Turning fly ash from a hazard into an asset, and waste into treasure

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Our country is a major coal producer, using coal as the primary fuel for electricity generation. In recent years, China’s energy industry has developed steadily, with an annual growth rate of 7.3% in power generation capacity. The rapid development of the electric power sector has led to a sharp increase in the amount of fly ash generated; the total volume of fly ash emitted by coal-fired thermal power plants is rising year by year, placing significant pressure on the country’s economic development and ecological environment. Our country also has limited resource reserves per capita. The comprehensive utilization of fly ash – turning waste into assets and harm into benefits – has become an important technical and economic policy in China’s economic development. It is a key means of addressing the conflict between environmental pollution caused by electricity production and the shortage of resources, and it represents one of the challenges that need to be overcome in electricity production. 　　 As environmental problems become increasingly severe, improving the environment and accelerating the recycling of resources are top priorities in current resource utilization. However, the comprehensive utilization of coal ash should not involve reusing old manufacturing processes; instead, advanced technologies, reasonable processes, and reliable equipment should be employed to reduce production costs, ensure product quality, and meet relevant **standards. The fly ash project is itself a form of waste utilization and represents an excellent initiative for environmental improvement; therefore, no secondary pollution should occur during its construction or after it is completed. To address the increasing amount of fly ash emissions in our country, research achievements in comprehensive utilization should be transformed into productive forces as soon as possible. Currently, fly ash is mainly used to produce fly ash cement, fly ash bricks, fly ash silicate blocks, fly ash aerated concrete, and other building materials ； It can also be used as an agricultural fertilizer and soil conditioner ； Recycling industrial raw materials and using them as environmental materials ； Fly ash ceramsite is an artificial lightweight aggregate made from fly ash as the main raw material, with a small amount of binder and solid fuel added; it is produced through mixing, balling, and high-temperature firing.