Projects
The amount of coal bottom ash is increasing and its disposal in landfill is growing more expensive, while posing environmental risks. While there is a modest market for fly ash as a cement replacement, coal bottom ash is rarely used and is limited to road base and subbase. The industry has traditionally been sceptical that coal bottom ash can be used to produce concrete of a high enough quality for other purposes.
The University of Newcastle has partnered with ready mix concrete supplier Daracrete and others to use coal bottom ash as an ingredient in concrete—as an alternative for both cement and fine aggregates. The project will develop a procedure to treat coal bottom ash so that it can be used as effectively as fly ash within cement and concrete. The project will then develop the coal bottom ash concrete products and their specifications to meet Australian Standards. It will put this concrete to use through local council projects such as garden pavements, driving a cultural change that could see a greater uptake of coal bottom ash concrete and creating a circular economy.
PROJECT PARTNERS
