Vol. 337 No. 3 (2026)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/3/5101
Ecological and geochemical situation in the ash and slag waste disposal areas (using the example of Ulan-Ude TPP-1)
Relevance. The need to study the ecological and geochemical situation in the territories adjacent to the sites of disposal of ash and slag waste from thermal power plants, which make a significant contribution to environmental pollution. Aim. To assess the ecological and geochemical situation in the area of the ash dumps of Ulan-Ude Thermal Power Plant-1 based on the chemical, morphological and mineral composition of the solid particles in snow cover. Objects. Solid and liquid phases of snow cover, formed by atmospheric precipitation, along the perimeter of the seasonal and buffer ash disposal site of a thermal power plant. Methods. Snow geochemical survey, laser diffraction method, ICP-AES, capillary electrophoresis method, ICP-MS, statistical methods. Results and conclusions. The dust load level at the studied sites for 2023 and 2024 averaged 34.4 mg/(m2×day) for the seasonal ash dump and 136 mg/(m2×day) for the buffer ash dump. It characterizes the territory of the waste disposal sites as non-hazardous and moderately hazardous, respectively. Based on the snow cover solid sediment granulometric composition data, it was revealed that in almost all the studied points, the contribution of particles smaller than 1 µm was less than 1%, and large particles larger than 500 µm were not detected. The main contribution to snow cover pollution is made by particles sized 10–500 µm. The mineral composition of the snow cover solid phase is represented by particles of both natural and man-made (aluminosilicate spherules, carbon particles) origin. Aerosol pollution of snow cover affects the trace element composition both in the solid and liquid phases of snow cover. The snow cover chemical composition depends on the operating mode of the ash dumps, the natural characteristics of the territory, as well as the presence of industrial and infrastructure facilities in the impact zone of the ash and slag waste disposal facilities.
For citation: Chudinova O.N., Ukraintsev A.V., Plyusnin A.M., Khromova E.A. Ecological and geochemical situation in the ash and slag waste disposal areas (using the example of Ulan-Ude TPP-1). Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assets Engineering, 2026, vol. 337, no. 3, pp. 221–234. https://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/3/5101
Keywords:
ash and slag dump, snow cover, dust load, granulometric composition, mineral composition, trace element composition, melt water
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