is the temperature of the combustion gases (dry and water vapour) leaving the appliance and reflects the energy that did not transfer from the fuel to the heat exchanger. The lower the stack temperature, the more effective the heat exchanger design or heat transfer and the higher the fuel-to-air/water/steam efficiency is.

The combustion efficiency calculation considers both the stack temperature and the net heat and moisture losses. This would include losses from dry gas

plus losses from the moisture and losses from the production of CO.

Combustion converts the carbon in the fuel to CO2. For each type of fuel there is a maximum CO2 that can be converted. When you select the fuel in the analyzer, the CO2 is calculated from the fuel type by the percentage of O2 left in the flue gas. Typically for natural gas the ultimate CO2 is 11.7%. This would be achieved when the O2 in the flue gasses was at 0% Some analyzers also allow for the max CO2 to be input by the user if the heat content of the fuel is known.

Again, the ultimate CO2 would be derived during stoichiometric combustion in which there is no excess air and no excess fuel present during the combustion process. In reality, in the HVAC industry we are striving not for stoichiometric combustion, but complete combustion in which all hydrogen and carbon in the fuel are oxidized to H2O and CO2. For complete combustion to occur, we have to have excess air, or air supplied in excess of what is needed typically because of poor mixing of the fuel and air during the combustion process. If excess air is not provided we will not have the complete conversion of carbon to CO2, and will end up with the formation of partially oxidized compounds, such as carbon monoxide and aldehydes. While the ideal operating range for burners is not as efficient as stoichiometric combustion, it does provide us with an additional factor of safety.

The percentage of excess air required is based upon several things including

1. Equipment application (commercial, residential, industrial)
2. Expected variations in fuel properties (wobble numbers)
3. Combustion air supply rates and air density
4. Degree of operator supervision required or available (summer-winter adjustments)
5. Control requirements such as O2 trim

For maximum combustion efficiency low excess air is desirable. For residential furnaces it is typically 50% however additional air may be required for dilution to prevent condensation of the flue gasses. This could be introduced into the appliance after the point of combustion through a draft diverter or as excess air which goes completely through the combustion process.

Each type of fuel has specific measurable heat content. The maximum amount of heat that can be derived from a fuel is based on using pure oxygen as the oxidizer in the chemical reaction and maximizing the fuel gas mixture. In field practice, the oxygen is derived from the air which is 20.9% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and 1% other gasses. Because the oxygen is not separated from the air prior to combustion, there is a negative effect on the chemical reaction. Air is

primarily nitrogen. While nitrogen is inert, and plays no role in the combustion process, it cools the chemical reaction (burning temperature) and lowers the maximum heat content deliverable by the fuel. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve combustion efficiencies above 95% for most fuels, including natural gas, when air is used as the oxidizer in the combustion process.

The combustion efficiency or maximum heat content of the fuel is then based upon the quality of the mixture of fuel and air, and the amount of air supplied to the burner in excess of what is required to produce complete combustion. The efficiency calculated by the combustion analyzer is a modified equation that considers combustion efficiency and stack losses. It is a part thermal, part combustion efficiency calculation. The equation is a reasonable estimation of the steady-state operating efficiency of the appliance. This is true of all analyzers currently manufactured.

The entire system (furnace/boiler, ducting, and piping) must be evaluated to determine the true efficiency of the system. Combustion efficiency is a valuable part of the system evaluation, but it is only one part of the evaluation process and cannot be used as the sole reason or justification for keeping or replacing existing equipment. If the excess air is carefully controlled, most furnaces are capable of performing at higher levels than their rated Annualized Fuel Utilization Efficiency or AFUE level, AFUE levels typically range from 80% to 97% .

The ultimate thermal efficiency of the appliance is determined by dividing the heat output rate of the appliance by the rate of fuel input. During the combustion process, all furnaces that operate with the same combustion efficiency will produce the same amount of heat with the same fuel input. The combustion efficiency has no bearing on how well the appliance utilizes the heat produced after the combustion process has taken place. Heat exchanger design and its ability to transfer the sensible and possibly the latent  heat to the room air determine how well the heat produced by the combustion process is utilized.

Net combustion efficiency calculations assume that the energy contained in the water vapour (which is formed as a product of combustion) is recovered and is not exhausted from the flue or stack. For example: a combustion analyzer user will see a net efficiency reading of say 95-97% in a 90 plus furnace, as the secondary heat exchanger is “wringing out” the latent heat of vaporization in the water vapour by condensing it from vapour to liquid. Gross combustion efficiency calculations assume that the energy contained in the water vapour is not recovered. In the example above the gross efficiency (only from burning the fuel) might be 86-88%. Typically the difference between the value of net combustion efficiency and the value of gross combustion efficiency for natural gas-fueled system is around 7-9% with the net value being higher than the gross value.

