International Journal of emerging trends in engineering and development Issue 1, Vol.

1(August-2011)
ISSN 2249-6149

Fly Ash Utilization in Different Sectors in

Indian Scenario
J.Alam1 and M.N Akhtar2

1
Associate Professor in Civil Engineering Department Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh India

2
P.G. Student in Civil Engineering Department Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh India

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Abstract

Current annual production of Fly ash, a by-product from coal based thermal power plant
(TPPs), is about 112 million tonnes (MT). Some of the problems associated with Fly ash are
large area of land required for disposal and toxicity associated with heavy metal leached to
groundwater. Fly ash, being treated as waste and a source of air and water pollution till
recent past, is in fact a resource material and has also proven its worth over a period of time.
It is the action of human beings that determines the worth of any material. Materials having
potential for gainful utilization remain in the category of waste till its potential is understood
and is put to right use. Fly ash is one such example, which has been treated as waste
materials, in India, till a decade back, and has now emerged not only as a resource material
but also as an environment saviour. This paper presents different ways of using Fly ash in
various sectors of civil engineering construction industry in India.

Keywords: Fly ash, water pollution, TPPs.

1.1 Introduction

Fly ash is a naturally-cementatious coal combustion by-product. It is extracted by the

precipitators in the smokestacks of coal-burning power plants to reduce pollution. About 120
coals based thermal power stations in India are producing about 112 million tonne fly ash per
year. With the increasing demand of power and coal being the major source of energy, more
and more thermal power stations are expected to be commissioned/ augment their capacities
in near future. Fly ash has been considered as a “Pollution Industrial Waste” till about a

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decade back and was being disposed off in ash ponds. Indian coal has high ash content (35%-
45%) and low calorific value (3500 kcal/kg – 4000 kcal/kg) as a result of which huge
quantity of fly ash is generated. It is expected to increase to about 200 MT per year by the
year 2012. This would require about 4000 ha of land for the construction of ash ponds.
Generally one acre of land is required per megawatt of power generation. Continuous studies
have been carried out in India towards management of fly ash (FA), disposal and utilization.
Out of total power generated of India, about 70% is produced by thermal power plants
(TPPs). The Majority of thermal power plants 84% are run by coal; rest on gas (13%) and oil
(3%). Thermal power plants uses 260 million tonnes (MT) of coal which is about 65% of
annual coal produced in India The quality of flyash which depends on coal, coal particle
fineness, percentage of ash in coal, combustion technique used, air/fuel ratio, burners used,
and type of boiler. The Indian Government has taken a target of 31.1 million housing
complex as per 2001 Census[1] out of which 24 million units are in rural area and 7.1 million
units in urban areas, for that govt targeted the year 2010. In 1998, National Housing and
Habitat Policy has been announced by the govt which aims for providing “Houses for All”
and facilitating the construction of 20 lakh additional housing units (13 lakh in rural areas and
7 lakh in urban areas) annually, with emphasis on extending benefits to the poor and the
deprived. Apart from the above housing needs, nearly 1% of the housing stock in the country
is destroyed every year due to natural hazards. Large number of innovative alternate building
materials and low cost construction techniques developed through intensive research efforts
during last three to four decades satisfies functional as well as specification requirements of
conventional materials/techniques and provide an avenue for bringing down the construction
cost. Fly Ash, an industrial by-product from Thermal Power Plants (TPPs), with current
annual generation of approximately 112 million tonnes and its proven suitability for variety
of applications as admixture in cement/concrete/mortar, lime pozzolana mixture
(bricks/blocks) etc. Cement and Concrete Industry accounts for 50% Fly Ash utilization, the
total utilization of which at present stands at 30MT (28%). The other areas of application are
Low lying area fill (17%), Roads & Embankments (15%), Dyke Raising (4%), Brick
manufacturing (2%) and other new areas for safe disposal of fly ash is in paint industry,
agriculture etc.

