Leaching of trace and major elements from coal ash dumps

Coal ash samples taken from an active, currently filled cassette as well as samples taken from passive cassettes of the power plant in Obrenovac (Yugoslavia) were subjected to sequential leaching, comprising of extraction with distilled water, 1 M KC1 and 0.1 M HC1. Concentrations of trace and major elements found in extracts revealed that lead and cadmium are not present in significant concentrations, while other elements show different behavior: practically all absorbed trace elements and most of the major elements are partially leached during transport, while later, on the dump, only a slow release of most of the examined ion‐exchangeable elements occurs.