Mechanism study of Cu(Ⅱ) adsorption from acidic wastewater by ultrasonic-modified municipal solid waste incineration fly ash

High concentrations of copper ions(Cu(Ⅱ)) in water will pose health risks to humans and the ecological environment. Therefore, this study aims to utilize ultrasonic-cured modified municipal solid waste incineration(MSWI) fly ash for Cu(Ⅱ) adsorption to achieve the purpose of “treating waste by waste.” The effects of p H, adsorption time, initial concentration, and temperature on the modified MSWI fly ash’s adsorption efficiency were systematically studied in this article. The adsorption performance of the modified MSWI fly ash can be enhanced by the ultrasonic modification. At pH = 2, 3 and 4, the adsorption capacity of the modified MSWI fly ash for Cu(Ⅱ) increased by 2.7, 1.9 and 1.2 times, respectively. Furthermore, it was suggested that the adsorption process of the modified MSWI fly ash can be better simulated by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with a maximum adsorption capacity calculated by the Langmuir model of 24.196 mg.g-1. Additionally, the adsorption process is spontaneous,endothermic, and chemisorption-dominated from the thermodynamic studies(ΔH and ΔS > 0, ΔG < 0).Finally, the enhanced adsorption performance of the modified MSWI fly ash for Cu(Ⅱ) may be attributed to electrostatic interaction and chelation effects.

Solvothermal synthesis and adsorption performance of layered boehmite using aluminum chloride and high-alumina fly ash

High alumina fly ash(FAHAl)is a kind of bulk solid waste unique to China,whose availability of high-value aluminum and the threat to the environment makes its high-value utilization urgent.In this work,the alumina containing leaching solution obtained from Na2CO_(3) roasting and HCl leaching of FAHAl was used as the mother liquor to prepare layered boehmite in situ.The preparation process with AlCl3 as the raw material was also compared.The formation process and mechanism of boehmite,the choice of solvent,along with the adsorption capability of Congo red were analyzed by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method and adsorption experiments.Results showed that during the preparation of layered boehmite,the precursor Al(OH)3 from the reaction of Al3+and OH-is transformed into boehmiteγ-AlOOH.The existence of ethanol is beneficial to regulate and promote the growth of boehmite crystal effectively.When water and ethanol are mixed with a volume ratio of 2:1 and used as the solvent,the maximum specific surface area of the boehmite is obtained at 135.7 m2·g^(-1),and 99.16%of Congo red can be absorbed after 10 min when AlCl3 is used as a raw material.As purified leaching solution is used as the mother liquid,the crystallinity of boehmite decreases slightly when the pH value decreases from 12.5 to 11.When pH is 11,the removal efficiency of Congo red reaches a maximum of 72.25%.This process not only achieves the extraction of aluminum and high-value utilization of FAHAl but also provides a thought to prepare layered boehmite with adsorption properties.

Experimental study on the activation of coal gasification fly ash from industrial CFB gasifiers

Coal gasification fly ash(CGFA)is an industrial solid waste from the coal circulating fluidized bed(CFB)gasification process,and it needs to be effectively disposed to achieve sustainable development of the environment.To realize the application of CGFA as a precursor of porous carbon materials,the physicochemical properties of three kinds of CGFA from industrial CFB gasifiers are analyzed.Then,the activation potential of CGFA is acquired via steam activation experiments in a tube furnace reactor.Finally,the fluidization activation technology of CGFA is practiced in a bench-scale CFB test rig,and its advantages are highlighted.The results show that CGFA is characterized by a high carbon content in the range of 54.06%–74.09%,an ultrafine particle size(d50:16.3–26.1 μm),and a relatively developed pore structure(specific surface area SSA:139.29–551.97 m^(2)·g^(-1)).The proportion of micropores in CGFA increases gradually with the coal rank.Steam activation experiments show that the pore development of CGFA mainly includes three stages:initial pore development,dynamic equilibrium between micropores and mesopores and pore collapse.The SSA of lignite fly ash(LFA),subbituminous fly ash(SBFA)and anthracite fly ash(AFA)is maximally increased by 105%,13%and 72%after steam activation;the order of the largest carbon reaction rate and decomposition ratio of steam among the three kinds of CGFA is SBFA>LFA>AFA.As the ratio of oxygen to carbon during the fluidization activation of LFA is from 0.09 to 0.19,the carbon conversion ratio increases from 14.4%to 26.8%and the cold gas efficiency increases from 6.8%to 10.2%.The SSA of LFA increases by up to 53.9%during the fluidization activation process,which is mainly due to the mesoporous development.Relative to steam activation in a tube furnace reactor,fluidization activation takes an extremely short time(seconds)to achieve the same activation effect.It is expected to further improve the activation effect of LFA by regulating the carbon conversion ratio range of 27%–35%to create pores in the initial development stage.

