Particulate matter in fly-ash landfills: an abatement technology using anionic flocculant

This study aims to assess the use of a mix of anionic flocculant and water, in order to reduce the level of fine dust over the ground in a coal fly-ash landfill. So far, the reduction of dust has been achieved by means of water sprays: this method, however, resulted in high costs incurring in the rental of tank trucks; furthermore, the high consumption of water and diffusion of fuel gas both have a major environmental impact. The new method presented below shows how the creation of a thin film over the landfill can limit both wind erosion and dust emission caused by the transit of vehicles during operations. By collecting samplings of dust and laboratory tests, the authors were able to evaluate effectiveness of above mentioned method from a technical, economical and environmental point of view, which has been subsequently resulted in the Company opting for it.