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Table 1 Fly ash generation and utilization in different countries

S. No Country Annual ash production, MT Ash utilization %

1 India 112 38
2 China 100 45
3 USA 75 65
4 Germany 40 85
5 UK 15 50
6 Australia 10 85
7 Canada 6 75
8 France 3 85
9 Denmark 2 100
10 Italy 2 100
11 Netherland 2 100

2.1 Classes of Fly Ash

According to ASTM C-618 Fly ash is broadly classified into two major categories: Class F
and Class C fly ash. The chief difference between these two classes is the amount of calcium,
silica, alumina, and iron content. The chemical properties of the fly ash are largely influenced
by the chemical content of the coal burned (i.e., anthracite, bituminous, and lignite).

2.1.1 Class ‘F’ fly ash

The burning of old anthracite and bituminous coal typically produces Class F fly ash which
contains less than 10% lime (CaO). Possessing pozzolanic properties, the glassy silica and
alumina of Class „F‟ Fly ash requires a cementing agent, such as Portland cement, quicklime,
or hydrated lime, with the presence of water in order to react and produce cementitious
compounds. Alternatively the addition of a chemical activator such as sodium silicate (water
glass) to a Class „F‟ ash can lead to the formation of a geopolymer.

2.1.1 Class C Fly ash

Class „C‟ Fly ash produced from the burning of younger lignite or sub bituminous coal
generally contains more than 20% lime (CaO). This type of ash does not require an activator

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& the contents of Alkali and sulfate (SO4) are generally higher as compare to the Class „F‟
Fly ash.

Fig. 1 Typical ash colours (Class „F‟ & „C‟ Fly ash)

3.1 Disposal and market sources

In the past, fly ash produced from coal combustion was simply entrained in flue gases and
dispersed into the atmosphere. This created environmental and health concerns that prompted
laws which have reduced fly ash emissions to less than 1% of ash produced. Worldwide,
more than 65% of fly ash produced from coal power stations is disposed of in landfills and
ash ponds. In India alone, fly ash landfill covers an area of 40,000 acres (160 km2).The
recycling of fly ash has become an increasing concern in recent years due to increasing
landfill costs and current interest in sustainable development. As of 2005, U.S. coal-fired
power plants reported producing 71.1 million tons of fly ash, of which 29.1 million tons were
reused in various applications. If the nearly 42 million tons of unused fly ash had been
recycled, it would have reduced the need for approximately 27,500 acre feet (33,900,000 m3)
of landfill space. Other environmental benefits to recycling fly ash includes reducing the
demand for virgin materials that would need quarrying and substituting for materials that may
be energy-intensive to create (such as Portland cement).As of 2006, about 125 million tons of
"coal-combustion by products," including fly ash, were produced in the U.S. each year, with
about 43 percent of that amount used in commercial applications, according to the American
Coal Ash Association Web site. As of early 2008, the EPA hoped that figure would increase
to 50 percent as of 2011 [2].

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Some of the innovative and commonly manufactured eco friendly building material utilizing
Fly Ash is covered below;

3.1.1 Cellular Light Weight Concrete (CLC) Blocks

These are substitute to bricks and conventional concrete blocks in building with density
varying from 800 kg/m3 to 1800 kg/m3. The normal constituents of this Foaming Agent based
technology from Germany are cement, Fly Ash (to the extent 1/4 th to 1/3rd of total materials
constituent), sand, water and foam (generated from biodegradable foaming agent). Using
CLC walling & roofing panels can also be manufacture. Foaming agent and the Foam
generator, if used for production of CLC with over 25% fly ash content invites concession on
import duty by Govt. of India [6].

3.1.2 Development of Fly Ash Based Polymer Composites as Wood Substitute

Fly ash based composites have been developed using fly ash as filler and jute cloth as
reinforcement. After treatment, the jute cloth is passed into the matrix for lamination. The
laminates are cured at specific temperature and pressure. Number of laminates is used for
required thickness. The technology on fly ash Polymer Composite using Jute cloth as
reinforcement for wood substitute material can be applied in many applications like door
shutters, partition panels, flooring tiles, wall panelling, ceiling, etc. With regard to wood
substitute products, it may be noted that the developed components / materials are stronger,
more durable, resistant to corrosion and above all cost effective as compared to the
conventional material i.e. wood. This technology has been developed by Regional Research
Laboratory, Bhopal in collaboration with Building Materials & Technology Promotion
Council (BMTPC) and TIFAC. One commercial plant has also been set up based on this
technology near Chennai [7].

