The comparison of regulations on fly ash as a hazardous waste in Indonesia and several countries

Abstract

This paper aims to encourage the Indonesian government to review the 2014 Government Regulation (PP) number 101 related to coal-ash. Fly ashes at power plants overload the landfills and requires complete handling solution. The utilization of fly ash in Indonesia are facing the issues, one of these is the categorization of fly ash as a hazardous waste. As a result, its utilization requires permissions from the ministry of environment and forestry. In this paper, a comparative study of fly ash classification as hazardous waste in India, United States of America, China and Vietnam was conducted. India and China are the coal importer from Indonesia. US regulation was once referred when drafting PP number 101. Vietnam is chosen as comparison in Southeast Asia. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) results of fly ashes from 16 Indonesian power plants proved that their toxic content was lower than the TCLP parameters in the regulation. Acute Oral Toxicity Test (LD50) results showed that fly ash and bottom ash with dosage up to 7000 mg/kg did not cause fatalities. This study is a reference for the Indonesian government to verify the status of fly ash to be utilized as much as possible in various fields.