An investigation of usability of brown coal fly ash for building materials

Abstract

The Victoria State of Australia has the second largest reserves of brown coal on earth, representing approximately 20% of the world's reserves, and at current use, could supply Victoria with its energy for over 500 years. Its combustion, annually, yields up to 1.3 million tonnes of fly ash, which is largely use for land-fills. Disposal of fly ash in open dumps cause massive environmental problems such as ground water contamination that may create various health problems. This study focuses on the usability of brown coal fly ash to develop a sustainable building material. A series of laboratory investigations was conducted using brown coal fly ash combined with cement and aggregate to prepare cold pressed samples aiming to test their properties. Initial results indicate that compressive strength satisfies minimum standard compressive strength required for bricks or mortar.