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Coal Fly Ash as a Resource: Advances in Characterization, Utilization...
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Coal Fly Ash as a Resource: Advances in Characterization, Utilization and Sustainable Solutions

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1283

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Frédéric J. Doucet

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Council for Geoscience, 280 Pretoria Street, Silverton, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
Interests: mineral waste (characterisation, valorisation); coal fly ash; mine tailings; acid mine drainage; metal extraction; geopolymerisation; nanomaterials; carbon capture and mineralisation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coal fly ash, a by-product of coal combustion in power plants, has traditionally been regarded as a harmful waste material. One of the primary challenges associated with coal fly ash is its environmental impact. It contains trace amounts of heavy metals and other toxic elements that can pose serious risks to soil and water if not managed properly. Furthermore, the sheer volume of fly ash produced necessitates substantial land for disposal, often leading to concerns regarding air and water pollution. These environmental risks have resulted in stringent regulations that govern the handling, storage, and disposal of coal fly ash.

Despite these challenges, innovative strategies for utilizing coal fly ash are emerging, driven by the need for more sustainable practices. The shift towards viewing coal fly ash as a resource rather than waste aligns with the principles of a circular economy. By finding beneficial uses for coal fly ash, industries can reduce waste, conserve raw materials, and contribute to environmental sustainability. This paradigm shift not only mitigates the environmental impact of coal combustion but also offers novel economic opportunities.

This Special Issue is organized into three sections:

Section 1—Characterization: Advances in the physical, chemical, and mineralogical characterization of coal fly ash.

Section 2—Reprocessing and Utilization Strategies: Innovative approaches for the beneficial utilization of coal fly ash in construction materials, agriculture, waste treatment, critical metal and mineral recovery, mesoporous materials, rubber as filler, and other industrial applications. Cutting-edge research exploring new applications, treatment methods, and technologies for enhancing the value and reducing the environmental footprint of coal fly ash. Case studies and success stories demonstrating practical applications and economic benefits.

Section 3—The Future of Coal Fly Ash: Also of interest are critical perspective articles on the future of coal fly ash. Aspects that can be discussed include, but are not limited to, environmental and regulatory perspectives; economic perspectives; new horizons in research and innovation needs; and challenges in upscaling coal fly ash beneficiation processes.

Dr. Frédéric J. Doucet
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • coal fly ash
  • characterization
  • utilization
  • valorization
  • aluminosilicate

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 7287 KiB  
Article
Probing the Critical Element Chemistry of Coal-Combustion Fly Ash: Examination of Zircon and Associated Minerals from a Beneficiated Kentucky Fly Ash
by Debora Berti, John G. Groppo, Prakash Joshi, Dorin V. Preda, David P. Gamliel, Todd Beers, Michael Schrock, Shelley D. Hopps, Tonya D. Morgan, Bernd Zechmann and James C. Hower
Minerals 2025, 15(5), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15050461 - 29 Apr 2025
Abstract
Along with the principal rare earth (REE) minerals such as monazite, xenotime, and bastnasite, Y-and REE-bearing zircon and associated minerals survive the combustion process and are found in coal-combustion fly ash. Beneficiated fly ash from a power plant burning an eastern-Kentucky-sourced coal blend [...] Read more.
Along with the principal rare earth (REE) minerals such as monazite, xenotime, and bastnasite, Y-and REE-bearing zircon and associated minerals survive the combustion process and are found in coal-combustion fly ash. Beneficiated fly ash from a power plant burning an eastern-Kentucky-sourced coal blend was found to have zircon (ZrSiO4), baddeleyite (ZrO2), fergusonite (YNbO4), yttriaite (Y2O3), and xenotime (YPO4). Previous studies of the same fly had also identified monazite with a broad REE suite. Scanning electron microscopy–electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)–EDS as well as other TEM-based techniques revealed a variety of zircon associations, including heavy-REE suites with Y, Nb, and Hf. Hafnium is a common accessory element in zircons and the Y and Nb may be present as fergusonite (YNbO4) intermixed with zircon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coal Fly Ash as a Resource: Advances in Characterization, Utilization and Sustainable Solutions)
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15 pages, 4693 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical Surface Modification and Characterisation of Coal Fly Ash for Application in Rubber Composites
by Dennis S. Moyo, Frédéric J. Doucet, Shanganyane P. Hlangothi, Christopher D. Woolard, Kelley Reynolds-Clausen, Richard A. Kruger and Elizabet M. van der Merwe
Minerals 2024, 14(12), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14121258 - 11 Dec 2024
Viewed by 840
Abstract
This study evaluated the capability of coal fly ash (untreated and physicochemically modified) when utilised as a filler in cis-1,4-polyisoprene rubber. Physicochemical modification of the ash was achieved using two techniques: (1) ammonium sulphate roasting followed by controlled aqueous dissolution and (2) sulphuric [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the capability of coal fly ash (untreated and physicochemically modified) when utilised as a filler in cis-1,4-polyisoprene rubber. Physicochemical modification of the ash was achieved using two techniques: (1) ammonium sulphate roasting followed by controlled aqueous dissolution and (2) sulphuric acid leaching. In addition, the effectiveness of a silane-coupling agent (Si-69) in enhancing the compatibility of untreated and physically modified ash samples with natural rubber was investigated. The ammonium sulphate roasting route increased the surface area and roughness and decreased the particle–particle agglomeration of the fly ash sample. Sulphuric acid treatment decreased the particle–particle agglomeration. However, no increase in surface roughness was observed. The untreated fly ash samples were not significantly reinforcing, and the properties they imparted were inferior to the least reinforcing carbon black. Silane treatment resulted in improved dispersion and wetting of the fly ash in the rubber matrix, leading to improved reinforcement compared to neat rubber. In situ addition of the silane during preparation of the vulcanisates led to composites with better mechanical properties than the composites containing silane-pre-treated fly ash. Composites filled with ammonium sulphate-roasted-and-leached ash performed better than the composites filled with untreated ash and sulfuric acid-leached ash. These findings suggest that modified fly ash holds promise as an effective filler for rubber materials, offering potential environmental and economic benefits by repurposing coal combustion by-products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coal Fly Ash as a Resource: Advances in Characterization, Utilization and Sustainable Solutions)
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