Potential Utilization of Fgd Gypsum for Reclamation Of
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POTENTIAL UTILIZATION OF FGD GYPSUM FOR RECLAMATION OF ABANDONED HIGHWALLS THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Science in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Deepa Modi Graduate Program in Civil Engineering The Ohio State University 2010 Thesis Committee Dr. William E. Wolfe, Advisor Dr. Tarunjit S. Butalia, Co-Advisor Dr. Fabian H. Tan Copyright by Deepa Modi 2010 Abstract In order to reduce air pollution resulting from the combustion of coal in electric utility boilers, utilities that operate coal-fired power plants have installed air pollution control technologies. While airborne pollution has been significantly curtailed, these methodologies have significantly increased the amount of solid byproducts generated, most of which are currently landfilled. In the Appalachian region of the US, a large number of abandoned coal mines exist, many with dangerous highwalls and pits. These abandoned highwalls pose a safety risk and many are sources of acid mine drainage that can compromise the quality of the ground water and nearby streams. In this thesis, the above two issues are addressed and the utilization of coal combustion by-products in mine reclamation work has been studied. This study is focused on the use of FGD (Flue Gas Desulfurization) gypsum in the reclamation of abandoned coal mine highwalls. The main objective of this research is to investigate the potential use of FGD gypsum (in the combination with fly ash and lime) as a backfill material for reclaiming abandoned highwalls. FGD gypsum and a mixture of FGD gypsum, fly ash, and lime are studied as a potential highwall backfill material. Several laboratory tests (e.g. compaction, strength, permeability, and solubility) are performed. The substitution of ii FGD gypsum with fly ash did not appreciably change the permeability or strength of the FGD gypsum. However, the addition of lime to the mixture of FGD gypsum and fly ash reduced the permeability and increased the strength by an order of magnitude. Solubility of the FGD gypsum mixes studied was found to be low. In order to check the stability of a reclaimed highwall backfill, the factor of safety was evaluated using a commercial analyses program for a demonstration site close to the Conesville power plant. The slope stability analyses indicated that FGD gypsum or a mixture of FGD gypsum and fly ash gives a factor of safety more than 1.5. iii Dedication Dedicated to my family iv Acknowledgements I would like express my heartiest gratitude to my advisors, Prof. William E. Wolfe and Dr. Tarunjit S. Butalia, for their strong motivation, perpetual and methodical guidance, and idea oriented discussions and constant encouragement to pursue my master’s studies. Without their able guidance, this work would not have materialized. Their encouragement and suggestions made the research work interesting and challenging. Knowledge gained from their expertise and experience has made my master’s program the most fruitful years of my life academically. I would like to acknowledge my thesis committee member, Prof. Fabian H. Tan, for his time and suggestions. Special thanks to James Howdyshell for helping me out in the laboratory; without his help it would have been difficult to complete this work. I am indebted to my parents and the elders of my family for their support and blessings. Their blessings were the most important factor leading to the completion of this work. v Vita April 2004……………..……………………………B.Sc. Engineering (Civil) National Institute of Technology, Patna, India July 2007……………..…………………………..…M. Tech. (Civil/Geotechnical Eng.) Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India 2008 - Present………..……………………………..Graduate Research Fellow Civil Engineering Department The Ohio State University Publications 1. Deepankar Choudhury and Deepa Modi (2008); “Displacement-based stability analysis of slopes under seismic conditions”, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics IV (GEESD-2008), May 18 - 22, 2008, Sacramento, California 2. Deepa Modi, Deepankar Choudhury and K. S. Subba Rao (2007); "Simplified analysis of seismic slope stability by using pseudo-static approach", Proc. of National Conference on Foundations and Retaining Structures (NCFRS-2007), May 23-24, 2007, IIT Roorkee, India, Vol. 1, pp. 114-117 vi Fields of Study Major Field: Civil Engineering vii Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………..……………..ii Dedication………………………………………………………….………….……….…iv Acknowledgements……………………………………………….………….…………....v Vita………………………………………………………………..………………………vi List of Tables……….…………………………………………………………………….xi List of Figures…………………………………………………………...……………..xviii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1. Background……………………………………………………………...………..1 1.2. Research Objective………………………..