[en] This study is principally concerned with characterizing the organic part of coal combustion fly ashes. High carbon fly ashes are becoming more common as by-products of low-NOx combustion technology, and there is need to learn more about this fraction of the fly ash. The project team consists of two universities, Brown and Princeton, and an electrical utility, New England Power. A sample suite of over fifty fly ashes has been gathered from utilities across the United States, and includes ashes from a coals ranging in rank from bituminous to lignite. The characterizations of these ashes include standard tests (LOI, Foam Index), as well as more detailed characterizations of their surface areas, porosity, extractability and adsorption behavior. The ultimate goal is, by better characterizing the material, to enable broadening the range of applications for coal fly ash re-use beyond the current main market as a pozzolanic agent for concretes. The potential for high carbon-content fly ashes to substitute for activated carbons is receiving particular attention. The work performed to date has already revealed how very different the surfaces of different ashes produced by the same utility can be, with respect to polarity of the residual carbon. This can help explain the large variations in acceptability of these ashes as concrete additives

[en] This report addresses the past and potential future solid and hazardous waste impacts from energy development, and summarizes the major environmental, legislation applicable to solid and hazardous waste generation and disposal. A glossary of terms and acronyms used to describe and measure solid waste impacts of energy development is included

[en] If 0.1 μm to 10 μm particles suspended on a thin film are exicted by a 20 kV electron beam, then the characteristic x-rays and the majority of continuum x-rays emanate from the particle alone. To the extent that characteristic and continuum x-rays are produced in the same region of the sample they are subject to the same absorption and backscatter corrections. This suggests that the ratio of these two quantities should be an indicator of percent concentrations which is fairly independent of particle size or geometry or of the entry point of the electron beam. The technique should be even less sensitive to geometry and shape if we compare the peak/background (P/B) for one element with that of another element measured at the same time. With a 20 kV electron beam striking each particle either in a raster or on the near, middle or far side with respect to the detector, peak areas and P/B ratios were measured for a number of different sized particles of NBS glass, K-961 and compared these with the values for the bulk sample. The variation with particle size and beam position of interelement P/B ratios is considerably less than that of interelement peak area ratios. Analysis time for 10 elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, Ca, K, Ti, Mn, and Fe) in NBS-K961-glass spheres is less than 60 s, including printout. The raw P/B ratios now reproduced (with error estimates) are a repeatable measure of the relative concentrations of the elements in the fly ash particles within about 10% relative. Background displayed after peak removal fits original spectrum well

No abstract available

[en] Potentially acid forming (PAF) materials are encapsulated with non-acid forming materials (NAF) in order to prevent acid mine drainage (AMD) in surface coal mines. NAF compaction techniques with fly and bottom ashes from coal-fired power plants are used in mines with limited amounts of NAF materials. This study investigated the weathering behaviour of blended overburden and coal combustion ash in laboratory conditions. Free draining column leach tests were conducted on different blending schemes. The weathering process was simulated by spraying the samples with de-ionized water once per day. The leachates were then analyzed using X-ray diffraction and fluorescence analyses in order to identify the mineral composition of the samples over a 14 week period. Results of the study indicated that the weathering process plays a significant role in controlling infiltration rates, and may increase the capability of capping materials to prevent infiltration into PAF materials. Fly- and bottom-ash additions improved the performance of the encapsulation materials. 3 refs., 4 tabs., 2 figs.

[en] Starting from measuring values of radioactivity, toxicity, as well as from models of food chains, radionuclide migration and deposition, irradiation doses are calculated in case of release of fly ash to the environment (e.g. from building materials). (orig.)

[en] Highlights: • Eco-Core sandwich beam is flexural fatigue tested to study its fatigue response. • The core showed three failure types: damage onset, progression and final failure. • These failures were found to be represented by 1%, 5% and 7% change in compliance. • The fatigue stress-life (S–N) relationship follows a power low, σ_max/σ_ct = A_oN^α. • The fatigue failure was by multiple vertical cracks followed by 45° shear failure. - Abstract: Eco-Core is a class of syntactic foam made from small volume of high char yield binder and large volume of a class of flyash for fire resistance application. Very little or no flexural fatigue data of this class of core material is reported in the open literature. This paper presents a flexural fatigue response of Eco-Core in a glass/vinyl ester composite face sheet sandwich beam. A four-point loaded flexural test specimen was designed and tested in static and fatigue loadings to cause tension failure in the core. The fatigue test was conducted at maximum cyclic stress (σ_max) ranged from 0.7σ_ct to 0.9σ_ct, where σ_ct is the static flexural strength of the core. The sinusoidal loading frequency of 2 Hz with the stress ratio of 0.1 was used. Flexural fatigue failure modes of Eco-Core sandwich beam were classified: damage onset (single tension crack), damage progression (multiple tension cracks) and ultimate failure (a combination of tension and shear). These failures were characterized by 1%, 5% and 7% changes in compliance that corresponds to N_1%, N_5% and N_7% lives. The fatigue stress-life (S–N) relationship was found to follow the well-known power law equation, σ_max/σ_ct = A_oN^α. The constants A_o and α were established for all three types of failures. The endurance limit was established based on 1 million cycles limit and it was found to be 0.65σ_ct, 0.70σ_ct and 0.71σ_ct, respectively for the three modes of failure. Flexural fatigue and static failure modes of Eco-Core sandwich beams were similar

No abstract available

[en] Production in Poland and applications of industrial radiometric instruments have been performed. The several group of instruments have been presented in detail; level measuring devices, densimeters, thickness gages, weight indicators, concentration of H₂SO₄ measuring device, dust meters, ash content and coal quality analysers and other measuring and automation systems. The future development directions in construction of radioisotope measuring instruments has been also discussed

[en] With the purpose of evaluating the radioactive contamination that it cause the solid residuals of the coal taken place during their combustion in the thermal power stations of Paipa, Zipaquira, Tasajero and Guajira, it was determined respectively by the methods of neutronic activation and slowed neutrons the concentration of 232Th and 238U, in the flying ashes and scum. These techniques were applied in the facilities of the INEA (today Ingeominas) to the samples gathered in the project ICEL-UNIVALLE. In these ashes the radioactive concentration was determined that in accordance with the UNSCEAR (Scientific Committee of the United Nations for the study of the Effect of the Atomic Radiations), indeed they cause emissions and emanations to the atmosphere and that they are considered bigger than the opposing ones in the natural bottom of the terrestrial bark; these they are intensified due to the elimination of the organic component of the coal, when becoming ash, increasing the radioactive concentration in an order of magnitude