Health risk assessment of potentially harmful substances from fly ashes generated by coal and coal waste combustion

Abstract

Lignite and coal waste used as feed fuels in thermal power plants (TPPs) and semi-industrial fluidized bed boiler (FBB), as well as their representative fly ashes (FAs), were examined. Fly ashes were compared employing anions and cations content in correspondent water extracts, trace elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations, as well as health risk assessments of substances known to be of concern for public health. Fluoride and sulfate contents in water extracted FAs are far below the legislation limits for waste, classifying all investigated FAs as non-hazardous. Among investigated trace elements, Cd content is the lowest, while Mn content is the highest. The highest enrichment ratios are noticed for As, Pb, Hg, Cu, V and Cr. The results indicate that total PAHs content is elevated in FA from the combustion of coal waste (AFB), with fluoranthene prevailing. The cancer risk of As and the non-cancer risk of As and Ni in some FAs surpass their respective permissible limits. The incremental lifetime cancer risk of an adult population indicates a potential PAHs risk in AFB, whereas all other fly ashes are within safe limits.