3.1.3 Portland Pozzolana Cement

Up to 35% of suitable fly ash can directly be substituted for cement as blending material.
Addition of fly ash significantly improves the quality & durability characteristics of resulting
concrete. In India, present cement production per annum is comparable to the production of
Fly Ash. Hence even without enhancing the production capacity of cement; availability of
the cement (fly ash based PPC) can be significantly increased [8].

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3.1.4 Ready mixed Fly Ash concrete

Though Ready Mix concrete is quite popular in developed countries but in India it consumes
less than 5 percent of total cement consumption. Only recently its application has started
growing at a fast rate. On an average 20% Fly ash (of cementitious material) in the country is
being used which can easily go very high. In ready mix concrete various ingredients and
quality parameters are strictly maintained/controlled which is not possible in the concrete
produced at site and hence it can accommodate still higher quantity of fly ash [7].

Fig.2

3.1.5 Fly Ash- Sand-Lime-(Gypsum /Cement) Bricks /Blocks

Fly Ash can be used in the range of 40-70%. The other ingredients are lime, gypsum /cement,
sand, stone dust/chips etc. Minimum compressive strength (28 days) of 70 kg/cm2 can easily
be achieved and this can go up to 250 Kg/cm2 (in autoclaved type) [9].

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Fig.3

3.1.6 Fly Ash in Road Construction

Fly ash can be used for construction of road and embankment. This utilization has many
advantages over conventional methods. Saves top soil which otherwise is conventionally
used, avoids creation of low lying areas (by excavation of soil to be used for construction of
embankments). Avoids recurring expenditure on excavation of soil from one place for
construction and filling up of low lying areas thus created. Fly Ash may be used in road
construction for:
i) Stabilizing and constructing sub-base or base.
ii) Upper layers of pavements.
iii) Filling purposes. Concrete with Fly Ash (10-20% by wt) is cost effective and
improves performance of rigid pavement.
iv) Soil mixed with Fly Ash and lime increases California Bearing Ratio (CBR), increased
(84.6%) on addition of only Fly Ash to soil. Addition of Fly Ash has not shown any adverse
effects on the ground water quality in the vicinity of experimental plots. V)National Highway
Authority of India (NHAI) is currently using 60 lakh m3 of Fly Ash and proposed to use
another 67 lakh m3 in future projects.

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Fig. 4

3.1.7 Roller compacted concrete

Another application of using fly ash is in roller compacted concrete dams. Many dams in the
US have been constructed with high fly ash contents. Fly ash lowers the heat of hydration
allowing thicker placements to occur. Data for these can be found at the US Bureau of
Reclamation. This has also been demonstrated in the Ghatghar Dam Project in India [7].

3.1.8 Embankment

Fly ash properties are somewhat unique as an engineering material. Unlike typical soils used
for embankment construction, fly ash has a large uniformity coefficient consisting of clay-
sized particles. Engineering properties that will affect fly ash use in embankments include
grain size distribution, compaction characteristics, shear strength, compressibility,
permeability, and frost susceptibility. Nearly all fly ash used in embankments are Class F fly
ashes.

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Fig. 5

3.1.9Asphalt concrete

Asphalt concrete is a composite material consisting of an asphalt binder and mineral

aggregate. Both Class F and Class C fly ash can typically be used as a mineral filler to fill the
voids and provide contact points between larger aggregate particles in asphalt concrete mixes.
This application is used in conjunction or as a replacement for, other binders (such as
Portland cement or hydrated lime). For use in asphalt pavement, the fly ash must meet
mineral filler specifications outlined in ASTM D242. The hydrophobic nature of fly ash gives
pavements better resistance to stripping. Fly ash has also been shown to increase the stiffness
of the asphalt matrix, improving rutting resistance and increasing mix durability [7].

