After several experiments at the thermal power plant in Omsk scientists argue that it will be possible to get rid of ash dumps

Russian metallurgists in Omsk have tested the method of complete utilization of ash remaining after burning coal at thermal power plants, which will help make these wastes less toxic. Dmitry Valeev from the Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science in Moscow added that with the introduction of the technology being developed there will be a qualitative improvement in the environmental situation in large cities. Due to the absence of ash dumps, thousands of hectares of fertile land could be saved and valuable components for Russian industry could be obtained.

Residents of Omsk are against the preservation of environmentally harmful technologies at thermal power plants, because ash waste contains large amounts of lead and other toxic metals. Some of these substances inevitably seep into the water or into the atmosphere, which is detrimental to human health and the environment.

Russian metallurgists have figured out how to make the processing of ash not only more environmentally friendly, but also a profitable process, examining the structure and composition of single grains of this material and developing a technique to extract iron, aluminum and silicon from it. To do this, scientists treated the ashes with magnets, washed and ground it, and then placed in an autoclave. After that, they heated and treated it with a special solution, which consisted of 30% hydrochloric acid. As a result, 95% of the aluminum dissolved in the acid, and the particles of iron oxide and unburned carbon were separated from the rest of the ash in the first stage of its processing. This solution, according to metallurgists, can be used as one of the reagents used today for the purification of drinking water. At the same time, its cost will be lower by 25% compared with the existing methods of its production, where aluminum hydroxide is used as a raw material. The solid ash residues, in turn, can be used as a basis for ceramics or particularly strong cement. All this, as scientists conclude, makes it possible to dispose of virtually all the ash, which will make coal stations much more environmentally friendly.

 Ksenia Kaplieva-analyst

Resources:

https://bk55.ru/news/article/146803/