Unseen Threats: Soil Pollution from Household Ash in Nalaikh’s Ger Districts

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-928-5_22How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Coal ash; Ger districts; Soil contamination; Heavy metals

Abstract

Rapid urban expansion, poor waste management practices, and a reliance on coal-based energy sources have contributed significantly to soil pollution in Mongolia’s urban ger districts. This study investigates the environmental risks posed by ash disposal from household coal burning in the Nalaikh district of Ulaanbaatar, focusing on heavy metal pollution of soils. Nalaikh, a historically important coal mining region located 35 km east of Ulaanbaatar, faces a unique combination of legacy mining impacts and growing residential pressure, particularly in the ger settlements that house approximately 75% of the district’s population.

During the winter months, households in ger districts typically burn 25 kg of coal daily, producing around 5kg of ash per day. Due to limited municipal waste services, this ash is often stored on private land or temporarily dumped in surrounding areas. The ash contains high concentrations of hazardous substances, including heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, Cu, and As, which can migrate into the soil and pose significant health and environmental risks.

This study employed a multi-method approach to assess the extent of soil pollution from ash. A total of 45 samples (surface soil, soil-ash mixtures, and pure ash) were collected from 15 locations across the district. The samples were analyzed using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Results revealed elevated concentrations of heavy metals, with some ash samples showing lead (Pb) levels of up to 2950 mg/kg, nearly 50 times higher than the national soil quality standards. Spatial analysis showed pollution hotspots near informal ash dumps, former mining sites, and household heating zones.

In addition to the laboratory analysis, a household survey was conducted to collect data on coal use patterns, ash management practices, and awareness of environmental impacts. The findings highlight both the scale of the problem and the lack of public awareness and infrastructure for safe ash disposal.

The study underscores the urgent need for improved solid waste management strategies in Mongolia’s ger districts, including the introduction of safer fuel alternatives, targeted soil remediation efforts, and policy interventions that support sustainable waste handling in residential areas. The results contribute to the broader discourse on green development and circular economy by identifying opportunities for recycling and resource recovery from household ash, while informing evidence-based policy to mitigate environmental and public health risks in urban Mongolia.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Enkhjargal Sodnomdarjaa
AU  - Martin Knippertz
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/25
TI  - Unseen Threats: Soil Pollution from Household Ash in Nalaikh’s Ger Districts
BT  - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference Resources and Technology (RESAT 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 305
EP  - 316
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-928-5_22
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-928-5_22
ID  - Sodnomdarjaa2025
ER  -