Coal Ash Enrichment with Its Full Use in Various Areas

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Coal ash is a large-tonnage industrial waste from thermal power plants.
• Effective recycling and utilization of coal ash are crucial for environmental protection.
• Current methods often fail to achieve complete coal ash valorization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an innovative technology for the comprehensive processing and separation of coal ash.
• To enable the utilization of separated coal ash components in diverse industrial applications.
• To achieve complete waste recycling and resource recovery from coal ash.

Main Methods:

• A six-stage proprietary technology involving disintegration, flotation, two-stage magnetic separation, grinding, and drying.
• Characterization of separated aluminosilicate, carbonaceous, and iron-containing fractions.
• Testing of component applications in cement, fuel briquettes, metallurgy, and agriculture.

Main Results:

• The aluminosilicate component enhances Portland cement compressive strength by 30-35% with 15% replacement.
• High-calorie fuel briquettes (19.5-20 MJ/kg) were produced from the carbonaceous fraction.
• The iron-containing component showed potential as a metallurgical additive and an effective soil micro-fertilizer.

Conclusions:

• The developed technology enables the complete utilization of coal ash, transforming it into valuable industrial materials.
• This approach offers a sustainable solution for managing coal ash waste.
• The process contributes to environmental protection and resource efficiency.