Is coal fly ash hazardous?
Fly-ash is the inorganic residue left when coal is burned in a power plant to make electricity. Fly-ash comprises microscopic glass beads with trace amounts of silt and clay from the original coal sediments. The chemistry of the fly-ash residues can vary to some degree depending on the type and amount of mineral sediment that was originally in the coal. All waste mineral feedstock offered to GBC is first analyzed in accordance with our screening protocol to determine its suitability for ceramics and also its chemical composition, including “heavy” metals (e.g., arsenic). The metals analyses are important in the screening protocol because at certain concentrations such metals may be considered potentially hazardous. If the feedstock analyses indicate the presence of certain metals in concentrations that are above regulatory limits (e.g., STLC), the waste mineral feedstock is rejected for further evaluation in the CeramextTM technology research and development program. Fly-ash materials
