Coal Ash Transportation as Paste-Like, Highly Loaded Pulps in Brazil: Characterization and Main Features

The transportation of mineral coal ash in trucks with open top load compartments is inefficient, harmful to the environment, and costly. One solution to this problem is to utilize highly concentrated aqueous suspensions (paste) transportation systems, through steel pipes assisted by hydraulic pumping. In this study, coal ash (both fly ash and bottom ash), produced at a typical coal power plant (South Brazil), was utilized at different formulations, with mixtures of fly ash, bottom ash, and water (65%–70% solids content). These ash-bearing pulps were characterized in terms of their chemical and mineralogical composition, suspension pH that varied with the presence of Ca-bearing minerals, particle size distribution, and rheological behavior. Ash samples were distributed in fine, mean, and coarse sizes, facilitating the particles packing, diminishing voids, and contributing to the formation of paste with good consistency. The ash suspensions (32% water content) did not show compression strength and were plastically deformed after 48 hours of water addition. This behavior indicates that there were no chemical reactions, or pozzolanic activity, and that the particle interactions were mainly due to electrostatic forces and dispersions forces.