Seems like that trash could be someone's treasure.
/johnny
You are so correct but the amounts in fly ash are so miniscule that many times it falls well below the minimum detectable hazard levels of many analysis labs who use the EPA standards. Naturally, with this EPA that could change overnight.
I was part of a team who developed a recycling process for this type of fly ash. Clean fly ash is a sought after commodity mostly as a filler for portland cement. At the time we developed the process, having a “Loss of Ignition” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_on_ignition) percentage below 6% was the threshold. High sulfur coals will provide this because it burns hotter than the low sulfur coals. Typically the low sulfur coals will have an LOI above 8% so it is not usable as a post burn commodity without processing. Our process separated the high carbon content ashes and were returned to the boilers to have another crack at being completely burned. The cleaned fly ash was typically around 3-4% after processing. One was built in Holland that I know of by our Dutch affiliate.
So why don’t we see these processing plants all over the country? The environmentalists. It was through this and other recycling process designs that we learned they are not interested in solutions, only issues, because their goal is to kill the free market while raising money for themselves to keep “fighting the struggle”. Gee where have we heard that one before?
An article here on it of all places.
Even treehuggers get the possibilities.
The EPA is tyrannical, hence, myopic.