During combustion, new chemical substances are created from the fuel and the oxidizer. These substances are called exhaust gasses. Most of the exhaust gas comes from chemical combinations of fuel and oxygen. When a hydrocarbon-based fuel (Natural Gas) burns, the exhaust gasses include water (hydrogen + oxygen) and carbon dioxide (carbon + oxygen). But the exhaust gasses can also include chemical combinations from the oxidizer alone. If the natural gas is burned with air, which contains 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen and 1% trace gasses, the exhaust can also include carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOX, nitrogen + oxygen) and if sulphur is present in the fuel, sulphur dioxide, SO2 (Sulfur + oxygen).

The temperature of the exhaust will be high because of the heat that is transferred to the exhaust during combustion. Because of its high temperature, exhaust usually occurs as a gas, but there can be liquid or solid exhaust products as well. Water (H2O) is always present in natural gas and oil combustion in residential furnaces. Soot, which is incompletely burned fuel, is a form of solid exhaust that occurs in some combustion processes.

During the combustion process, as the fuel and oxidizer are turned into exhaust products, heat is generated. Interestingly, some source of heat is also necessary to start combustion. Gasoline and air are both present in your automobile fuel tank; but combustion does not occur because there is no source of heat. Since heat is both required to start combustion, and is itself a product of combustion, we can see why combustion takes place very rapidly. Also, once combustion gets started, we don’t have to continue to provide the heat source, because the heat produced by the combustion process will keep things going. We don’t have to keep lighting a campfire, it just keeps burning.

Flue gasses are the gasses produces by burning fuel. These gasses are hot, but have not given up all their heat in the combustion process. Depending on the type of furnace, a certain amount of heat must go out of the flue to prevent the gasses from condensing. With high-efficiency furnaces, condensing is desirable because of the additional heat extracted from the flue gasses.

A digital combustion analyzer performs all of the mathematical calculations and measurements necessary to determine efficiency, safety, dew point, and the amount of pollution the appliance is producing. For most technicians, the safety (CO) and efficiency (EFF.) readings will be the most important and most frequently referenced numbers. When safety or efficiency is compromised, other portions of the chemical reaction (CO2, O2) will be referenced, along with calculated values like excess air, to determine the cause of the problem in the combustion process. Other variables like NOx and SO2 are referenced and controlled to keep them at levels that are safe for the environment and acceptable to the local authority having jurisdiction over these matters. Some areas do not currently regulate levels of NOx and SO2 and where they are not controlled they are also not typically measured. Usually, larger exhaust sources (higher BTU systems) are targets of NOx and SO2 regulations. (NOTE: Several manufacturers have full lines of affordable emissions products to measure regulated emissions.)

As a service technician, unless a component has failed, there are only three things that can be adjusted on a gas/oil appliance that will affect the combustion process.

• Fuel pressure
• Primary air (on newer furnaces this is not adjustable)
• Draft, which will impact secondary air

Other factors can affect the combustion process. These include impingement for example from an improperly placed pilot, excess air from a cracked heat exchanger, insufficient combustion air due to tight construction or improper ventilation, an improperly installed venting system, or incorrect orifices. These are considered defects or installation problems, and require mechanical correction rather than adjustment. It is the service technician’s responsibility to determine if combustion problems are caused by improper adjustment, incorrect installation, component failure, or equipment defect. Therefore, it is important that the technician completely understands how each of the subsystems affects the chemical reaction called combustion.

It should be noted that there is not a national industry standard for calculating measured efficiency with a combustion analyzer. Manufacturers of analyzers use differing calculations to derive efficiency values. Oftentimes this discrepancy is due to values that have been extrapolated into the condensing range.

Heat removed from the flue gasses on a condensing furnace is latent or hidden heat. A combustion analyzer that measures only temperature and not volume of condensate cannot measure the quantity of heat removed from the flue gas during the condensing process. Although terms of thermal and combustion efficiency are often used interchangeably on non-condensing units, they cannot be used in the same manner on condensing appliances.