Combined use of fly ash and silica to prevent the long-term strength retrogression of oil well cement set and cured at HPHT conditions

The long-term strength retrogression of silica-enriched oil well cement poses a significant threat to wellbore integrity in deep and ultra-deep wells, which is a major obstacle for deep petroleum and geothermal energy development. Previous attempts to address this problem has been unsatisfactory because they can only reduce the strength decline rate. This study presents a new solution to this problem by incorporating fly ash to the traditional silica-cement systems. The influences of fly ash and silica on the strength retrogression behavior of oil well cement systems directly set and cured under the condition of 200°C and 50 MPa are investigated. Test results indicate that the slurries containing only silica or fly ash experience severe strength retrogression from 2 to 30 d curing, while the slurries containing both fly ash and silica experience strength enhancement from 2 to 90 d. The strength test results are corroborated by further evidences from permeability tests as well as microstructure analysis of set cement. Composition of set cement evaluated by quantitative X-ray diffraction analyses with partial or no known crystal structure(PONKCS) method and thermogravimetry analyses revealed that the conversion of amorphous C-(A)-S-H to crystalline phases is the primary cause of long-term strength retrogression.The addition of fly ash can reduce the initial amount of C-(A)-S-H in the set cement, and its combined use with silica can prevent the crystallization of C-(A)-S-H, which is believed to be the working mechanism of this new admixture in improving long-term strength stability of oil well cement systems.

Study on Fly Ash Based Porous Ceramsite as Biological Filter Media

Using fly ash as a raw material,porous ceramic particles with an apparent density of 1.21 g/cm^(3),a visible porosity of 51.03%,and a specific surface area of 4.26 m^(2)/g were prepared and used as biofilter materials for wastewater treatment.Through SEM,XRD analysis,and heavy metal leaching analysis,it was found that porous ceramsite were porous materials with rough surfaces.After calcination,the newly formed mineral was silicate calcium feldspar.The heavy metal concentration in the leaching solution of porous ceramsite met the national surface water quality requirements.The treatment of domestic sewage showed that the volumetric loads of COD Cr,NH_(4)^(+)-N,and TN removed by the aerated biofilter were 5.23,0.98,and 0.35 kg/(m^(3)·d),respectively,with removal rates of 85.46%,96.13%,and 32.31%.

A Study on the Effect of Low Calcium Ultra-fine Fly Ash as a Partial Sustainable Supplementary Material to Cement in Self-compacting Concrete

The aim and scope of the present study were to determine the efficacy of UFFA in evaluating the workability,static and dynamic stabilization properties,retention period,and slump loss of SCC systems in their fresh state,as well as their compressive strength at various ages.Microstructure(SEM and XRD)of blended SCC systems were studied.Also,the thermogravimetry behavior of blended SCC specimens were researched.According to the evaluated results,incorporating up to 20%UFFA into fresh concrete improved its performance due to its engineered fine particle size and spherical geometry,both of which contribute to the enhancement of characteristics.Blends of 25%and 30%of UFFA show effect on the water-binder ratio and chemical enhancer dosage,resulting in a loss of homogeneity in fresh SCC systems.The reduced particle size,increased amorphous content,and increased surface area all contribute to the pozzolanic reactivity of the early and later ages,resulting in denser packing and thus an increase in compressive strength.The experimental results indicate that UFFA enhances the properties of SCC in both its fresh and hardened states,which can be attributed to the particles’fineness and their relative effect on SCC.