Fig. 6

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3.1.10 Use of Fly Ash in Agriculture

The large volume of fly ash occupies large area of land and possesses threat to environment.
As such, there is an urgent and imperative need to adapt technologies for gainful utilization
and safe management of fly ashes on sustainable basis. Agriculture and waste land
management have emerged as prime bulk utilization areas for fly ash in the country. The field
demonstration experiments carried out under varied agro-climatic conditions and soil types
across the country by various R & D Institutes / Universities on the cultivation of different
field crops (cereals, pulses, oil seeds, sugar cane, vegetables, etc.) and forestry species with
different doses of fly ash and pond ash as soil modifier / source of economical plant nutrients
with and without organic manure bio-fertilizer and chemical fertilizers in respect to crop
yield, soil health, quality of crop produce, uptake of nutrients and toxic heavy metals, ground
water quality etc. have revealed the following:

1. It improves permeability status of soil.

2. Improves fertility status of soil (soil health) / crop yield.
3. Improves soil texture.
4. Reduces bulk density of soil.
5. Improves water holding capacity / porosity.
6. Optimizes pH value.
7. Improves soil aeration.
8. Reduces crust formation.
9. Provides micro nutrients like Fe, Zn, Cu, Mo, B, Mn, etc.
10. Provides macro nutrients like K, P, Ca, Mg, S etc.
11. Works as a part substitute of gypsum for reclamation of saline alkali soil and lime
For reclamation of acidic soils.

12. Ash ponds provides suitable conditions and essential nutrients for plant growth,

Helps improve the economic condition of local inhabitants.

13. Crops grown on fly ash amended soil are safe for human consumption &

Groundwater quality is not affected.

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Keeping the above important findings in view, pond ash at a dose of 30-50 tonne per. Hectare
on one time basis along with recommended dose of fertilizers / manures is recommended for
its use agriculture/ forestry sector/wasteland management or cultivation of different cereals /
pluses/ oil seeds / vegetables etc., the repeat application of which can be made after 4-5 years
as it would have significant residual effect on the yield of succeeding crops over a period of
4-5 years. The abandoned ash ponds in the Vicinity of TPPs could also be safely reclaimed
via suitable amendments for forestry/floriculture purposes.

4.1 Initiatives taken in the direction of creating Fly Ash grading facility at
Thermal Power Plants.

As circular by CPWD, IS 456:2000 etc. specifies certain grade of fly ash (conforming to IS
3812) for cement/concrete applications which is not easily available at Thermal Power Plants.
Even products like fly ash based bricks, blocks, tiles; pavers, etc. require fly ash of graded
quality. Therefore, it was felt necessary to create some fly ash processing facility at TPP so
that graded fly ash can be made available to end user. In this regard, letters have been issued
to many Thermal Power Stations detailed presentation has been made to Central Electricity
Authority and discussions are in progress with some of the TPPs [4].

4.1.1 Conversion of fly ash into wealth generator

(Excerpt from President A P J Abdul Kalam's address to the nation on the eve of the countries
56th Republic Day): “As you are aware, the use of coal for power generation results in an
increased quantum of fly ash production, which has reached about 100 million tonnes per
year. All out efforts are needed to utilize this fly ash not only from environmental
considerations, but also to avoid land usage for fly ash dumping. Though there has been a
steady progress in fly ash utilization from 1990, we have a long way to go to reach the target
of 100 per cent fly ash utilization. It is reported that the agricultural increase of grains is
around 15 per cent, green vegetables 35 percent and root vegetables 50 per cent, when fly ash
is mixed with soil. Toxicity tests have proved that there is no toxic element due to fly ash.
But it has higher nutrients due to increased availability of iron and calcium. Fly ash can
become a wealth generator by making use of it for producing „green building‟ materials,
roads, agriculture etc. Full utilization of the generating stock will provide employment
potential for three hundred thousand people and result in a business volume of over Rs.4,000

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crore.”[3].

