Sale of ‘fly ash’ by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)
Recently, Expression of Interest (EOI) has been invited by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for sale of Fly Ash in Middle East and other regions.
This is in line with its target of achieving 100% utilization of fly ash from power plants. Presently, about 80 per cent is being utilized.
Fly Ash:
Fly ash is a fine powder, which is a by-product of the combustion of coal in thermal power plants.
Structure of Fly Ash:
- It contains substantial amounts of oxides of silica, aluminum and calcium.
- It contains small concentrations of arsenic, boron, chromium, lead etc.
- Indian coal is of inferior quality with ash content of 30-45 per cent as compared to imported coal (10-15 per cent).
- Fly ash can be used in agriculture (improving water holding capacity and soil aeration), construction work (manufacture of Portland cement, bricks, tiles etc.), manufacture of absorbers (in purification of waste gases, drinking water etc.).
Government measures taken to promote the use of fly ash
- It is mandatory to ensure 100% utilization of fly ash within three to five years for coal and lignite based power plants.
- ASH TRACK mobile app has been launched for ash management.
- The use of fly ash based products has been made mandatory in all government schemes, such as the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana.
- Maharashtra has become the first state to adopt Fly Ash Utilization Policy (2018).
Source – The Hindu