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Poland is a country where the commercial power industry mainly uses coal to produce energy. As a result of energy production processes, by-products of combustion are generated, primarily fly ashes. In Poland, these are mostly obtained from conventional coal combustion boilers. Fly ashes from coal combustion account for 1.2% of all industrial waste generated in Poland. In addition, fly ashes are produced by fluidized-bed boilers. These are classified as a mixture of fly ashes and solid calcium-based reaction waste from flue-gas desulphurization, and constitute almost 2% of Polish industrial waste. This paper describes the amounts of fly ashes generated in Poland and considers activities related to their recovery and disposal. The high recovery levels of fly ashes (about 90%) and fluidized ashes (about 98%) mean that these waste products can also be considered anthropogenic raw materials. The use of these materials in the cement industry is an example of industrial symbiosis. Such usage benefits not only the economy but also the environment and, therefore, society as a whole. To describe the use of recovered fly ashes in cement plants, the authors use the anthropogenicity index, which characterizes the level of technological advancement and the substitutability of primary raw materials for secondary raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there is an increasing industrial demand for rare earth elements (REE) as these elements are now integral to the manufacture of many carbon-neutral technologies. The depleting REE ores and increasing mining costs are prompting us to consider alternative sources for these valuable metals, particularly from waste streams. Although REE concentrations in most of the alternative resources are lower than current REE ores, some sources including marine sediments, coal ash, and industrial wastes, such as red mud, are emerging as promising with significant concentrations of REE. This review focuses on the alternative resources for REE, such as ocean bottom sediments, continental shelf sediments, river sediments, stream sediments, lake sediments, phosphorite deposits, industrial waste products, such as red mud and phosphogypsum, coal, coal fly ash and related materials, waste rock sources from old and closed mines, acid mine drainage, and recycling of e-waste. Possible future Moon exploration and mining for REE and other valuable minerals are also discussed. It is evident that REE extractions from both primary and secondary ores alone are not adequate to meet the current demand, and sustainable REE recovery from the alternative resources described here is also necessary to meet the growing REE demand. An attempt is made to identify the potential of these alternative resources and sustainability challenges, benefits, and possible environmental hazards to meet the growing challenges of reaching the future REE requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White mud is residue discharged during the acid method in the aluminum extraction process from coal fly ash, and this material is harmful to the environment. The implementation of an environmentally friendly and valuable way to use white mud is a key factor restricting the commercial application of the acid method in the fly ash alumina extraction technology. An analysis of white mud revealed the following: (1) it was highly enriched in SiO2 (70–80%) while concentrations of acid-soluble elements, such as Na, Al, and Fe, and some hazardous heavy metals, including Pb and Cr, were significantly lower than raw fly ash; (2) approximately 80% of SiO2 had relatively high reaction activity because of the foregoing Al-extraction treatment. Through an ingenious green chemical process, the complete conversion of white mud into silicon–calcium fertilizer (SCF) was achieved under very mild reaction conditions (approximately 100 °C and atmospheric pressure). Waste liquor was totally recycled, and no secondary solid waste was generated. The SCF had an available silicon content (ASC) of 35%, significantly higher than the commercial standard (20%). Converting them into soil conditioners or ecological remediation materials with the lowest possible energy consumption and secondary pollution may be the most promising approach for the future disposal of aluminosilicate industrial solid wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2 mineralization (aka mineral carbonation) is a promising method for the chemical sequestration of CO2 via reaction with oxides of alkaline or alkaline-earth metals to form carbonates. It has documented advantages over similar technological solutions to climate change. The huge amount of industrial solid waste, as a serious environmental issue confronted by China, can provide additional alkalinity sources for CO2 mineralization. In this study, we present an overview of the latest advances in the emerging technologies of CO2-mineralization via industrial solid waste in China, from the perspective of both theoretical and practical considerations. We summarize the types of industrial solid waste that are used (mainly coal fly ash, steel slag, phosphogypsum, and blast furnace slag) and the technological options available in the literature, with an emphasis on the discussion of the involved process-intensification methods and valuable chemicals produced. Furthermore, we illustrate the current status of pertinent policies, and research and development activities in China. Finally, we identify the current knowledge gaps, particularly in understanding the overall sustainability performance of these CO2-mineralization technologies, and indicate that the technical, economic, and environmental challenges of promoting and commercializing these technologies for the co-utilization of industrial solid waste and carbon resources call for, amongst other things, more joint efforts by chemists, chemical engineers, and environmental scientists, and more feedback from the energy and industrial sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in industrial waste and by-products are routinely used to mitigate the adverse environmental effects of, and lower the energy consumption associated with, ordinary Portland cement (OPC) manufacture. Many such SCMs, such as type F coal fly ash (FA), are naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs). 226Ra, 232Th and 40K radionuclide activity concentration, information needed to determine what is known as the gamma-ray activity concentration index (ACI), is normally collected from ground cement samples. The present study aims to validate a new method for calculating the ACI from measurements made on unground 5 cm cubic specimens. Mechanical, mineralogical and radiological characterisation of 28-day OPC + FA pastes (bearing up to 30 wt % FA) were characterised to determine their mechanical, mineralogical and radiological properties. The activity concentrations found for 226Ra, 212Pb, 232Th and 40K in hardened, intact 5 cm cubic specimens were also statistically equal to the theoretically calculated values and to the same materials when ground to a powder. These findings consequently validated the new method. The possibility of determining the activity concentrations needed to establish the ACI for cement-based materials on unground samples introduces a new field of radiological research on actual cement, mortar and concrete materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: In this paper waste bottom ash from a thermal power station was treated with lime and sand. This improves certain material characteristics leading to a potential use in a subbase in road construction. Industrial waste causes environmental, economic, and social problems. In Morocco, the Jorf Lasfar Thermal Power Station produces two types of coal ash with enormous quantities: fly ash (FA) and Bottom ash (BA). FA is recovered in cement while BA is stored in landfills. To reduce the effects of BA disposal in landfills, several experimental studies have tested the possibility of their recovery in the road construction, especially as a subbase. In the first phase of this study, the BA underwent a physicochemical and geotechnical characterization. The results obtained show that the BA should be treated to improve its mechanical properties. The most commonly used materials are lime and cement. In the selected low-cost treatment, which is the subject of the second phase of the study, lime is used to improve the low pozzolanicity of BA while calcarenite sand is used to increase the compactness. Several mixtures containing BA, lime, and calcarenite sand were prepared. Each of these mixtures was compacted in modified Proctor molds and then subjected to a series of tests to study the following characteristics: compressive strength, dry and wet California Bearing Ratio (CBR), dry density and swelling. The composition of each mixture was based on an experimental design approach. The results show that the values of the compressive strength, the dry density, and the CBR index have increased after treatment, potentially leading to a valorization of the treated BA for use in a subbase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]