Utilization of Fly ash for sustainable environment management

Fly ash is a fine powder generated during the burning of pulverized coal in thermal power plants. This industrial waste creates significant environmental problems when released into the atmosphere. In the past, vast majority of the material generated each year was held in ash dams or similar dumps but in recent years a number of technologies have been developed for the beneficial utilization of fly ash in different fields. The utilization of fly ash in construction, mine back fill, road sub-base, agricultural field, paints, wood substitute composites and also as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of organic compounds is reviewed in this article with the aim of finding new areas that will increase the positive use of fly ash and reduce the environmental pollution impacts.