Jaworzno III Power Plant is an emission source of wastes related directly with the coal combustion installation and other installations connected with the previously mentioned. Depending on the technological process character there are various waste groups produced which can be classified in the following manner:
- Technological waste produced during the coal combustion process;
- Construction and repair wastes produced during repairs and overhauls;
- Water processing and water treatment wastes;
- Other wastes produced during business operations.
A carried out complex modernization of the electrostatic precipitators enabled the ash retention increase. This product has been broadly utilized commercially and is collected directly from the facilities for commercial application.
The construction of the wet method flue gas desulphurizing installation caused further reduction of the pollutants emitted to the atmosphere producing a new group of wastes in the form of gypsum. Nowadays gypsum has become a well sought-after material in the construction industry and it can hardly be called a waste.
Execution of the complex pro-ecological modernization of Jaworzno III Power Plant brought changes in the structure of technological wastes produced their commercial application.
Completion of the dry ash pick-up installation construction in 1994 meant that ash was no longer transported to the landfill or partially stored in the pits. This enabled the next stage of the pro-ecological undertakings mainly the revitalization of the landfill located in the area of cell no 2. The works were carried on the entire area of cell no 2 i.e. 64.5 ha in 1995.
Since 1997 the entire ash produced is transported in the form of dry ash outside the power plant to be utilized in mining industry. The assembly of dry ash pick-up installation eliminated troublesome and ecologically harmful hydraulic transportation to the landfill ‘Brzezinka’. This system enables direct, dust-free loading to the road or rail tankers and the ash is transported directly to the clients.
In the dry ash installation, the ash is collected from the electrostatic precipitators’ collective hoppers and additionally from the second boiler pass and rotary air pre-heaters. Then the ash is pneumatically transported by means of tank pumps and dust ducts to five retention tanks from where the ash is loaded pneumatically to road tankers and rail tankers. Ash segregation is also possible in this installation.
Because in 2006 the plant was granted the certificate of conformity with the harmonized norm PN - EN 450 - 1 by the Building Research Institute for the production of fly ash used in concrete, this part of fly ash which meets the norm requirements is selected and utilized in concrete and cement industry. In 2010 this part amounted to 47.5% of the total fly ash produced i.e. 140,333 Mg. Jaworzno III Power Plant is the first power plant in Poland which was certified for conformity with the harmonized norms PN - EN 450. Till the end of 2008 the fly ash and pyrites were transported by means of pipelines to the slag storage site and later collected for commercial utilization by the ash collecting companies.
In 2008 the plant completed the task ‘Construction of the slag sediment tank in PKE SA Jaworzno III Power Plant’. The task objective was to change the slag pick-up system and eliminate the storage site on the power waste landfill located in Mysłowice-Dziećkowice. Since October 2008 the slag and pyrites have been stored in the sediment tank from where they are collected by companies with relevant permits for waste management.
Commissioning of the sediment tank with the entire infrastructure is not an organized pollutant emission source of the groundwater contamination source (the tank was built in tight reinforced concrete technology). It had not caused the noise level increase on the areas under acoustic protection.
This project caused decrease of the water consumption for industrial purposes therefore there was also a decrease of the process wastewater volume directed to the water treatment plant and later to Przemsza River. Commissioning of the slag sediment tank located on the Jaworzno III Power Plant premises and discontinuance of the waste storing on Brzezinka landfill reduced the contamination of the quaternary groundwater in the landfill area. Operating sediment tank will also enable complete shutdown of the landfill with the temporary storage chambers for power generation wastes the future revitalized landfill site commissioning.
Tanks to favorable chemical and physical properties of the produced dry fly ash and slag the entire volume is commercially utilized.
Commercial utilization of wastes in mining industry consists in:
- Storage in post-mining voids;
- Utilization for hydraulic filling materials;
- Utilization for thermal insulation of excavations.
In addition, the furnace wastes are used in:
- The production of construction materials;
- Construction and hardening of roads;
- Construction of road and railway embankments;
- Elimination of fire seats and preventive actions on the mining waste storage sites.
Jaworzno III Power Plant system guaranteeing total utilization of furnace wastes allows to classify the generation of electrical energy as little waste technology so a kind of technology which due to the modern technologies, organizational and technological solutions applied allows for utilization of wasted produced in the technological process and such utilization is an integral part of the complex generation process.
The main goal of the little waste technology is to protect the natural environment against pollution with simultaneous reasonable exploitation of the natural resources and energy.
Power Plant II
Until 1996, Ely Ash and slag from Power Plant II were transported in whole to the closed hydro de-ashing circuit and located on a company waste storage site. After the commissioning of the slurry pump station the Power Plant II storage site was put out of operation and the wastes were hydraulically transported and stored in Brzezinka landfill shared with Power Plant III.
Large-scale ash utilization was made possible since beginning of 1992 when a pneumatic de-ashing installation was assembled to operate with the pulverized coal boilers. At the same time the storage tanks were constructed alongside loading stations for road tankers.
The captured ash, instead of being fed to the hydro de-ashing installation, is directed from electric precipitator hoppers to aeration channels assembled along the electrostatic precipitator chambers and is then transported to boiler-side tanks. From there, by means of ejector pumps the ash is directed to storage tanks. Dry fly ash is commercially utilized in mining as a component of the mining filling materials.
Wastes of different chemical composition and physical properties are produced coal combustion in the fluidized-bed boilers. These are: slag from the boiler bed the so-called bottom ash with the gravel sand consistency and dust consistency fly ash captured in the electrostatic precipitators and precipitated from the flue gases in the boiler second pass. Fly ash and bottom ask find commercial application in the mines as material used in the mining filling materials.
Power Plant II furnace waste storage site was in operation until 1986 where ash, slag and carbonizing wastes were stored since the day the plant was commissioned. With the commissioning of the slurry pump station equipped with hydraulic transport pipelines the wastes were transported to Brzezinka landfill where also wastes from Power Plant III were stored.
At the end the waste storage site size used by Power Plant totaled 44 ha. Such a large area of stored ash posed a continuous threat of secondary dusting. The prevention action taken on annual basis insisted in protection of the storage site quarters with non-volatile substances sprayed by helicopters. Nowadays problems with the storage site belong to the history. It was completely forested as part of the revitalization process carried out in the area. The works were commenced in 1987 immediately after the industrial activities were ceased yet the works were carried out at full speed as late as in 1996 once Power Plant II was joined into one company with Power Plant III. Over two years circa 200,000 trees and bushes were planted there. Looking at the storage site surface now, it is hard to believe that the area used to resemble a desert.
Currently in Power Plant II the hydro de-ashing installation is disassembled and the ash produced in the boilers is stored in the wet form in the buffer tanks and from there it is transported for further commercial utilization in the mines.
English
Polski