An Experimental Investigation on Workability and Bleeding Behaviors of Cement Pastes Doped with Nano Titanium Oxide (n-TiO 2) Nanoparticles and FlyAsh

In this study,the workability of cement-based grouts containing n-TiO 2 nanoparticles and fly ash has been investigated experimentally.Several characteristic quantities(including,but not limited to,the marsh cone flow time,the mini slump spreading diameter and the plate cohesion meter value)have been measured for different percentages of these additives.The use of fly ash as a mineral additive has been found to result in improvements in terms of workability behavior as expected.Moreover,if nano titanium oxide is also used,an improvement can be obtained regarding the bleeding values for the cement-based grout mixes.Using such experimental data,a multi-layer perceptron artificial neural network model has been developed(5 neurons in the hidden layer of the network model have been developed using a total of 42 experimental data).70%of the data employed in this model have been used for training,15%for validation and 15%for the test phase.The results demonstrate that the artificial neural network model can predict Marsh cone flow time,mini slump spreading diameter and plate cohesion meter values with an average error of 0.15%.

Enhancing fly ash utilization in backfill materials treated with CO_(2)carbonation under ambient conditions

The environmental concerns resulting from coal-fired power generation that produces large amounts of CO_(2)and fly ash are of great interest.To mitigate,this study aims to develop a novel carbonated CO_(2)-fly ash-based backfill(CFBF)material under ambient conditions.The performance of CFBF was investigated for different fly ash-cement ratios and compared with non-CO_(2)reacted samples.The fresh CFBF slurry conformed to the Herschel-Bulkley model with shear thinning characteristics.After carbonation,the yield stress of the fresh slurry increased significantly by lowering fly ash ratio due to gel formation.The setting times were accelerated,resulting in approximately 40.6%of increased early strength.The final strength decreased when incorporating a lower fly ash ratio(50%and 60%),which was related to the existing heterogeneous pores caused by rapid fluid loss.The strength increased with fly ash content above 70%because additional C-S(A)-H and silica gels were characterized to precipitate on the grain surface,so the binding between particles increased.The C-S(A)-H gel was developed through the pozzolanic reaction,where CaCO_(3)was the prerequisite calcium source obtained in the CO_(2)-fly ash reaction.Furthermore,the maximum CO_(2)uptake efficiency was 1.39 mg-CO_(2)/g-CFBF.The CFBF material is feasible to co-dispose CO_(2)and fly ash in the mine goaf as negative carbon backfill materials,and simultaneously mitigates the strata movement and water lost in post-subsurface mining.

Waste fly ash-ZnO as a novel sunlight-responsive photocatalyst for dye discoloration

Treating waste with a waste material using freely available solar energy is the most effective way towards sustainable future.In this study,a novel photocatalyst,partly derived from waste material from the coal industry,was developed.Fly ash hybridized with ZnO(FAeZn)was synthesized as a potential photocatalyst for dye discoloration.The synthesized photocatalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,and ultravioletevisible/near infra-red spectroscopy.The photocatalytic activity was examined with the discoloration of methylene blue used as synthetic dye wastewater.All the experiments were performed in direct sunlight.The photocatalytic performance of FAeZn was found to be better than that of ZnO and the conventionally popular TiO2.The LangmuireHinshelwood model rate constant values of ZnO,TiO2,and FAeZn were found to be 0.016 min1,0.017 min1,and 0.020 min1,respectively.There were two reasons for this:(1)FAeZn was able to utilize both ultraviolet and visible parts of the solar spectrum,and(2)its BrunauereEmmetteTeller surface area and porosity were significantly enhanced.This led to increased photon absorption and dye adsorption,thus exhibiting an energy-efficient performance.Therefore,FAeZn,partly derived from waste,can serve as a suitable material for environmental remediation and practical solar energy applications.

