The 3 R’s of Coal Ash: Risks, Remediation, and Recovery

In this online science/policy forum, co-sponsored between the White River Alliance and Purdue's Institute for a Sustainable Future, we will review some recent research on the contents of coal ash (also known as “coal combustion residuals” or CCRs) and the environmental and health risks associated with those contents. We will also consider policy implications of matters such as the safety of coal as impoundments and what can be done to increase safety and reduce hazards. In addition, we’ll have a look at whether coal ash might be a source of “rare earth elements” which have attracted considerable attention from policymakers re

Presenters (in order of presentation):

• Dr. Indra Frank, has a M.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a Master’s degree in Public and Environmental Health from Indiana University. After working in the field of public health and serving as a faculty member in the IU School of Public Health, she joined the staff of the Hoosier Environmental Council in 2004, retiring from HEC in 2024 but continuing to work on the coal ash issue. Dr. Frank is a well recognized expert on the subject of coal ash contamination.
• Dr. Grace Schwartz, Wofford College, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina. She received her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Duke University, and held Postdoctoral Fellowships at both the Smithsonian Institution and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Along with several other publications, Prof. Schwartz is a co-author of “Environmental Impacts of Coal Combustion Residuals: Current Understanding and Future Perspectives.”
• Dr. Maria Mastalerz, Research Geologist, Indiana Geological & Water Survey. She received her Ph.D. from Silesian Technical University in Poland, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Dr. Mastalerz joined the IGWS in 1994 and is a member of the Graduate Faculty of the Indiana University Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. She has published more than 300 research papers and is an associate editor of the Journal of Coal Geology.

Registration is required, register here.