UTILIZATION OF FLY ASH IN INDIA

WHAT IS FLY ASH?

Fly ash in india : In thermal power plants, when pulverized coal is burned, we get a by-product called Fly Ash. This remnant can be responsible for serious environmental problems if let out incautiously and thus, Macawber Beekay extracts it using Vacuum System or Pressure Conveying System. For years, Fly Ash was considered an industrial waste and a larger part of it used to end up in ash dams & related landfills..

WHY FLY ASH UTILIZATION IS VITAL?

In the last few decades, in energy generation, coal has been a dominant player world-wide and is expected to maintain its dominion in coming years. India shows the largest growth in coal consumption, with over two-thirds of its electricity generation occurring using coal. With a surging utilization, The Indian Ministry of Power estimates that 1800 million tonnes of coal can be used every year leading to generation of 600 million tonnes of Fly Ash by 2030-31.

Loose Fly Ash can lead to severe health and environmental hazards, bringing attention to MoEF’s prescription for plants of achieving 100% utilization. Thus, having made it important to develop technical and economical solutions for fly ash utilization to reduce these fly ash related problems. It is very essential to set-up a Dry Fly Ash Handling System in the power plants.

UTILIZATION OF FLY ASH

The essential idea of reuse of this remnant is not only to control its effects on the environment, but also, to realize economic gain from the sale of this by-product and replace some limited or expensive natural resources with its employment. It can be used in the following areas-

CEMENT MANUFACTURING

Due to the presence of a significant amount of silica, alumina and lime in it, Fly Ash can be used as a sectional substitute (upto 30%) for Portland cement. The inclusion of Fly Ash as the blending material substantially improves the quality and durability of the concrete as Fly Ash reacts like a pozzolana with the lime in cement as it hydrates, creating a sturdy binder. In India, current production of conventional cement is similar to that of Fly Ash blended one. By using Fly Ash based cement, the cement industries can escalate their production with lesser resources.

CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD & EMBANKMENT

Using Fly Ash for road and embankment works gains an upper hand for its gradation, shear strength, compressibility and permeability. It’s also a lightweight material as compared to commonly filled conventional local soil thus, causing lesser settlements. Pozzolanic hardening property gives additional strength to the road pavements/ embankments and decreases the post construction horizontal pressure on retaining walls. It can replace a part of cement and sand in concrete pavements thus making them more economical than roads constructed using conventional materials.

FLY ASH BRICK

Fly ash can be used for manufacturing bricks used for building construction. These bricks are light in weight and stronger than common burnt clay bricks available otherwise. Fly ash can also be used for manufacturing pavement blocks or tiles normally used for strengthening and decorative flooring in pavements, walkways etc. The use of fly ash for manufacturing these will give an economical edge compared to the conventional bricks or blocks and also, help in preserving land area dug out for clay brick manufacturing.

CONCLUSION

The production of coal fly ash is expected to grow for coming years, as a result of the world’s increasing dependence on coal-based power generation. Understanding the characteristics of this by-product provides a foundation for its alternative uses. Having the idea of the diverse ways to use fly ash, such as in the cement manufacturing, road construction etc, is essential to meet the CEA’s guidelines of Fly Ash utilization and its better management to reduce environmental pollution. Macawber Beekay is joining hands with the society for a cleaner and greener India by manufacturing durable Ash Handling Systems..