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Ecological and Health Risks Attributed to Rare Earth Elements in Coal Fly Ash
Latinka Slavković-Beškoski1, Ljubiša Ignjatović2, Mirjana Ćujić3
1Anahem Laboratory, Mocartova 10, 11160 Belgrade, Serbia.
Toxics
|January 22, 2024
Summary
Coal fly ash contains yttrium and rare earth elements (REY) with light REY enrichment. While REYs pose low ecological and health risks, heavy metals in coal fly ash present significant human health dangers.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Geochemistry
- Toxicology
Background:
- Coal fly ash (CFA) is a byproduct of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs).
- Understanding the distribution and risks of yttrium and rare earth elements (REY) and heavy metals (HM) in CFA is crucial for environmental and health assessments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the occurrence and distribution of REYs, major elements, and HMs in CFA from five CFPPs.
- To assess the ecological and human health risks associated with REYs in CFA.
Main Methods:
- Elemental analysis of CFA samples to determine concentrations of REYs, major elements, and HMs.
- Risk assessment using established indices for ecological (Risk Index - RI) and human health (Hazard Index - HI, Target Cancer Risk - TCR) impacts.
Main Results:
- REY abundance followed the order: Ce > La > Nd > Y > Pr > Gd > Sm > Dy > Er > Yb > Eu > Ho > Tb > Tm > Lu, with an average total REY content of 302 mg/kg.
- CFA exhibited light REY enrichment (mean light-to-heavy REY ratio of 4.1) and significant positive correlations among REYs.
- REY-associated ecological risks were low to moderate (RI: 66–245), and human health risks (HIc = 0.15, TCRc = 8.4 × 10-16 for children) were below safety limits.
- Conversely, HMs in CFA posed significant human health risks, exceeding safe thresholds (HIc = 5.74, TCRc = 2.6 × 10-4 for children).
Conclusions:
- REY concentrations in CFA are generally not a primary concern for ecological or human health risks.
- Heavy metals present in CFA represent a substantial environmental and health hazard, outweighing the risks posed by REYs.
- Effective management of CFA should prioritize mitigating heavy metal contamination to protect human health and ecosystems.
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