Fabrication of a flexible microwave absorber sheet based on a composite filler with fly ash as the core filled silicone rubber

A new type of composite filler was designed by a modified sol-gel method using fly ash(FA),Fe(NO_(3))_(3)·9H_(2)O,and Ni(NO_(3))_(2)·6H_(2)O as raw materials.The composite filler was a spherical core-shell structure composed of FA as the core and NiFe_(2)O_(4)as the shell.Further,the composite filler was added into the silicone rubber to fabricate the high temperature vulcanized microwave absorption materials;X-ray diffraction,fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and scanning electron microscope confirmed that NiFe_(2)O_(4)was successfully coated on the surface of FA and formed a uniform and continuous coating layer.As expected,silicone rubber filled with the composite filler had a minimum reflection loss of-23.8 dB at 17.5 GHz with the thickness of 1.8 mm,while the effective absorption bandwidth was as high as 12 GHz.The addition of the composite filler greatly enhanced the microwave absorption properties of the system,which was resulted from multiple losses mechanism:interface polarization losses,magnetic losses,and multiple reflection losses.Also,silicone rubber filled with the composite filler exhibited excellent thermal stability,flexibility,environmental resistance,and hydrophobicity compared with traditional silicone rubber.Therefore,this work not only responds to the green chemistry to achieve efficient FA recovery,but also devises a new strategy to prepare microwave absorption materials with strong potential for civilian applications.

Molecular mechanism of fly ash affecting the performance of cemented backfill material

The great challenge of cemented tailings backfill(CTB)is difficult simultaneously maintaining its excellent mechanical properties and low cost.Fly ash(FA)can potentially address this problem and further replace cement in favor of low carbon development.However,its mechanism on CTB with low cement dosage and low Ca system remains unclear.Consequently,this study conducted uniaxial compression,Xray diffraction(XRD),and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)-energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS)tests to investigate the effect of FA dosage on the mechanical property and microstructure of CTB.A molecular model of FA-CSH was constructed to reproduce the molecular structure evolution of CTB with FA based on the test results.The influences of FA dosage and calcium/silica molar ratio(Ca/Si ratio)on the matrix strength and failure model were analyzed to reveal the mechanism of FA on calcium silicate hydrated(C-S-H).The results show that the strength of CTB increases initially and then decreases with FA dosage,and the FA supplement leads to a decrease in Ca(OH)_(2) diffraction intensity and Ca/Si ratio around the FA particles.XRD and SEM-EDS findings show that the Ca/Si ratio of C-S-H decreases with the progression of hydration.The FA-CSH model indicates that FA can reinforce the silica chain of C-S-H to increase the matrix strength.However,this enhancement is weakened by supplementing excessive FA dosage.In addition,the hydrogen bonds among water molecules deteriorate,reducing the matrix strength.A low Ca/Si ratio results in an increase in water molecules and a decrease in the ionic bonds combined with Ca^(2+).The hydrogen bonds among water molecules cannot withstand high stresses,resulting in a reduction in strength.The water absorption of the FA-CSH model is negatively correlated with the FA dosage and Ca/Si ratio.The use of optimal FA dosage and Ca/Si ratio leads to suitable water absorption,which further affects the failure mode of FA-CSH.

A Machine-Learning Approach for the Prediction of Fly-Ash Concrete Strength

The composite exciter and the CaO to Na_(2)SO_(4) dosing ratios are known to have a strong impact on the mechanical strength offly-ash concrete.In the present study a hybrid approach relying on experiments and a machine-learn-ing technique has been used to tackle this problem.The tests have shown that the optimal admixture of CaO and Na_(2)SO_(4) alone is 8%.The best 3D mechanical strength offly-ash concrete is achieved at 8%of the compound activator;If the 28-day mechanical strength is considered,then,the best performances are obtained at 4%of the compound activator.Moreover,the 3D mechanical strength offly-ash concrete is better when the dosing ratio of CaO to Na_(2)SO_(4) in the compound activator is 1:1;the maximum strength offly-ash concrete at 28-day can be achieved for a 1:1 ratio of CaO to Na_(2)SO_(4) by considering a 4%compound activator.In this case,the compressive andflexural strengths are 260 MPa and 53.6 MPa,respectively;the mechanical strength offly-ash concrete at 28-day can be improved by a 4:1 ratio of CaO to Na_(2)SO_(4) by considering 8%and 12%compound excitants.It is shown that the predictions based on the aforementioned machine-learning approach are accurate and reliable.