The thermal efficiency of a condensing appliance and combustion efficiency will be different. The only way to calculate the actual thermal efficiency of an appliance is to measure the exact airflow across the heat exchanger and the change in air temperature across the heat exchanger and input the measured values into the sensible heat formula to calculate the heat energy input into the conditioned air. There will be some minimal loss to the furnace cabinet by radiation and conduction. Depending on how much of the heat energy is extrapolated from the water in the flue gas, an average of 970 BTU per pound, the efficiency readings can differ by as much as 10%. This assumes that either all latent heat energy was extracted from the flue gasses after they reached the dew point or none of the latent heat energy was extracted.

This extrapolation of values is distorted, and has led manufacturers of appliances to inadvertently post higher than actual thermal efficiency numbers. Due to the readings achieved on their analyzer. (NOTE: This calculation does not affect the AFUE numbers, which are derived by a different means.) By not taking this discrepancy into account, some in the industry have suggested that fuels are being delivered with low BTU levels. This leads them to suggest that fuel pressures be raised to provide the net heat output that the manufacturer has published. For this reason, we recommend that the fuel pressure be set per the

manufacturer’s instructions. The combustion efficiency will then be a function of the actual dry flue gas and not of the thermal efficiency of a

condensing appliance. This avoids use of a calculated rather than a measured parameter. Some manufacturers have chosen to use a combustion calculation that does not extrapolate the thermal efficiency values of flue gasses below the dew point, as those values are not representative of the heat that is removed from the flue gasses during the condensing process. Although this may result in the appearance of lower thermal efficiency of the appliance, the science used for measuring combustion efficiency is not artificially high. Once differences in combustion and appliance thermal efficiency are understood, the methodology of scientific measurement versus extrapolation of measured values can be appreciated and applied, allowing manufacturers to publish combustion and thermal efficiencies that are representative of the actual efficiency of their appliance, thereby creating a standard that is based upon actual measurement rather than an extrapolation.

Fly ash is the finest of coal ash particles. It is called fly ash because it is transported from the combustion chamber by exhaust gases. Fly ash is the fine powder formed from the mineral matter in coal, consisting of the noncombustible matter in coal and a small amount of carbon that remains from incomplete combustion. Fly ash is generally light tan in color and consists mostly of silt-sized and clay-sized glassy spheres. Properties of fly ash vary significantly with coal composition and plant operating conditions. In the United States, approximately 50 million tons of fly ash is reused annually.

Fly ash is referred to as either cementations or pozzolanic. A cementation material hardens when mixed with water. A pozzolanic material will also harden with water but only after activation with an alkaline substance such as lime. These cementations and pozzolanic properties make some fly ashes useful for cement replacement in concrete and many other building applications. Fly ash is used in concrete and cement products, road base, oil stabilizer, clean

fill, filler in asphalt, metal recovery, and mineral filler.

Where does fly ash come from?

Fly ash is produced by coal-fired electric and steam generating plants. Typically, coal is pulverized and blown with air into the boiler’s combustion chamber where it immediately ignites, generating heat and producing a molten mineral residue. Boiler tubes extract heat from the boiler, cooling the flue gas and causing the molten mineral residue to harden and form ash. Coarse ash particles, referred to as bottom ash or slag, fall to the bottom of the combustion chamber, while the lighter fine ash particles, termed fly ash, remain suspended in the flue gas. Prior to exhausting the flue gas, fly ash is removed by particulate emission control devices, such as electrostatic precipitators or filter fabric baghouses.

Where is fly ash used?

Fly ash is used as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in the production of portland cement concrete. A supplementary cementitious material, when used in conjunction with portland cement, contributes to the properties of the hardened concrete through hydraulic or pozzolanic activity, or both. As such, SCM’s include both pozzolans and hydraulic materials. A pozzolan is defined as a siliceous or siliceous and aluminous material that in itself possesses little or no cementitious value, but that will, in finely divided form and in the presence of moisture, chemically react with calcium hydroxide at ordinary temperatures to form compounds having cementitious properties. Pozzolans that are commonly used in concrete include fly ash, silica fume and a variety of natural

pozzolans such as calcined clay and shale, and volcanic ash. SCM’s that are hydraulic in behaviour include ground granulated blast furnace slag and fly ashes with high calcium contents (such fly ashes display both pozzolanic and hydraulic behaviour).

What makes fly ash useful?

