
Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC), Nagpur has reportedly innovated a process to convert coal fly ash into useful products such as aluminium fluoride and high purity silica at laboratory scale.

So, now the current demand of aluminium fluoride, which is about 42,000 tonnes in Indian aluminium smelters, can be fulfilled by coal fly ash alone. This will help in saving natural resources, such as bauxite and sand, and lead to proper utilisation of coal fly ash. Aluminium fluoride is majorly used in the primary aluminium industry during the production of aluminium from alumina.
The coal fly ash (CFA) generation in India is about 200 million tonnes per annum containing 30 per cent alumina and 60 per cent silica.
The innovation of the process was based on 10 gram of CFA, which was interesting and promising, and prompted to submit a proposal to Ministry of Mines to set up a bench scale conversion facility.
CFA is one of the solid wastes generated in thermal power plants during the process of power generation. According to 2017 data, power generation by coal-based thermal power plants in India was about 218 Gwh that resulted in 195-200 million tonnes per annum of CFA generation.
A team of JNARDDC is working on its parameters, recycling of solvent, environmental sustenance and cost economy of the process under the guidance of institute director Dr. Anupam Agnihotri.
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