| Summary: |
This project aims an integrated approach to the recycling of coal combustion ash (CCA) via an environmentally integrated solution involving advanced characterization, beneficiation
and environmental applications taking into account the specific coal ash of Odisha coals and the need to eliminate the Portuguese landfills of Pego and Sines power plants, and the
environmental sustainability on natural graphite and clay deposits. Six applications will be considered:
a) CCA as a secondary source of rare earth elements;
b) CCA char (unburned carbon) as a substitute of natural graphite in green energy catalytic reactions;
c) CCA ferrospheres in water pollutants (nitroarene) reduction;
d) Coal fly ash and char in alkyl-levulinate production for biofuels;
e) Different size-fractions CCA free of char and ferrospheres for bricks making;
f) Different size-fractions CCA free of char and ferrospheres for ceramics making.
India is pursuing for 100 % utilization of the CCA. However, most of the bottom ash is landfilled and only 67 % of the total generation of fly ash is used, and half of it in cement
industry, a number that could be increased if CCA is beneficiated and used to obtain critical elements, carbon to replace graphene, Fe-morphotypes to improve catalysis and
manufacturing high-quality bricks and ceramics.
On the other hand, Portugal will close its coal power plants until 2023, which will leave behind large landfills with C-rich CCA that was not consumed by the cement industry due to a
lack of CCA beneficiation policies. However, these may have a potential to be used in the production of bricks and ceramics once char and ferrospheres are removed.
For CCA full recycling and valorization, beneficiation is needed in order to recover REE-rich fractions, char and ferrospheres, which must be done using a combination of
characterization techniques (e.g., SEM/EDS, XRD) to optimize beneficiation and the applications.
The CCA separation may be obtained via a seque  |
Summary
This project aims an integrated approach to the recycling of coal combustion ash (CCA) via an environmentally integrated solution involving advanced characterization, beneficiation
and environmental applications taking into account the specific coal ash of Odisha coals and the need to eliminate the Portuguese landfills of Pego and Sines power plants, and the
environmental sustainability on natural graphite and clay deposits. Six applications will be considered:
a) CCA as a secondary source of rare earth elements;
b) CCA char (unburned carbon) as a substitute of natural graphite in green energy catalytic reactions;
c) CCA ferrospheres in water pollutants (nitroarene) reduction;
d) Coal fly ash and char in alkyl-levulinate production for biofuels;
e) Different size-fractions CCA free of char and ferrospheres for bricks making;
f) Different size-fractions CCA free of char and ferrospheres for ceramics making.
India is pursuing for 100 % utilization of the CCA. However, most of the bottom ash is landfilled and only 67 % of the total generation of fly ash is used, and half of it in cement
industry, a number that could be increased if CCA is beneficiated and used to obtain critical elements, carbon to replace graphene, Fe-morphotypes to improve catalysis and
manufacturing high-quality bricks and ceramics.
On the other hand, Portugal will close its coal power plants until 2023, which will leave behind large landfills with C-rich CCA that was not consumed by the cement industry due to a
lack of CCA beneficiation policies. However, these may have a potential to be used in the production of bricks and ceramics once char and ferrospheres are removed.
For CCA full recycling and valorization, beneficiation is needed in order to recover REE-rich fractions, char and ferrospheres, which must be done using a combination of
characterization techniques (e.g., SEM/EDS, XRD) to optimize beneficiation and the applications.
The CCA separation may be obtained via a sequence consisting of electrostatic separation, wet-magnetic separation, and wet-sieving. Each one of these separation methods has two
purposes: one is to concentrate elements such as REE, C and Fe, while the other is to obtain fractions poor in these elements. The former will be assessed (REE-rich fractions) and
tested in the synthesis of doped chars (as a substitute of graphite) and ferrospheres concentrates with improved electrocatalytic properties towards oxygen reduction reactions
(ORR) and the functionalization by incorporation of sulfonic acid groups and active metals sites for subsequent application in nitroarene reduction and alkyl-levulinates production
used as catalysts, while the latter will be tested to substitute clay in making high quality bricks and ceramics.
This project will be developed by a multidisciplinary team from different institutions: geologists, chemical engineers, metallurgists and chemists (Faculty of Sciences of Porto
University, Institute of Earth Sciences, REQUIMTE, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (Bhubaneswar, Odisha)). The risks of this project implementation are very low
owing to the availability of samples, equipment, and expertise. |
| Results: |
This project aims an integrated approach to the recycling of coal combustion ash (CCA) via an environmentally integrated solution involving advanced characterization, beneficiation
and environmental applications taking into account the specific coal ash of Odisha coals and the need to eliminate the Portuguese landfills of Pego and Sines power plants, and the
environmental sustainability on natural graphite and clay deposits. Six applications will be considered:
a) CCA as a secondary source of rare earth elements;
b) CCA char (unburned carbon) as a substitute of natural graphite in green energy catalytic reactions;
c) CCA ferrospheres in water pollutants (nitroarene) reduction;
d) Coal fly ash and char in alkyl-levulinate production for biofuels;
e) Different size-fractions CCA free of char and ferrospheres for bricks making;
f) Different size-fractions CCA free of char and ferrospheres for ceramics making.
India is pursuing for 100 % utilization of the CCA. However, most of the bottom ash is landfilled and only 67 % of the total generation of fly ash is used, and half of it in cement
industry, a number that could be increased if CCA is beneficiated and used to obtain critical elements, carbon to replace graphene, Fe-morphotypes to improve catalysis and
manufacturing high-quality bricks and ceramics.
On the other hand, Portugal will close its coal power plants until 2023, which will leave behind large landfills with C-rich CCA that was not consumed by the cement industry due to a
lack of CCA beneficiation policies. However, these may have a potential to be used in the production of bricks and ceramics once char and ferrospheres are removed.
For CCA full recycling and valorization, beneficiation is needed in order to recover REE-rich fractions, char and ferrospheres, which must be done using a combination of
characterization techniques (e.g., SEM/EDS, XRD) to optimize beneficiation and the applications.
The CCA separation may be obtained via a sequence consisting of electrostatic separation, wet-magnetic separation, and wet-sieving. Each one of these separation methods has two
purposes: one is to concentrate elements such as REE, C and Fe, while the other is to obtain fractions poor in these elements. The former will be assessed (REE-rich fractions) and
tested in the synthesis of doped chars (as a substitute of graphite) and ferrospheres concentrates with improved electrocatalytic properties towards oxygen reduction reactions
(ORR) and the functionalization by incorporation of sulfonic acid groups and active metals sites for subsequent application in nitroarene reduction and alkyl-levulinates production
used as catalysts, while the latter will be tested to substitute clay in making high quality bricks and ceramics.
This project will be developed by a multidisciplinary team from different institutions: geologists, chemical engineers, metallurgists and chemists (Faculty of Sciences of Porto
University, Institute of Earth Sciences, REQUIMTE, CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (Bhubaneswar, Odisha)). The risks of this project implementation are very low
owing to the availability of samples, equipment, and expertise. |