5.1 Conclusion

Fly Ash has become an important raw material for various industrial and construction
applications. It‟s widely used in manufacturing of bricks, cement, asbestos-cement products
and roads/embankments. The studied are carried out for improvement of agricultural crops,
wastelands, and zeolites. This waste has found application in domestic and wastewater
treatment, purification, paint and enamel manufacturing. In future, large-scale application of
this waste product may be possible for recovery of heavy metals, reclamation of wasteland,
and floriculture. The detailed investigations carried out on fly ash elsewhere as well as at the
Indian Institute of Science show that fly ash has good potential for use in highway
applications. Its low specific gravity, freely draining nature, ease of compaction,
insensitiveness to changes in moisture content, good frictional properties, etc. can be
gainfully exploited in the construction of embankments, roads, reclamation of low-lying
areas, fill behind retaining structures, etc. It can be also used in reinforced concrete
construction since the alkaline nature will not corrode steel. This not only solves the
problems associated with the disposal of fly ash (like requirement of precious land,
environmental pollution, etc.) but also helps in conserving the precious top soil required for
growing food. The future poses challenges to the scientists, technologists, engineers towards
sound management of fly ash disposal & deposition technologies. The problem is not due to
lack to technical competence but more of adoption, implementation and better management
of improved & appropriate technologies. On the basis of studies carried out on fly ash
utilization, it is sighted that use of fly ash in building construction posses great gains. Either
fly ash used in brick manufacturing or in concrete mixes, it gives very good results in almost
every aspect including good strength, economically feasible and environment friendly. The
guideline for all thermal power stations as regards disposal techniques/ strategies should
ensure minimum adverse impact on the flora & fauna of a particular place. The attempt
should be to consciously reduce environmental damage to ensure more effective management
of fly ash which India needs.

References

[1] Census of India 2001.

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[2] MOEF Notification dated September 14, 1999 regarding Utilisation of Fly Ash
and Amendments to this dated August 27, 2003.

[3] “Building Materials in India: 50 Years” A commemorative volume published by

BMTPC.

[4] Circular by CPWD No. CDO/SE (RR)/Fly Ash (Main)/387 dated May 13, 2004.

[5] Proceedings of the International Symposium on “Concrete Technology for

Sustainable Development in the Twenty First Century” edited by P. Kumar Mehta,
Hyderabad, India, February, 1999.

[6] Singh G. B. “Cellular Light Weight Concrete”, The Construction Journal of India,
September-October 1998, Vol. 1 issue 4.

[7] Saxena Mohini and Prabhakar J. “Emerging Technologies for Third Millennium
on Wood Substitute and Paint from coal ash” 2 nd International conference on “Fly
Ash Disposal & Utilization”, New Delhi, India, February 2000.

[8] M. Ghrici, S. Kenai and M. Said-Mansour Mechanical properties and durability of

mortar and concrete containing natural pozzolana and limestone blended cements
Cement & Concrete Composites 29 (2007) 542–549.

[9] Xu Lingling, Guo Wei, Wang Tao and Yang Nanru Study on fired bricks with
replacing clay by fly ash in high volume ratio Construction and Building Materials 19
(2005) 243–247.

[10] N. Degirmenci and B. Baradan Chemical resistance of pozzolanic plaster for

earthen walls Construction and Building Materials 19 (2005) 536–542.

[11] Mustafa S ahmaran, Heru Ari Christianto and Ismail O¨ zgu¨ r Yaman Cement &
Concrete Composites 28 (2006) 432–440.

[12] Kae Long Lin Feasibility study of using brick made from municipal solid
waste incinerator fly ash slag Journal of Hazardous Materials B137 (2006) 1810–
1816.

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[13] I.S. 3812, Specification for Fly ash as pozallana and admixture (First Revision)
1983.
[14] I.S. 8112-43 Grade ordinary Portland cement specification (First Revision) 1989.
[15] I.S. 2720-VII Methods of Test for Soil Part VII Determination of Water content-
Dry Density Relation using Light Compaction (Second Revision)

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