• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.563-573
• /
• 2017

Coal ash is generated from coal-fired thermal power plants every year. The remaining quantity of coal ash ends up in the landfills except for the recycled portion, and the existing ash pond capacity is limited almost. Currently, the difficulties are faced in building a new ash treatment plant because of the concerns about the environmental impacts of landfills at individual plant facilities. In terms of minimizing the environmental impact, the recycling and effective uses of coal ash are recognized as urgent issues to be challenged. Accordingly, this study examines the obstacles in expanding the recycling of the coal ash in South Korea and proposes solutions based on the case study analysis. The analysis results are as follows: 1) specific recycling guidelines and standards are required to be established in accordance with the contact medium (soil, ground water, surface water and sea water) and the chemical. 2) by providing the recognition environmentally safe in recycling the coal ash, transparency in establishing the planning stages and active communication with the community through promotion and research are essentially needed. 3) practical support system is required to encourage the power plant companies to use the coal ash as beneficial use.