This study was objected to evaluate the potential impact on the groundwater environment of the coal bottom ash used as fill materials on the land surface. From four coal-fired power plants, bottom-ashes were collected and analyzed through sequential extraction and column leaching tests following the meteoric water mobility procedure. The column tests shown leaching heavy metals including Pb, As, B, Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, Ba, Sr, Sb, V, Cr, Mo, and Hg. The relatively high concentrations of B, Sr, Ba, and V in leachate were attributed to both the higher concentrations in the bottom ash and the relatively higher portion of leachable state, sorbed state, of metals. Bottom-ash samples from the D-plant only show high leaching potential of sulfate (
$SO_4$), probably originated from the coal-combustion process, called the Fluidized Bed Combustion. Consequently, to manage recycling bottom ashes as fill materials, an evaluation system should be implemented to test the leaching potentials of metals from the ashes considering the absolute amount of metals and their state of existence in ashes, and the coal-combustion process.
Keywords: Coal bottom ash;Leaching potential;Sequential Extraction;Column leaching test;