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GHOSH, SWAPAN S. , Indiana Gas Company, Indianapolis, IN

Abstract: Manufactured Gas Plant: Process, Practice and Environmental Consequences

Gas manufacturing by coal carbonization and carbureted water gas process was a significant industry in Indiana between ca 1850 and 1940. Polishing and purification of the initial product yielded several byproducts such as coke, tar and ammonia, and waste such as purifier waste, clinker and waste water. Unused tar and other process wastes were left on-site in holders, containers or as fill materials. Chemical components of the by-products and wastes, which are of environmental concern, consist of BTEX, PAHs, phenolics, inorganic nitrogen compounds and some metals. However, assessment of groundwater and soil contamination in several MGP sites indicates that benzene and a few carcinogen PAHs essentially control the environmental risk associated with the MGP sites.

Investigation and prediction of fate and transport of the MGP waste varies from being elemental: as in identifying purifier waste (cobalt blue, pumice-like materials and naphthalene odor) to elaborate as in the analysis of impact of tar in the environment (three phases - LNAPL, DNAPL and dissolved constituents). Experience from several MGP sites indicates that a site specific investigation should be conducted to assess the risks to the environment for selection of appropriate technology/remedy for cleanup. 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90926©1999 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Indianapolis, Indiana