Scientists from the IIT H convert fly ash into waterproofing material
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT H) have found that fly ash can be modified into a waterproofing material.
They used stearic acid, which is commonly used in soaps and shampoos, to treat the coal waste.
Stearic acid is a surface active agent whose key ingredient binds to dirt particles during the process of washing, while its hydrophobic water-repelling part remains free. As a result, dirt particles bound with stearic acid separate out just like oil separates from water.
This new technology can be used to design new water repelling surfaces and materials.
“We have been able to modify the very nature of fly ash and develop materials with contrasting adhesion behaviours — high adhesion and low adhesion,” explained Mudrika Khandelwal of the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering.
“The new material is highly cost-effective. While the fly ash itself is a waste, stearic acid is also not an expensive chemical,” said Atul Suresh Deshpande, co-author of the study.
“The synthesis process is so simple that even an untrained individual can prepare these superhydrophobic materials with ease,” he added.
Kaplieva Ksenia-analyst