The Hindu Business Line : 'Commercial use of fly ash can reduce pollution threat'

THE increased generation of power from thermal power stations may pose a serious environmental threat unless adequate initiatives are taken by the utilities to popularise commercial usages of fly ash generated by them.

The coal-fired power plants at present produce about 100 million tonnes (mt) of fly ash. The figure is likely to exceed 170 mt by 2010 as another 70,000 MW of thermal power generation capacity is slated to be added.

Though power plants use various collection devices to prevent fly ash from entering the atmosphere, the measures are not foolproof. The Coal Ash Institute of India (CCII) feels the only solution to the problem lies in the encouragement of small-scale industries to commercially use fly ash as industrial raw materials.

In association with the New Wave Display Services Pvt Ltd, the institute had organised a three-day seminar on " fly ash as an emerging industrial material," last week..

Experts at the seminar said fly ash has certain trace elements, which typically include arsenic, boron, cadmium, copper, lead, selenium and zinc, which can adversely affect human health if inhaled or ingested in sufficient quantities.

They suggested that power plants be cautious in selecting their modern ash landfill sites. The selection ideally should involve topographic mapping, site reconnaissance, an environmental inventory and surface water and groundwater studies.

According to them, the best bet would be to produce fly ash cement concrete blocks/ bricks with the help of manually operated machines in the rural areas. It appears that the existing production of clay burnt brick throughout West Bengal comes to about 300 crore pieces which require about 21 crore cft of good earth every year.

The production of such bulk quantity of clay bricks from the topsoil of cultivable land reduces the area for agricultural production. Moreover, the manufacture of clay bricks requires coal-burning and creates a major source of atmospheric pollution.

Considering that the country needs over 55 million bricks per year, the proper use of fly ash for brick-making could help preserve the environment, among other things. This apart, the topsoil could also be preserved to a large extent.

The seminar urged the State governments, the State pollution control boards as well as the different thermal power plants to take appropriate action to enforce and monitor the implementation of orders and directions in this regard by the Union government and the Courts.

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