Effect of CSH Crystal Nucleus on Steam-Free Cured Fly Ash Precast Concrete Components

The measures of steam curing and early-strengthening agents to promote the precast components to reach the target strength quickly can bring different degrees of damage to the concrete.Based on this,the new nanomaterial CSH-the hydration product of cement effectively solves these measures’disadvantages,such as excessive energy consumption,thermal stress damage,and the introduction of external ions.In this paper,the effect of CSH on the early strength of precast fly ash concrete components was investigated in terms of setting time,workability,and mechanical properties and analyzed at the microscopic level using hydration temperature,XRD,and SEM.The results showed that under the same workability,CSH could significantly reduce the amount of admixture,shorten the final setting time,almost not affect the initial setting time,and accelerate the hydration of cement.At the optimum dose of 5%,the mechanical properties of the specimens were improved by more than 98%within 12 h of hydration,resulting in an earlier release time of 12 h and no risk of strength inversion later.The results of this paper give theoretical support to the behavior of precast components under steam-free curing.

Analysis of the Performances and Optimization of Polyurethane Concrete with a Large Percentage of Fly Ash

The properties of polyurethane concrete containing a large amount of fly ash are investigated,and accordingly,a model is introduced to account for the influence of fly ash fineness,water ratio,and loss of ignition(LOI)on its mechanical performances.This research shows that,after optimization,the concrete has a compressive strength of 20.8 MPa,a flexural strength of 3.4 MPa,and a compressive modulus of elasticity of 19.2 GPa.The main factor influencing 28 and 90 d compressive strength is fly ash content,water-binder ratio,and early strength agent content.

Simultaneous removal of ammonium and phosphate by zeolite synthesized from coal fly ash as influenced by acid treatment

Zeolite synthesized from fly ash （ZFA） without modification is not efficient for the purification of NH4＋ and phosphate at low concentrations that occur in real effluents, despite the high potential removal capacity. To develop an effective technique to enhance the removal efficiency of ammonium and phosphate at low concentrations, ZFA was modified with acid treatment and the simultaneous removal of ammonium and phosphate in a wide range of concentration was investigated. It was seen that when compared with untreated ZFA, only the treatment by 0.01 mol/L of H2SO4 significantly improved the removal efficiency of ammonium at low initial concentrations. The behavior was well explained by the pH effect. Treatment by more concentrated H2SO4 led to the deterioration of the ZFA structure and a decrease in the cation exchange capacity. Treatment by 0.01 mol/L H2SO4 improved the removal efficiency of phosphate by ZFA at all initial P concentrations, while the treatment by concentrated H2SO4 （≥0.9 mol/L） resulted in a limited maximum phosphate immobilization capacity （PIC）. It was concluded that through a previous mild acid treatment （e.g. 0.01 mol/L of H2SO4）, ZFA can be used in the simultaneous removal of NH4＋ and P at low concentrations simulating real effluent.

Microstructure and properties of mullite-based porous ceramics produced from coal fly ash with added Al_2O_3

Using coal fly ash slurry samples supplemented with different amounts of Al_2O_3,we fabricated mullite-based porous ceramics via a dipping-polymer-replica approach,which is a popular method suitable for industrial application.The microstructure,phase composition,and compressive strength of the sintered samples were investigated.Mullite was identified in all of the prepared materials by X-ray diffraction analysis.The microstructure and compressive strength were strongly influenced by the content of Al_2O_3.As the Al/Si mole ratio in the starting materials was increased from 0.84 to 2.40,the amount of amorphous phases in the sintered microstructure decreased and the compressive strength of the sintered samples increased.A further increase in the Al_2O_3 content resulted in a decrease in the compressive strength of the sintered samples.The mullite-based porous ceramic with an Al/Si molar ratio of 2.40 exhibited the highest compressive strength and the greatest shrinkage among the investigated samples prepared using coal fly ash as the main starting material.

Evaluation of zeolites synthesized from fly ash as potential adsorbents for wastewater containing heavy metals

The pure-form zeolites （A and X） were synthesized by applying a two-stage method during hydrothermal treatment of fly ash prepared initial Cu and Zn gel. The difference of adsorption capacity of both synthesized zeolits was assessed using Cu and Zn as target heavy metal ions. It was found that adsorption capacity of zeolite A showed much higher value than that of zeolite X. Thus, attention was focused on investigating the removal performance of heavy metal ions in aqueous solution on zeolite A, comparing with zeolite HS （hydroxyl-solidate） prepared from the residual fly ash （after synthesis of pure-form zeolite A from fly ash） and a commercial grade zeolite A. Batch method was used to study the influential parameters of the adsorption process. The equilibrium data were well fitted by the Langmuir model. The removal mechanism of metal ions followed adsorption and ion exchange processes. Attempts were also made to recover heavy metal ions and regenerate adsorbents.