Fly ash can be a cost-effective substitute for Portland cement in many markets. Fly ash is also recognized as an environmentally friendly material because it is a byproduct and has low embodied energy, the measure of how much energy is consumed in producing and shipping a building material. By contrast, Portland cement has a very high embodied energy because its production requires a great deal of heat. Fly ash requires less water than Portland cement and is easier to use in cold weather. Other benefits include:

• Produces various set times
• Cold weather resistance
• High strength gains, depending on the use
• Can be used as an admixture
• Considered a non-shrink material
• Produces dense concrete with a smooth surface and sharp detail
• Great workability
• Reduces crack problems, permeability, and bleeding
• Reduces heat of hydration
• Allows for a lower water-cement ratio for similar slumps when compared to no-fly-ash mixes
• Reduces CO2 emissions

How fly ash is produced?

Fly ash is produced from the combustion of coal in electric utility or industrial boilers. There are four basic types of coal-fired boilers: pulverized coal (PC), stoker-fired or travelling grate, cyclone, and fluidized-bed combustion (FBC) boilers. The PC boiler is the most widely used, especially for large electric generating units.

The other boilers are more common at industrial or cogeneration facilities. Fly ashes produced by FBC boilers are not considered in this document. Fly ash

is captured from the flue gases using electrostatic precipitators (ESP) or in filter fabric collectors, commonly referred to as baghouses. The physical and chemical characteristics of fly ash vary among combustion methods, coal source, and particle shape.

Quality of fly ash

Quality requirements for fly ash vary depending on the intended use. Fly ash quality is affected by fuel characteristics (coal), co-firing of fuels (bituminous and sub-bituminous coals), and various aspects of the combustion and flue gas cleaning/collection processes. The four most relevant characteristics of fly ash for use in concrete are loss on ignition (LOI), fineness, chemical composition and uniformity.

LOI is a measurement of unburned carbon (coal) remaining in the ash and is a critical characteristic of fly ash, especially for concrete applications. High carbon levels, the type of carbon (i.e., activated), the interaction of soluble ions in fly ash, and the variability of carbon content can result in significant air-entrainment problems in fresh concrete and can adversely affect the durability of concrete. AASHTO and ASTM specify limits for LOI. However, some state

transportation departments will specify a lower level for LOI. Carbon can also be removed from fly ash.

Some fly ash uses are not affected by the LOI. Filler in asphalt, flowable fill, and structural fills can accept fly ash with elevated carbon contents.

The fineness of fly ash is most closely related to the operating condition of the coal crushers and the grindability of the coal itself. For fly ash use in concrete applications, fineness is defined as the percent by weight of the material retained on the 0.044 mm (No. 325) sieve. A coarser gradation can result in less reactive ash and could contain higher carbon contents. Limits on fineness are addressed by ASTM and state transportation department specifications. Fly ash can be processed by screening or air classification to improve its fineness and reactivity.

Some non-concrete applications, such as structural fills are not affected by fly ash fineness. However, other applications such as asphalt filler, are greatly

dependent on the fly ash fineness and its particle size distribution.

The chemical composition of fly ash relates directly to the mineral chemistry of the parent coal and any additional fuels or additives used in the combustion or post-combustion processes. The pollution control technology that is used can also affect the chemical composition of the fly ash. Electric generating stations burn large volumes of coal from multiple sources. Coals may be blended to maximize generation efficiency or to improve the station’s environmental performance. The chemistry of the fly ash is constantly tested and evaluated for specific use applications.

Some stations selectively burn specific coals or modify their additives formulation to avoid degrading the ash quality or to impart a desired fly ash chemistry and characteristics.

Uniformity of fly ash characteristics from shipment to shipment is imperative in order to supply a consistent product. Fly ash chemistry and characteristics are typically known in advance so concrete mixes are designed and tested for performance.

Debangsu Bhattacharyya, GE Plastics Material Engineering professor of chemical and biomedical ‎engineering, received a $2.5 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to develop an online ‎monitoring tool, using AI, for boiler systems at coal-fired and natural gas power plants.‎

Due to frequent and rapid loading, power plants are subjected to excessive creep and fatigue ‎damages, which often lead to the failure of critical boiler components, Bhattacharyya said. This ‎causes power plants to operate inefficiently.‎

Here’s how power plants work: Coal or natural gas is combusted inside to produce high-pressure ‎steam that is then used in a steam turbine to generate electricity. A boiler incorporates a furnace to ‎burn fuel and generate heat, which is transferred to water to make steam.‎

‎“The boiler is at the heart of the power plant,” Bhattacharyya said. “During startup, the boiler is ‎gradually heated up increasing the steam temperature and pressure to their nominal values.”‎

