Innovative Use of Coal Plant By-Products Wins TVA Award
Dec. 22, 2003
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A team of TVA employees who developed ways to use by-products generated from coal-fired plants to conserve natural resources and reduce waste has won a TVA Environmental Excellence Award in the pollution prevention and control category.
The Fuel By-Products team of Cheri Miller, Michael Sutton, and Kathy Harper, all of Chattanooga, save TVA millions of dollars each year by turning coal combustion by-products such as fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag and scrubber gypsum into manufactured products instead of disposing of the material.
TVA’s coal-fired plants produce about six million tons of coal combustion by-products each year. The by-products are substituted in manufacturing processes for natural raw materials, and the uniform chemical and physical characteristics of coal by-products are often superior to those of natural raw materials. Ready mix cement, industrial abrasives, roofing materials, gypsum wallboard and asphalt pavement are examples of manufactured products made with these materials.
More than 170 jobs in the Tennessee Valley have been created as a result of the work done by the Fuel By-Products team. Several large manufacturing facilities that depend on coal combustion by-products as a primary raw material have located near Allen Fossil Plant in Memphis; Cumberland Fossil Plant in Cumberland City, Tenn.; and Paradise Fossil Plant in Drakesboro, Ky.
“This team of TVA employees has not only contributed to tremendous cost savings for TVA, but also has been innovative in developing processes for the use of coal by-products,” said TVA Environmental Executive Kate Jackson. “By using these by-products in manufacturing processes, natural resources are being conserved, and the environmental effects of mining, transporting and processing natural raw materials are minimized.”
TVA Environmental Excellence Awards are presented annually to a TVA individual, team, site, facility or organization that has demonstrated exemplary environmental performance in support of one of TVA’s six environmental principles. Those principles are: management commitment; environmental protection and stewardship; environmental compliance; pollution prevention; partnerships/public involvement; and innovation and technology.
All award winners received certificates and a framed print depicting the Valley environment.
TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self- financed. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve 8.3 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA also manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries to provide multiple benefits including flood control, navigation, water quality and recreation.
Media Contact:
Michelle Chang, Knoxville (865-632-8108) or TVA News Bureau, Knoxville (865-632-6000)
