Coal Ash: 'Why in The World Would we be Importing It?'

Chem.info ^ | 3/23/2017 | SARAH RANKIN (AP)

[Grampa Dave]

Reply of the day for this thread!

If we created enough American coal ash for our construction demands, we wouldn’t have to import it.

[xp38]

Ash Alert!!!

[usconservative]

Knowing the ChiComs there is no telling what kind a nasty extras are being added to that ash.

BINGO!! And therein lies the problem.

[jim_trent]

I was a young engineer when the Feds first made it more expensive to landfill clinkers (fly ash). The coal industry immediately looked for other places they could dispose of it without paying a penalty. One of them was to use it in place of cement in concrete.

When we started doing that (following the recommendations of the concrete industry), I immediately started having unexplained concrete failures. The recommendations of the concrete industry changed, but still included fly ash. Rinse and repeat. This went on for about 10-15 years.

Finally, I started refusing to allow fly ash to be used in my projects. The cost was slightly higher (a very small increase on the total cost), however, the unexplained failures stopped.

[RayChuang88]

In fact, coal ash (also known as fly ash) has gone from useless to a valuable commodity, especially in the building industry because of its ability to improve the quality of concrete. I still wonder why China would export coal ash, given their massive infrastructure projects like the gigantic high-speed rail system that is being expanded all over China--and they need high quality concrete for viaducts, bridges, and station structures.

[Castlebar]

I don’t know how many folks have been on this board long enough to remember Ash.............

[ckilmer]

Coal ash as well as acid mine drainage have a variety of rare earths. There is currently a considerable amount of R&D in a half dozen colleges in PA WV NC GA and AL to pull the rare earths out of coal ash and AMD.

They’re not there yet.

[BipolarBob]

first made it more expensive to landfill clinkers (fly ash)

There is a big difference between clinkers and fly ash.

, I immediately started having unexplained concrete failures.

The characteristics of the three different types of boiler ash are different and might have accounted for the failures.

YMMV

[xp38]

Myself included. I just read about him and Ash alerts in Freeper lore. Before my time on this board. I just post Ash alerts in any story with ashes.