Effects of water content, water type and temperature on the rheological behaviour of slag-cement and fly ash-cement paste backfill

The pumping ability and placement performance of fresh cemented paste backfill(CPB) in underground mined cavities depend on its rheological properties. Hence, it is crucial to understand the rheology of fresh CPB slurry, which is related to CPB mixture design and the temperature underground. This paper presented an experimental study investigating the effects of binder type, content, water chemical properties and content, and temperature, on the rheological properties of CPB material prepared using the tailings of a copper mine in South Australia. Portland cement(PC), a newly released commercially manufactured cement called Minecem(MC) and fly ash(FA) were used as the binders added to the mine tailing materials. Various amounts of two different water types were added to the mixtures in the preparation of backfill material slurry. Six different temperatures ranging from 5 to 60 °C were to investigate the effect of temperature on CPB rheology. Overall, the increasing water content and decreasing temperature lead to lower yield stress. Based on the results obtained from the rheological properties of CPB slurry, it was found that at room temperature(25 °C), with regards to the unconfined compressive strength(UCS) performance, the replacement of 4% PC mixed CPB(28 days UCS 425 k Pa) to 3% MC mixed CPB(28 days UCS 519 k Pa), reduced the slurry yield stress from 210.7 to 178.5 Pa. The results also showed that the chemical composition of water affects the yield stress of CPB slurry and that MC mitigates the negative effect of mine-processed water(MW) and thus lead to improve the rheological properties of the slurry. However, the results suggested that the rheological properties of a mixture using MC is very sensitive to the water volume and temperature change. Therefore, using MC in backfill requires better quality control in slump mixing.

Thermodynamics and kinetics of alumina extraction from fly ash using an ammonium hydrogen sulfate roasting method

A novel method was developed for extracting alumina （Al2O3） from fly ash using an ammonium hydrogen sulfate （NH4HSO4） roasting process, and the thermodynamics and kinetics of this method were investigated. The thermodynamic results were verified experi-mentally. Thermodynamic calculations show that mullite present in the fly ash can react with NH4HSO4 in the 298-723 K range. Process op-timization reveals that the extraction rate can reach up to 90.95% when the fly ash reacts with NH4HSO4 at a 1：8 mole ratio of Al2O3/NH4HSO4 at 673 K for 60 min. Kinetic analysis indicates that the NH4HSO4 roasting process follows the shrinking unreacted core model, and inner diffusion through the product layer is the rate-controlling step. The activation energy is calculated to be 16.627 kJ/mol;and the kinetic equation can be expressed as 1-（2/3）α-（1-α）2/3=0.0374t exp[-16627/（RT）], whereαis the extraction rate and t is the roasting temperature.

Alkali desilicated coal fly ash as substitute of bauxite in lime-soda sintering process for aluminum production

By desilication treatment,the Al2O3/SiO2 molar ratio of coal fly ash could be improved to the range of 1.63-2.0.The desilicated coal fly ash(DSCFA)was enriched in alumina extraction.A processing technology was developed for alumina extraction from the DSCFA with the lime sintering process.Ca/(SiO2+TiO2)molar ratio,and NaO/Al2O3 molar ratio,sintering time,and temperature were the most significant parameters impacting on the aluminum extraction efficiency.The optima aluminum extraction efficiency was obtained under conditions of Ca/(SiO2+TiO2)molar ratio of 2.0,NaO/Al2O3 molar ratio of 0.98,and sintering at 1 200 ℃for 60 min.Astandard industrial dissolution method was used under conditions of caustic ratio(αk=n(NaO)/n(Al2O3)of 2.0,Al2O3 concentration of 50 g/L,sodium hydroxide concentration(Nk)of 60.78 g/L,Na2CO3 concentration of 10 g/L,temperature of 85℃, and dissolution duration of 10 min.The final aluminum extraction efficiency was 90%.