Effective use of coal ash as ground materials in Japan

Abstract

The recent increase in the generation and use of coal fly ash by electric power stations and various industries has contributed to Japan developing technology to facilitate the utilization of fly ash as ground material, including the use of fly ash for fills and embankments, pavement and subbase courses, subgrade stabilizations, landfill cover, soil improvement, land reclamation, slurried flowable ash and water pollution control. This paper describes the state of the art related to coal fly ash utilization as geo-material in Japan. In particular, this paper describes the material properties and technology associated with each technique. As coal fly ash contains a very small amount of heavy metal which should be considered for geo-environmental safety, this paper also discusses quality and inspection techniques for coal fly ash materials.