Colliery spoil as a feedstock in fluidized-bed combustion

The implications of the development of fluidized-bed combustion for problems associated with the disposal of colliery spoil in the UK are examined. The combustion principle, history, present state of development and expected effluents from a full-scale installation are described. Spoil heap formation, quantity, location and content are examined. Activities to recover useful mineral values from spoil heaps and current washery rejects, and the uses of the materials to fuel a combustor are considered in terms of their economic and environmental implications. The logical development is expected to be the discontinuation of coal washery activities when the whole of a colliery's production is fed to a thermal generator. It is concluded that the overall implications in terms of spoil disposal should be beneficial.