The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Treasure the trash

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Saturday, Jul 04, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Treasure the trash

Need to use alternative raw materials from industrial wastes like fly ash is gaining ground, says T. Lalith Singh

Multi-utility: Fly ash is used in variety of end products.

The production and usage of building materials has been undergoing a phenomenal change in the recent years. The need for utilisation and alternative raw materials, use of natural minerals in composites for improved strength, low weight, durability and conservation of depleting resources of clays is getting increasingly recognised. In this backdrop, one of the potential solid industrial wastes for application happens to be fly ash.

The NTPC Limited in association with National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala organised a one-day workshop on manufacture of ash bricks/tiles with flux bonded technology at southern region headquarters of NTPC in Secunderabad this week. The event was inaugurated by S. Shanmugam, NTPC Additional General Manager (EMG).

Fly ash is the by-product of coal burning centres and is available in the country from thermal power stations in large quantities. With suitable technology, it is possible to utilise the fly ash for variety of end products, the NTPC informed in a statement issued here.

At the workshop, K.G.K. Warrier, head, Material and Minerals Division, NIIST, made a detailed presentation on the process of making flux-bonded fly ash bricks and other flux bonded fly ash based products.

He highlighted various advantages of manufacturing fly ash bricks and other building components using flux bonded technology which includes use of 805 fly ash, better properties than clay-based components, eco-friendly process which results in large scale utilisation of ‘difficult to dispose’ waste material. Several entrepreneurs of fly brick manufacturing units, ready mix concrete and cement manufacturing units participated in the workshop.

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