There has long been a considerable demand for coal ash products in the UK construction and engineering sectors. The UKQAA (UK Quality Ash Association) recently produced its Ash Availability Report, which showed that since the turn of the century, the construction industry has typically consumed half of what’s produced annually. This rose to 70% in 2014 as the economy showed real signs of growth and the sustainability agenda became more important to specifiers.

In 2014, more than 50% of the fly ash produced was used for construction products, varying from the manufacture of cement, Type I and II concrete additions and concrete blocks to AAC blocks and grout. In addition, around 20% was used as a construction material in engineering fill or land reclamation projects. The report also finds that of the 5 million tonnes of fly ash produced on average annually, approximately 40 % remains surplus. This equates to around 2 million tonnes a year, adding to existing stockpiles of up to 50 million tonnes of potentially usable fly ash across the UK.

The Association involved in Innovative Processing of Stockpile Ash Project at the University of Dundee.  Research into reclaimed stockpile ash to enhance into high quality material suitable for use in structural concrete. Read more....