Bottom ash generated from thermal power plants is mainly disposed in landfills, from which metals may be leached by infiltrating water. To evaluate the effect of metals in leachate on soil and groundwater, we characterized bottom ash generated from burning cokes, bituminous coal, the mixture of bituminous coal and wood pellets, and charcoal powder. The bottom ash of charcoal powder had a relatively large particle size, and its wood texture was well-preserved from SEM observation. The bottom ash of charcoal powder and wood pellets had relatively high K concentration from total element analysis. The eluates of the bottom ash samples had appreciable concentrations of Ca, Al, Fe, SO_4, and NO_3, but they were not a significant throughout the batch test. Therefore, it is considered that there is low possibility of soil and groundwater contamination due to leaching of metal ions and anions from these bottom ash in landfills. To estimate the trend of various trace elements, long-term monitoring and additional analysis need to be performed while considering the site conditions, because they readily adsorb on soil and aquifer substances.

Keywords: bottom ash, thermal power plants, landfill, infiltrate, leaching components