk of catastrophic failures.

Land Filling does not eliminate the

risk of Civil litigation.

Land Filling is not required if

Ground Pollution problems are
solved.

The majority of Coal Ash is Silicon

Dioxide which makes up 60% of the
Earths crust.

Silicon Dioxide is ubiquitous.

By-Product Treatment Via Calcium

Polysulfide is a

TODAYS
GOALS

Patented Process Providing Solutions for

1. Ground Water Remediation
2. Elimination of Toxic Leachates
3. Precipitation of Heavy Metals
4. Preparation of Beneficial Material
5. New Corporate Profit Streams
6. Reduction of Litigation Risk

COST RECOVERY
PROFIT GROWTH
PUBLIC SAFETY
CEMENT CHEMISTRY
BENEFICIAL USE OF

COAL ASH
SUPER FUND

REMEDIATION