Research on Use of FGD Products in Ohio

Warren Dick and Liming Chen

The Ohio State University

FGD as Lime Substitute

Vermiculite and Perlite FGD, and Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) Combustion Product to Agricultural Acid Soils

Calcium carbonate equivalency 50%

Application rates: 7.5 to 30 ton/acre

4

5

6

7

8

Control CFB(0.5xLR)

CFB(1.0xLR)

CFB(2.0xLR)

Ag-lime(0.5xLR)

Ag-lime(1.0xLR)

Ag-lime(2.0xLR)

E

C

AB

A

D

C

BC

15 months

Soil pH

Treatment

Soil pH as Affected by CFB vs. Ag-lime

Alfalfa Yields as Affected by CFB vs. Ag-lime

0

2

4

6

8

10

Control CFB Ag-lime

Dry

Wei

ght

of A

lalf

a (M

g h

a-1)

Treatment

C

A

B

Alfalfa Yields as Affected by Vermiculite and Perlite FGD (#2-7) vs. Ag-lime (#8)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Treatment

Yie

lds

of

Alf

alfa

(M

g/h

a)

14.0

10.5

7.0

3.5

0

D

BC

ABA

ABC ABABC

C

Mineland Reclamation

Treatments:

(1) FGD:125 tons/acre

(2) FGD+Compost: 125 tons/acre of FGD and 50 tons/acre of yard-waste compost.

(3) Soil+lime: 70 tons/acre of agricultural limestone with 20 cm of soil.

FGD Used for Fleming Coal Mine Reclamation (1994)

Biomass as Affected by FGD (AFBC) and Other Materials in Fleming Site

Topsoil AFBC AFBC+Compost

Yie

ld (

ton

s ac

re-1

)0

12

3

Yie

ld (

ton

s ac

re-1

)0

12

3

FGD Used for Fleming Coal Mine Reclamation (2006)

Effect of FGD on Plant Roots in Coal Mine Soil

•

Amelioration of Problems Associated with Subsoil Acidity

• Blount soil has an acidic subsoil

• Application rates: 1500 to 3000 lb FGD-gypsum/acre

Typical pH profile for a Blount soil

3 4 5 6

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Depth

(cm)

pH7

pH

Al3+

Effects of Gypsum on Al in Soils

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

0 lbs/A Control

1500 lbs/A3000 lbs/A

% Al Saturation

So

il D

epth

(cm

)

Aluminum Toxicity in Ohio

Modfied from Ohio Report, 1976

Yield mapFrom a corn field at the Miller farm harvested in 2003

Wooster, Ohio

Year

FGD as S fertilizer

• FGD contains 5- 17% S– SO4

2- plants uptake directly

– SO32- oxidized to SO4

2- in soils, then uptake by plants

• FGD application rates: 14 to 60 lb S/acre

Table 4. Trace metal content1 of gypsum from different sources compared with U.S. EPA Part 503 pollutant concentration limits for excellent quality biosolids. Metal (ppm = mg kg-1)

Museum specimen

Synthetic gypsum

Natural gypsum Cast gypsum

Drywall gypsum

Part 503 Table 32

Arsenic <0.52 0.56 (0.05)3 <0.52 <0.52 0.98 (0.11) 41

Cadmium <0.48 <0.48 <0.48 <0.48 <0.48 39

Chromium 0.01 1.30 (0.85) 1.38 (0.32) 0.07 (0.00) 1.09 (0.09) 1200

Cobalt <0.48 <0.48 0.53 (0.04) <0.48 <0.48 NR4

Copper <0.48 1.16 (0.66) 1.33 ((0.30) 1.40 (0.21) 0.95 (0.14) 1500

Lead < 0.48 0.80 (.30) 2.92 (0.30) 0.57 (0.08) 0.70 (0.02) 300

Mercury <0.26 <0.26 <0.26 <0.26 <0.26 17

Molybdenum <0.24 0.51 (0.26) 1.28 (0.04) <0.24 <0.24 --5

Nickel <0.24 0.73 (0.18) 1.42 (0.23) < 0.24 0.83 (0.12) 420

Selenium <1.45 5.51 (3.47) <1.45 <1.45 1.85 (0.04) 36

Zinc <0.24 3.88 (2.78) 0.91 (0.49) <0.24 3.08 (0.45) 2800 1 Data obtained by EPA method 3050 (USEPA. 1996).

2 Part 503--Standards for the Use or Disposal of Sewage Sludge; 503.13, Table 3. (USEPA, 1993).

3 Standard deviation included in parentheses.

4NR = not regulated.

5Ceiling concentration limit for molybdenum is 75 ppm; 503.13, Table 1. (USEPA. 1993).

Wooster

OARDC

Sandusky

Hancock

Clark

Pike

Baker

Experimental Sites in Ohio

Alf

alfa

Yie

ld (

Mg/

ha)

Soy

bea

n Y

ield

(k

g/h

a)

N Rate (kg ha-1)

0 50 100 150 200 250

Ave

rage

Cor

n Y

ield

(M

g h

a-1)

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

7.5

8.0

8.5

9.0

Y=5.80+0.029x-0.00009x2 (R2=0.85)

Y=5.19+0.021x-0.00003x2 (R2=0.96)

SNo S

Average Corn Yields from 2002 to 2005 as Affected by Application of N and FGD products at the rate of 30 lb S/acre.

Improvement of Soil Physical Properties

• Application rate:2000-4000 lb/acre

• Increase water infiltration

• Maintain good soil structure

No-Tillage Crop Production on Clay Soils

• No-tillage has not been used on clay soils because poor aeration and water infiltration properties.

• Treatments:– No-tillage and plow-tillage– FGD-gypsum application rates: 1500-3000

lb/acre

Corn response to FGD gypsum in no-till and plow till plots at the OARDC Northwest Station in 2004

135

140

145

150

155

160

165

170

175

0 lb/A 1500 lb/A 3000 lb/A

No-till

Plow-till

FGD Gypsum Treatments

Co

rn Y

ield

(b

u/a

cre

)

Corn response to FGD gypsum in no-till and plow-till plots at the OARDC Northwest Station in 2005

100

105

110

115

120

125

130

135

0 lb/A 1500 lb/A 3000 lb/A

No-till

Plow-till

FGD Gypsum Treatments

Co

rn Y

ield

(b

u/a

cre

)

Synthetic Soils and Horticultural Uses

• A synthetic soil may be defined as a plant growth medium created by the blending of two or more materials.

• A large variety of synthetic soils were created using varied proportions of FGD-gypsum, bottom ash, peat, and several composts from biosolids, cow manure, and yard waste.

Biomass of wheat and tomato (seedlings 35 days) as affected by media created from coal combustion products

(CCPs) and composts.

FGD used in potting media (wheat)

FGD used in potting medium (tomato)

FGD used in nursery plant growth media