Coal combustion products
Okay kiddo, so coal combustion products (CCPs) are things that are left over after we burn coal. You know how we burn wood in a fire and there are ashes left over? It's kind of like that.
Coal is a type of rock that we use to make electricity. We burn coal to make heat, and that heat turns water into steam, which then turns a turbine and creates electricity. But when we burn coal, not everything gets turned into heat. There are some things left over that we call CCPs.
One kind of CCP is called coal ash. It's a powdery substance that's made up of things like silica, aluminum, and iron. It's kind of like dirt, but it's made out of the stuff that's in coal. Another CCP is called flue gas desulfurization gypsum, which is a really long name, but it's basically a type of powder that helps us clean the air after we burn coal.
So, why do we care about these CCPs? Well, some of them can be harmful to the environment and to people's health if they're not disposed of properly. For example, some coal ash can have heavy metals in it, like arsenic or mercury, which can be dangerous if they get into the water or the air.
So, people who work with coal combustion products have to be really careful to make sure they're disposing of them in safe ways, like by keeping them in special lined landfills, or by using them to make other things like building materials.
Overall, coal combustion products are just the leftovers from burning coal to make electricity, and we have to be careful with them so they don't harm the environment or people's health.
Coal is a type of rock that we use to make electricity. We burn coal to make heat, and that heat turns water into steam, which then turns a turbine and creates electricity. But when we burn coal, not everything gets turned into heat. There are some things left over that we call CCPs.
One kind of CCP is called coal ash. It's a powdery substance that's made up of things like silica, aluminum, and iron. It's kind of like dirt, but it's made out of the stuff that's in coal. Another CCP is called flue gas desulfurization gypsum, which is a really long name, but it's basically a type of powder that helps us clean the air after we burn coal.
So, why do we care about these CCPs? Well, some of them can be harmful to the environment and to people's health if they're not disposed of properly. For example, some coal ash can have heavy metals in it, like arsenic or mercury, which can be dangerous if they get into the water or the air.
So, people who work with coal combustion products have to be really careful to make sure they're disposing of them in safe ways, like by keeping them in special lined landfills, or by using them to make other things like building materials.
Overall, coal combustion products are just the leftovers from burning coal to make electricity, and we have to be careful with them so they don't harm the environment or people's health.
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