Mapping of the Frazee Mine, the Western Maryland coal combustion by-products/acid mine drainage initiative, part II of III.

Maryland coal production over the years before 1977 reveals that Maryland coal basins have void space from mining a quarter billion tons of coal. The exposure of sulfur-bearing minerals in these mine voids to oxygen and water generates AMD, which is toxic to aquatic flora and fauna. It is estimated that about 450 miles of waterways in western Maryland are impacted by AMD. The majority of these waterways ultimately drain to the east, and affect the overall water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. Typically, AMD is treated by dosing discharges with limestone, which only provides a temporary solution as AMD continues to form at its source in underground mines. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Power Plant Research Program (PPRP) and the Maryland Department of the Environment Bureau of Mines (MDE) have undertaken the Western Maryland CCB/AMD Initiative (the Initiative), which is a joint effort with private industry to develop permanent solutions to abate AMD at its source. The Initiative`s goal is to demonstrate the beneficial application of alkaline CCBs to abate AMD from underground coal mines. The Initiative is based on the concept that alkaline CCBs generated by clean coal technologies, such as fluidized bed combustion (FBC) andmore » flue gas desulfurization (FGD), can be injected into underground mines to prevent the formation of AMD by sealing mines from exposure to oxygen and water. This goal will be met by performing the following: Determining optimum grout formulations for mine injection; Optimizing engineering techniques for mine reclamation to achieve economic viability; Implementing appropriately-sized demonstration projects, progressing to full-scale applications at Maryland`s largest abandoned mines; and Developing industry partnerships for implementation of the Initiative`s findings to abate AMD in western Maryland.« less