Practicing responsible reuse
We burn coal to fuel Unit 2 of our Deerhaven Generating Station. A byproduct of the coal combustion process is a fine powdery substance known as fly ash.
Collecting Fly Ash
Once burned, the ash becomes part of the flue (exhaust) gas and passes through a large compartment called an electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The ESP has positive and negative charged plates and wires that, when energized, attract and remove the fly ash particles from the flue gas.
Recycling Fly Ash
Fly ash is an excellent bonding agent when mixed with cement. This provides an opportunity to reuse it in cement products as well as cement plants.
- 95 percent of our ash is dry unloaded by a vendor for use in cement products.
- The remaining ash, which we mix with water and store in our secure landfill, is mined by a second vendor for use at another cement plant.
Reclaiming our fly ash reduces the need for additional landfill storage.