ASH AND ITS USAGES

What is Ash and how it is generated:

Ash is the non-combustible mineral portion of coal. It is produced by coal-fired electric and steam generating plants. Typically, coal is pulverized and transported with hot primary air into the boiler's combustion chamber where it immediately ignites, generating heat. Boiler tubes absorb heat from the combustion chamber. During this process ash in the coal comes out as residue. Coarse ash particles, referred to as bottom ash, fall to the bottom of the combustion chamber, while the lighter fine ash particles, termed fly ash, remain suspended in the flue gas. Prior to exhausting the flue gas, fly ash is removed by particulate emission control devices, such as electrostatic precipitators or fabric filters.

Types of Ash
Bottom Ash Bottom ash is a coarse, granular, incombustible byproduct that is collected from the bottom of furnaces that burn coal for the generation of steam, the production of electric power, or both. The grain sizes span from fine sand to fine gravel. This is

characterized by comparatively higher carbon content and coal size. This comprises of less than 20 % ash produced in a power station. It is good for fills, embankments and road construction. Fly Ash Fly ash, also, is produced from the combustion of coal in electric utility or industrial boilers. These are the finest of coal ash particles. It is called "fly" ash because it is transported from the combustion chamber by exhaust gases. Fly ash is the fine powder formed from the mineral matter in coal, consisting of the noncombustible matter in coal plus a small amount of carbon that remains from incomplete combustion. This kind of ash is collected from the different fields of electrostatic precipitators (ESP), an ash collection device. This is characterizes by comparatively lower carbon and higher fineness. Fineness of fly ash is more in subsequent fields of ESP compared to initial fields. This ash comprises of more than 80 % of the total ash produced. Fly ash is generally light tan in color and consists mostly of silt-sized and clay-sized glassy spheres. This gives fly ash a consistency somewhat like talcum powder. Properties of fly ash vary significantly with coal composition and plant-operating conditions.

There are two basic types of fly ash: (i) Class F: Produced by burning anthracite or bituminous coal. (ii) Class C: Produced by burning lignite or sub-bituminous coal.

Pond Ash
The slurry formed after mixing ash (both fly and bottom ash) with water is pumped to the nearby ash pond, wherein water is drained / decanted away. The ash stored in ash pond is called pond ash.

Properties of Fly Ash

Physical properties:
Size and Shape:

Fly ash is typically finer than Portland cement and lime. Fly ash consists of siltsized particles which are generally spherical, typically ranging in size between 10 and 100 micron. Fineness is one of the important properties contributing to the pozzolanic reactivity of fly ash.
Particle size distribution:

Fly ash consists of fine, powdery particles that are predominantly spherical in shape, either solid or hollow, and mostly glassy (amorphous) in nature. The carbonaceous material in fly ash is composed of angular particles. The particle size distribution of most bituminous coal fly ashes is generally similar to that of silt (less than a 0.075 mm or No. 200 sieve). Although sub-bituminous coal fly ashes are also silt-sized, they are generally slightly coarser than bituminous coal fly ashes.
Colour:

Fly ash can be tan to dark gray, depending on its chemical and mineral constituents. Tan and light colors are typically associated with high lime content. A brownish color is typically associated with the iron content. A dark gray to black color is typically attributed to an elevated unburned carbon content. Fly ash color is usually very consistent for each power plant and coal source.

Fig-2.4 Typical ash colors (Source: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov) Other physical properties:

The specific gravity of fly ash usually ranges from 2.1 to 3.0, while its specific surface area (measured by the Blaine air permeability method)) may range from 170 to 1000 - 29 -m2/kg. The color of fly ash can vary from tan to gray to black, depending on the amount of unburned carbon in the ash. The lighter is the colour; the lower is the carbon content. Lignite or sub-bituminous fly ashes are usually light tan to buff in color, indicating relatively low amounts of carbon as well as the presence of some lime or calcium. Bituminous fly ashes are usually some shade of gray, with the lighter shades of gray generally indicating a higher quality of ash.

Fig-2.5 Fly ash particles at 2000x magnification. (Source: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov)

Chemical properties:

The chemical properties of fly ash are influenced to a great extent by those of the coal burned and the techniques used for handling and storage. There are basically four types, or ranks, of coal, each of which varies in terms of its heating value, its chemical composition, ash content, and geological origin. The four types, or ranks, of coal are anthracite, bituminous, sub-bituminous, and lignite. In addition to being handled in a dry, conditioned, or wet form, fly ash is also sometimes classified according to the type of coal from which the ash was derived. The principal components of bituminous coal fly ash are silica, alumina, iron oxide, and calcium, with varying amounts of carbon, as measured by the loss on ignition (LOI). Lignite and sub-bituminous coal fly ashes are characterized by higher concentrations of calcium and magnesium oxide and reduced percentages of silica and iron oxide, as well as lower carbon content, compared with bituminous coal fly ash. Very little anthracite coal is burned in utility boilers, so there are only small amounts of anthracite coal fly ash. American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) M 295 [American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Specification C 618] defines the chemical composition of Class C and Class F fly ash. Table below compares the normal range of the chemical constituents of bituminous coal fly ash with those of lignite coal fly ash and sub-bituminous coal fly ash. From the table, it is evident that lignite and sub-bituminous coal fly ashes have a higher calcium oxide content and lower loss on ignition than fly ashes from bituminous coals. Lignite and sub-bituminous coal fly ashes may have a higher concentration of sulfate compounds than bituminous coal fly ashes. The chief difference between Class F and Class C fly ash is in the amount of calcium and the silica, alumina, and iron content in the ash. In Class F fly ash, total calcium typically ranges from 1 to 15 percent, mostly in the form of calcium hydroxide, calcium sulfate, and glassy components in combination with silica and alumina. In contrast, Class C fly ash may have reported calcium oxide contents as high as 30 to 40 percent. Another difference between Class F and Class C is that the amount of alkalis (combined sodium and potassium) and sulfates (SO4) are generally higher in the Class C fly ashes than in the Class F fly ashes.
Table- Oxides in Fly ash and Portland cement Compound SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO(LIME) MgO Fly ash class F 55 26 7 9 2 Fly ash class C 40 17 6 24 5 Portland Cement 23 4 2 64 2

SO3

Source: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov

Pozzolanic properties:
Fly ash is most commonly used as a pozzolan in PCC applications. Pozzolans are siliceous or siliceous and aluminous materials, which in a finely divided form and in the presence of water, react with calcium hydroxide at ordinary temperatures to produce cementations compounds.

Usages of Ash
1.Fly Ash in Cement
Ash find its main and maximum use in manufacturing of cement. To understand the use of fly ash in cement,

2.Fly Ash in Portland cement Concrete

Fly ash is used in concrete admixtures to enhance the performance of concrete. Portland cement contains about 65 percent lime. Some of this lime becomes free and available during the hydration process. When fly ash is present with free lime, it reacts chemically to form additional cementitious materials, improving many of the properties of the concrete.

3.Fly Ash in Stabilized Base Course

Fly ash and lime can be combined with aggregate to produce a quality stabilized base course. These road bases are referred to as pozzolanic-stabilized mixtures (PSMs). Typical fly ash contents may vary from 12 to 14 percent with corresponding lime contents of three to five percent. Portland cement may also be used in lieu of lime to increase early age strengths. The resulting material is produced, placed, and looks like cement-stabilized aggregate base.

4.Fly Ash in Flow-able Fill

Flowable fill is a mixture of coal fly ash, water, and Portland cement that flows like a liquid, sets up like a solid, is self-leveling, and requires no compaction or vibration to achieve maximum density. In addition to these benefits, a properly

designed flowable fill may be excavated later. For some mixes, an optional filler material such as sand, bottom ash, or quarry fines, is added. Flowable fill is also referred to as controlled low-strength material, flowable mortar, or controlled density fill. It is designed to function in the place of conventional backfill materials such as soil, sand, or gravel and to alleviate problems and restrictions generally associated with the placement of these materials.

5.Fly Ash in Structural Fills/Embankments

Fly ash can be used as a borrow material to construct fills and embankments. When fly ash is compacted in lifts, a structural fill is constructed that is capable of supporting highway buildings or other structures. Fly ash has been used in the construction of structural fills/embankments that range from small fills for road shoulders to large fills for interstate highway embankments.

6.Fly Ash in Soil Improvement

Fly ash is an effective agent for chemical and/or mechanical stabilization of soils. Typical applications include: soil stabilization, soil drying, and control of shrinkswell. Benefits: Fly ash provides the following benefits when used to improve soil conditions: 1. Eliminates need for expensive borrow materials. 2. Expedites construction by improving excessively wet or unstable sub-grade 3. By improving sub-grade conditions, promotes cost savings through reduction in the required pavement thickness. 4. Can reduce or eliminate the need for more expensive natural aggregates in the pavement cross-section
7. Fly

Ash in Asphalt Pavements:

Fly ash can be used as mineral filler in HMA paving applications. Mineral fillers increase the stiffness of the asphalt mortar matrix, improving the rutting resistance of pavements, and the durability of the mix.

8.Fly Ash in Bricks

9. Fly

Ash in Asbestos sheets

In the process of asbestos sheet manufacturing, certain percentage of ash is used as replacement of cement.

10.

Manufacture of Fertilizers

Fly ash mixed with dewatered sewage sludge can be utilized in manufacture of fertilizer. M/s N-VIRO of USA has developed a process for production of N-VIRO soil which can be used in agricultural and horticultural purpose. Similarly, M/s. Roy Research and Technology has developed a fly ash based synthetic soil enriched with lignocelluloses nitrogen with all the bio character.

11.

Pond Ash for Embankments

Pond ash (collected from ash ponds) exhibit good shear strength comparable to soils. Due to its good permeability, it can be used in rainy seasons. It is also easier to compact as its moisture density curve is more even.

12.

Pond Ash for roads

Ash generation and Utilization scenario