With power plant boilers, there’s a lot of starting up and shutting down.‎

Depending on the length of the idle time before the startup is initiated, startups can be categorized ‎as hot, warm or cold startups. Cold startups can cause significantly more damage to the boiler ‎health in comparison to hot or warm startups. During shutdown, the boiler is gradually cooled and ‎the steam pressure is decreased.‎

Many power plant boilers start up and shut down several hundreds of times a year.‎

This is where AI can play a in role, in predicting the behaviors of the boilers by “learning” the inner ‎workings of the system, Bhattacharyya said.‎

‎“AI models will be used to describe the complex phenomena in the boilers that are time-varying,” ‎he said. “For example, external fouling of boiler tubes by fly ash and slag is an extremely complex ‎phenomenon being affected by various operating conditions such as the gas flow field, coal and ‎ash particle shape and size distribution and hardware design.”‎

A tool to monitor the online health of the boiler can be developed to understand the impacts of ‎load-following and can eventually help plants develop advanced process control strategies for ‎improved flexibility, higher profitability and reduced forced outage without compromising safety or ‎reliability, Bhattacharyya said.‎

‎“As the system learns, it eventually keeps improving the estimation accuracy,” he said.‎

The project is part of a larger initiative from the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy that allocated $39 ‎million toward a total of 17 research projects aimed at improving the reliability, performance and ‎flexibility of the nation’s existing coal-fired power fleet.‎

Bhattacharyya’s model will be tested at Barry Power Plant, a coal- and natural gas-fired electrical ‎generation facility in Alabama.‎

‎“Even though each boiler is different, the framework proposed can be readily adapted to the ‎monitoring of practically any power plant,” he said. “A key goal of the project is to develop the ‎framework so that it is easy to understand and implement for broader acceptability by and ‎applicability to a large number of power plants.”‎

research from the University of Alberta has put a B.C.-based company one step closer to ‎developing a green alternative to fly ash used in cement.‎

Progressive Planet, a mineral exploration company with its flagship Z1 zeolite Quarry in B.C., ‎announced its project with the university to modify the rheology of its zeolite mixture has been ‎successful. Rheology, or slump, refers to the flow of something, a key aspect of properly pouring ‎cement.‎

Researchers found the mixture, which includes zeolite, recycled glass that has been pulverized and ‎other proprietary ingredients, has been able to achieve a slump better than targeted. Now the team is ‎working to get CSA testing conducted so the product can be ready for commercial use as a ‎supplementary cementing material.‎

Steve Harpur, CEO of Progressive Planet, said he not only sees an opportunity to fill in a gap as the ‎coal plants that supply fly ash are phased out, but also put a dent in one of the globe’s worst ‎sources of pollution.‎

Large amounts of glass end up in landfills that could easily be used in a cement mix. And the ‎cement making process is less polluting as well.‎

Harpur explained that traditional fly ash must be heated to over 1,000 degrees several times, ‎requiring a large amount of energy and releasing almost half of the fly ash material as carbon ‎dioxide.‎

‎“This is the main reason that the production of Portland cement is the second biggest man-made ‎cause of CO2 pollution,” said Harpur. “It’s absolutely monstrous. It’s a tremendously destructive ‎force in global warming.” ‎

Harpur explained natural pozzolans like zeolite are volcanic in origin and have already been rapidly ‎heated and cooled. This makes them amorphous in structure rather than crystalline. They only need ‎to be ground into a fine powder to be used in a cement mixture rather than heated.‎

The material’s use in construction is ancient. Harpur explained pozzolanic ash was famously used ‎in the roman concrete that makes up the Parthenon’s dome. The structure remains the world’s ‎largest and oldest unreinforced concrete dome.‎

Harpur said he anticipates being able to soon sell a product that could be used to reduce the amount ‎of Portland cement in a mix by 20 per cent.‎

But first the product must go through several CSA tests that measure compressive strength, alkali-‎silica reaction, sulphate resistance and freeze-thaw resistance. In addition, one American Society ‎for Testing and Materials test will be completed to analyze air voids.‎

The company will be targeting the 2021 construction season to have a commercial product that it ‎can offer as a competitive alternative to fly ash to the ready mix and pre-cast concrete industries in ‎B.C. and Alberta.‎

Harpur explained traditional fly ash is already becoming scarce. Coal plants that produce electricity ‎and fly ash are already starting to get phased out and by 2029 they won’t be allowed in some ‎provinces.‎

Harpur hopes the technology can go even further than just a supplementary material. Progressive ‎Planet is already in the early stages of researching a geopolymer mix without any Portland cement ‎and even developing a way to reverse the cement making process to sequester carbon.‎

