Coal combustion products (CCPs) refer collectively to coal combustion residue including
fly ash collected by flue gas emission control system and bottom ash dropped to the bottom
of combustion chamber. Power plants are the most important source of CCPs and coal fly ash
(CFA) represents the largest fraction of CCPs, which has historically drawn much scrutiny
due to the potential release of toxic elements from CFA to the environment. Recent events of
the accidental spill of large volumes of CFA from storage facilities have renewed public
concerns of the safety of current CFA management practices. Extensive research has been
conducted on the production, composition, and toxicity of CFA in the past several decades.
However, a mechanistic predictive model for the transport of toxic elements in CFA remains
unavailable, representing a major knowledge gap in the understanding of the environmental
impact of CFA, which is critical for the development of more effective CFA management
and regulatory strategies.