University Calendar
Magnetic Tracers of Coal Ash Contamination in the Tennessee River Watershed
Dr. Stefanie Brachfeld, Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, presents this week's seminar.
About the Seminar
This study presents the use of magnetic tracers of ferrospheres, a relatively minor component of coal combustion waste products, but one that is easily detectable due to its magnetic characteristics. On December 22, 2008, a containment wall failure at the Kingston Fossil coal-fired power plant released 5.4 million cubic yards of coal combustion waste products ("coal ash") into the adjacent Emory River and surrounding landscape. Coal ash concentrates toxic elements such as As, Se, and Hg, and radioactive elements such as Ra. The Tennessee Valley Authority recovered ~ 90-95% of the spilled material via dredging, but several hundred thousand cubic yards of ash remain in the Emory River and downstream in the Clinch River and Tennessee River. This study examines the magnetic characteristics of coal ash and natural background watershed sediment with a long-term goal of developing in-situ magnetic survey methods to identify deposits of unrecovered ash.
About Dr. Brachfeld
Dr. Stefanie Brachfeld is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Studies at Montclair State University, and Director of the interdisciplinary doctoral program in Environmental Management.