I-Corps: Lightweight Aggregates from Waste Bottom Ash

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是从煤电行业未使用的废弃底灰中生产轻质骨料（LWA），可用于混凝土和岩土工程应用。在美国，每年大约有1.2亿吨的煤燃烧产物（例如，飞灰和底灰），其中37%被再利用。这导致大量未使用的煤灰历史库存储存在现场表面蓄水池中。 利用未使用的底灰生产轻放废物将导致废物材料转化为能够吸引混凝土和土工市场的增值产品。所生产的LWA可用作骨料用于（a）结构轻质混凝土生产，（B）混凝土的内部固化，（c）用于建筑物、挡土墙和景观的混凝土砌块的生产，（d）隔热/隔音混凝土单元的生产，和（e）用于公路、桥台、挡土墙的轻质填料，这个I-Corps项目将导致对从废弃底灰生产的轻质骨料（LWA）的市场规模和商业潜力的重要理解。底灰具有高残余碳，并且创新的烧结技术是使用这种残余碳与适当的助熔剂来产生由表现出火山灰反应性的玻璃质层封装的多孔材料。这种新型材料将以受控的比例拥有活性无定形表面和惰性结晶多孔内部。该技术使用热力学模型，可以针对各种物理条件和化学成分的各种底煤灰。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to produce lightweight aggregates (LWA) from unused waste bottom ash of coal electric power industry that can be used for concrete and geotechnical applications. Each year in the United States around 120 million tons of coal combustion products (e.g., fly ash and bottom ash) are generated of which 37% is reused. This has led to a large historical stock of unused coal ash stored in on-site surface impoundments. Production of LWA from unused bottom ash will result in conversion of waste material to value-added product that can attract concrete and geotechnical markets. The produced LWA can be used as an aggregate in (a) structural lightweight concrete production, (b) internal curing of concrete, (c) production of concrete masonry blocks for buildings, retaining walls and landscape, (d) production of thermal/sound insulating concrete units, and (e) lightweight fill for highways, bridge abutments, retaining walls, and foundations.This I-Corps project will lead to significant understanding of market size and commercial potential of lightweight aggregates (LWA) produced from waste bottom ash. Bottom ash has high residual carbon and the innovative sintering technology is to use this residual carbon with appropriate fluxing agent to create a porous material encapsulated by a glassy layer that exhibits pozzolanic reactivity. This novel material will possess an active amorphous surface and an inert crystalline porous interior in a controlled ratio. The technology uses a thermodynamic model and can target a wide range of bottom coal ashes with various physical conditions and chemical compositions.