Integrated Utilization of Coal Gangue
Background
In modern energy development and industrial production, energy is an important material basis, and coal is an important energy source. Coal burning and other smelting processes during industrial production will inevitably produce solid residues— coal gangue. Coal gangue is a kind of black and gray rock with quartz, feldspar, coal and other constituents, produced mainly from the mining of coal applied for power plants and coal chemical industry. Increasing the utilization rate of coal gangue is of significance in both the ecological ecology and economic development.
Integrated Utilization of Coal Gangue
Integrated utilization of coal gangue is to exploit the comprehensive benefits of its physical and chemical properties. It includes using coal gangue in environmental protection, building materials, agriculture and field, and power generation.
1. Utilizing Coal Gangue for Environmental Protection
The most direct approach to make use of coal gangue is to use it in ecological engineering. For example, coal gangue can be used as brick materials in roadside culverts and broken blocks in cut slope engineering. It can also be used as the pavement of square. In addition to this, coal gangue can also be used for Ecological land reclamation, landscape engineering and multi-level modernized ecological engineering.
2. Utilizing Coal Gangue in Building Materials
Investment in the utilization of coal gangue involves several sectors such as road construction, civil construction, and large-scale real-estate construction. Therefore, coal gangue could be a choice of building materials due to its abundance in nature. For example, coal gangue can be used in the production of semi-fired bricks, which has already been widely used. Also, coal gangue can be further processed and then used as raw materials in cement production, or in production of ferro-alloy.
3. Utilizing Coal Gangue in Agriculture and Field
Coal gangue has a certain nutrient content and certain parts of it can act as the organic fertilizer. For example, coal gangue ash can be used as base fertilizer or mixed with other fertilizers, to enhance the soil’s fertility. In addition, coal gangue asphalt mixtures can be used as soil stabilization materials, to improve the soil’s bearing capacity and prevent surface soil erosion.
4. Utilizing Coal Gangue for Power Generation
Coal gangue can also be utilized for power generation, either through the generation of electricity, or through producing thermal power. It is known that electricity is generated from the combustion of coal and coal gangue contains some minerals, which will produce hazardous substances when it is burned. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt appropriate cleaning devices before burning coal gangue, in order to reduce pollution.
Conclusion
The integrated utilization of coal gangue can not only reduce energy and material waste but also maximize the efficiency of energy production whilst protecting the environment. Therefore, proper and rational utilization of coal gangue should be given promotion, and the public and experts should be encouraged to research, develop and promote the utilization of coal gangue.
