Pennsylvania coal plant recycles residuals into drywall

FirstEnergy Corp., Akron, Ohio, announced its Bruce Mansfield Plant in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, will ship coal combustion residuals (CCRs) for reclamation of a site owned by the Marshall County Coal Company in Moundsville, West Virginia. The Marshall County Coal Company is a subsidiary of Murray American Energy Inc., St. Clairsville, Ohio. The CCR materials will be placed at the site beginning in early December.

"Selection of this site means that 100 percent of the coal combustion residuals created at the Bruce Mansfield Plant will now be sustainably recycled or beneficially reused," says Don Moul, senior vice president, Fossil Operations and Environmental. "After thorough consideration, the company determined that this option provided the most environmentally sustainable and cost-effective solution."

Approximately 80 percent of Bruce Mansfield Plant's CCRs will be used for mine reclamation, while the remainder will continue to be recycled into drywall by Charlotte, North Carolina-headquartered National Gypsum at its production facility located in Shippingport.

The Moundsville site is already permitted by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) to beneficially reuse CCRs. FirstEnergy plans to ship approximately four to five barges of material per day 77 miles to the facility, eliminating the need for truck transportation over local roads.

Prior to shipment, excess moisture will be removed from the CCR materials at the Mansfield plant's newly constructed, $260 million dewatering facility.  FirstEnergy currently places a portion of its CCR materials at the Little Blue Run disposal facility, which the company will no longer use beyond Dec. 31, 2016.

CCRs are created through the combustion of coal and during the scrubbing process at coal-fired electricity generating plants, and are designated as a non-hazardous material by state and federal environmental protection authorities.  West Virginia supports their beneficial reuse, and thousands of acres of former mines across the state have been successfully reclaimed under WV DEP's oversight.