‎“Concrete is the most consumed building material in the world,” said Harpur. “We don’t have a ‎perfect solution but it’s a better solution. Our corporate values are to continue to find better ‎solutions. That’s why we were so excited to be taking a product, glass, that is basically single use ‎and it can be involved in structures for decades.”‎

The fly ash market accounted to US$ 6,863.5 Mn in 2018 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of ‎‎7.9% during the forecast period 2019 – 2027, to account to US$ 13,502.7 Mn by 2027.‎

The Asia Pacific accounted for the largest market share in the global fly ash market. The growth of ‎fly ash market in this region is primarily attributed to the rising spending on infrastructure and ‎increasing growth in the construction sector. Moreover, higher population rate in the countries such ‎as China and India has led to increased demand for residential as well as commercial construction. ‎The growing population of these countries is the main driver for the growth of the construction ‎industry in the region. This would influence the fly ash market growth during the forecast period. ‎Furthermore, the availability of vast coal reserve in this region and government initiatives for the ‎disposable of fly ash are the major factors that provide a lucrative growth opportunity for the fly ‎ash market players.‎

Under application segment, the Portland cement & concrete is the leading segment. Fly ash, ‎commonly as pulverized fuel ash, is a byproduct of coal combustion, comprised of the particulates ‎driven out of coal-fired boilers combined with the flue gases. Fly ash used in Portland cement ‎concrete (PCC) has numerous advantages and enhances concrete performance in both the fresh and ‎hardened state. The use of fly ash in concrete progresses the workability of plastic concrete and the ‎strength and toughness of hardened concrete. However, the quality of fly ash must be carefully ‎examined when the material is used in PCC. Furthermore, road & embankment construction ‎segment is anticipated to grow at a faster pace, which is anticipated to boost the demand for fly ash ‎over the forecast period.‎

Fly ash is obtained from one of the biggest sources of air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions ‎on Earth. The main reason that fly ash is considered to be eco-friendly when used in construction is ‎that it is recycled material. Fly ash concrete has the ability to simultaneously curb global carbon ‎emissions while developing better and more durable infrastructure. Fly ash products do not require ‎the high-temperature processing of cement and have the same compressive strength as cement. ‎Furthermore, it requires only a small fraction of the sodium-based activation chemicals used to ‎harden the cement. The researchers are focusing on developing new and innovative products of fly ‎ash that can be used in a variety of applications. For instance, the researchers from Rice University ‎have developed a new composite binder that can completely replace cement and also reduce waste ‎from power plants. Fly ash is composed of airborne particles created as coal is burned in power ‎plants. This material is usually captured, and while some are recycled, most ends up in the ‎landfill.  In the developed and developing nations such as the United States, Germany, China, and ‎India, among others, the building and constructing industry is prospering on the back of rapid ‎urbanization. For the construction sector, cement is an important material, and the consumers are ‎looking for more environment-friendly versions of it in order to build robust skyscrapers and other ‎concrete structures. Therefore, fly ash has emerged as a premium substitute for Portland cement for ‎the building and construction industry.‎

The market for fly ash is concentrated with some very well-established players. Some of the key ‎players in the fly ash market include Ashtech India Pvt Ltd, Boral Limited, CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V, ‎Hi-Tech FlyAsh (India) Private Limited, LafargeHolcim Ltd., Salt River Materials Group, Sephaku ‎Cement, Tarmac, The, SEFA Group, Titan America LLC, Charah Solutions, Inc., and FlyAshDirect.‎

Strategic Insights

Merger & acquisition were observed as the most adopted strategies in global fly ash market. Few of ‎the recent developments in the global fly ash market are listed below:‎

‎2019: Boral Resource acquired marketing rights for fly ash produced at two large coal-fueled ‎power plants in Mexico. The power plants are capable of producing more than 1 million tons ‎annually of concrete quality Class F fly ash that will be available for distribution through Boral’s ‎extensive western United States network.‎

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‎2018: Charah Solutions, Inc signed a partnership agreement with Oklahoma Construction Materials ‎and also completed the installation of new fly ash storage silos at Oklahoma Construction Materials ‎rail terminal near Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Construction Materials is a leading provider of ‎transload and aggregate supply services.‎

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‎2018: Charah Solutions, Inc. launched the proprietary fly ash thermal beneficiation technology that ‎improves the quality of fly ash. Charah Solutions’ new MP618 Multi-Process technology reduces ‎the loss on ignition (LOI), ammonia, activated carbon and moisture in fly ash.‎