It is reported (ARIPPA June 2019) that there are over 770 identified coal refuse piles covering 8,300 acres and containing more than 220 million tons of refuse coal in the state of Pennsylvania [1]. Of these 770 sites, 45 are reportedly burning uncontrollably causing noxious fumes and unwanted emissions in the nearby communities! Did you know that one of the most effective ways of handling this environmental problem is to use refuse coal as fuel to generate energy and thereby rehabilitate mining-affected lands? R-E-D Industrial Products' fly ash comes from this reclamation process.
By solving a significant environmental problem in the Keystone State and then using the resultant fly ash waste product in soil remediation and stabilization as well as in concrete and concrete products as a replacement for portland cement, we are actually solving other environmental problems. The EPA reports that for every ton of portland cement (the binder used in concrete as well as in CLSM [Controlled low strength material] which is used for soil remediation and stabilization) produced between 0.787 and 0.934 tons of CO2 is released into the atmosphere [2]. As a replacement for portland cement in concrete and CLSM, fly ash can reduce up to 20 percent of the typical embedded CO2 (GHG-greenhouse gas) in every yard of concrete poured or CLSM used.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 set the groundwork for driving the economy-wide reduction in U.S. Greenhouse Gas Pollution to 40% below 2005 Levels by 2030. The utilization of fly ash as a replacement for portland cement is one of the ways we can achieve this goal and march us further toward the nation's ultimate 2050 net-zero emissions goal.
References
[1] ARIPPA (2019) “The Coal Refuse Reclamation to Energy Industry”. https://arippa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ARIPPA-Report-FINAL-June-2019.pdf. Retrieved on 9/23.
[2] EPA (2021) “U.S. Cement Industry Carbon Intensities (2019), EPA 430-F-21-004”. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-10/cement-carbon-intensities-fact-sheet.pdf . Retrieved on 9/23.