Recovering and reusing coal fly ash elements
Most of the components existing in coal fly ash are useful. For instance, 70-80 percent are made up of a glassy aluminium/silicon combination. The key is separating the useful components from the harmful ones. Since the useful components are merged within a glassy structure, they are difficult to extract. Furthermore, fly ashes can differ greatly in terms of their chemical construction and physical make-up. Consequently, this results in varied suitability for conversion. Fulfilling the need for the selection of the most suitable materials, the SILEX project developed the "Checklist on Suitability of Fly Ashes for the Conversion into Zeolites". Assessing the suitability of fly ash and recovering useful elements may improve the market potential for raw materials in the future. Thus, the SILEX project has discovered a means for increasing the reuse of fly ash in an efficient manner and at a competitive price, leading to a more sustainable- economically driven management of raw materials and environment.