……………………………………...1 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND INFORMATION 2.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………......3 2.2 Production and Utilization of CCBs……………………………………………....3 2.3 FGD Material Production Technologies……….…………………………..……...6 2.4 Physical and Chemical Properties of FGD Gypsum and Natural Gypsum………………………………………………………………..….……….7 2.5 Issues Related to Abandoned Mines and Reclamation……………………………9 2.6 Mine Reclamation in Ohio using FGD Gypsum………………………………...10 2.7 Summary…………………………………………………………………………13 viii CHAPTER 3: LABORATORY TESTS & RESULTS 3.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………14 3.2 Laboratory Tests……………………………………………………………….....15 3.3 Laboratory Tests Samples and Results…………………………………………...16 3.3.1 Laboratory Tests Samples………………………………………………..17 3.3.2 Laboratory Tests Results on Cardinal FGD Gypsum Samples…………..17 3.3.2.1 Compaction Test……………………………………………………..17 3.3.2.2 Strength Test………………………………………………………....19 3.3.2.3 Permeability Test…………………………………………………......25 3.3.2.4 Solubility Test……………………………………………………......30 3.3.3 Laboratory Tests Results on Conesville FGD Gypsum………..………...35 3.3.3.1 Compaction Test……………………………………………………..35 3.3.3.2 Strength Test…………………………………………………………37 3.3.3.3 Permeability Test………………………………………………….....38 3.3.3.4 Solubility Test………………………………………………………..39 3.4 Results and Discussion…………………………………………………………..40 CHAPTER 4: SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS 4.1 Introduction………………………………………………………………………45 4.2 About the SLOPE/W Software…………………………………………..………46 4.3 Materials for Backfill and Their Properties…….…………………………….....46 4.4 Slope Stability Analyses and Results on the Four Backfill Materials…...…........49 ix 4.4.1 Conesville FGD gypsum as Backfill Material………………….………..51 4.4.2 A Mixture of Cardinal FGD Gypsum and Fly Ash as Backfill Material......................................................................................................55 4.4.3 Cardinal FGD gypsum as Backfill Material……………………………..59 4.4.4 A Mixture of Stabilized FGD/ FA/FGD Gypsum as Backfill Material.....70 4.5 Results and Discussion…………………………………………………………..78 4.6 Summary…………………………………………………………………………79 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS 5.1 Summary…………………………………………………………………………82 5.2 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………83 5.3 Recommendation for Future Work………………………………………………85 List of References………………………………………………………………….….....86 Appendix A: Laboratory Test Data Sheets………………………………………………90 x List of Tables Table 2.1: Production and Use of Coal Combustion Byproducts in 2008 in USA [2]……5 Table 2.2: Physical Properties of FGD Gypsum versus Natural Gypsum [14, 18]……….8 Table 2.3: Chemical Properties of FGD Gypsum versus Natural Gypsum [14, 18]..........8 Table 2.4: Production of FGD Material in Ohio by Five FGD Material Producing Power Plants in the Ohio Coal Mining Region [26]...…………………………………..12 Table 3.1: Proportions of FGD Gypsum, Fly Ash and Lime Tested in Laboratory………………………………………………………………………..15 Table 3.2: Details of the Samples made for Laboratory Tests …………………………..17 Table 3.3: Maximum Dry Unit Weight and Optimum Moisture Content for Cardinal FGD Gypsum, Fly Ash, and Lime Mix Samples……………………….……………...18 Table 3.4: Unconfined Compressive Strength of Cardinal FGD Gypsum, Fly Ash, and Lime Mix Samples Cured from 1 Day to 8.5 Months………………...................22 Table 3.5: Permeability of Cardinal FGD Gypsum, Fly Ash, and Lime Mix Samples Cured for 7, 28, 60, and 90 Days…………...…….…..………………………….29 Table 3.6: Percent Solid Collected from Effluent of Cardinal FGD Gypsum, Fly Ash, and Lime Mix Samples Cured for 7, 28, 60, and 90 Days…………………………...34 Table 3.7: Optimum Moisture Content, Maximum Dry Density and Strength of Cardinal FGD Gypsum Mix Samples Cured for Different Time Period …………..……...42 xi Table 3.8: Permeability and Percent Solids Collected in the Effluent of Cardinal FGD Gypsum Mix Samples …………………………………………………………...43 Table 3.9: Compaction Test Results for FGD Gypsum and FGD Gypsum & Lime Mix Samples (FGD Gypsum Obtained from Conesville Power Plant)…………….....44 Table 3.10: UCS, Permeability and Percent Solids Collected in the Effluent for FGD Gypsum Obtained from Conesville Power Plant………………………………...44 Table 4.1: Material Properties used in Slope Stability Analyses...……………...….……48 Table 4.2: Factor of Safety of Slopes at the Five Sections using Conesville FGD Gypsum as Backfill Material..…………………………………………………….……….52 Table 4.3: Factor of Safety of Slopes at Five Sections using a Mixture of Cardinal FGD Gypsum and Fly Ash as Backfill Material….....…………………………………56 Table 4.4: Factor of Safety of Slopes at Five Sections using Cardinal FGD Gypsum as Backfill Material ………………………………………………………….……..62 Table 4.5: Factor of Safety at Five Sections Obtained by using a Mixture of Stabilized FGD Material, Fly Ash, and FGD Gypsum as Backfill Material………………..72