Five companies, after a six-month observation period, have been approved by the Kaohsiung City Government to produce controlled low-strength materials (CLSM) from fly ash and cement, which could provide a solution for disposing of excess fly ash from incinerators.
Kaohsiung produces 230,000 tonnes of fly ash per year and efforts to dispose of it have only had limited success, the Kaohsiung Environmental Protection Bureau said.
By providing cement factories with fly ash, the municipal government would be able to achieve three goals — increase construction quality, monitor the flow of fly ash and increase the rate of fly ash disposal, the bureau said.
The local government’s collaboration with the companies could also prevent illegal dumping of fly ash and other materials, it added.
Bureau Director Tsai Meng-yu (蔡孟裕) said that the materials mixed with fly ash would allow the government to live up to its promise of recycling fly ash, as well as its promise to have no unrecycled garbage.
Every 1,700kg of CLSM would be comprised of 800kg of fly ash, the bureau said, adding that the regulations are in place to maximize the use of fly ash and meet the standards of a circular economy.
The local government is also asking the five companies that have met the standards to comply with regulations and to produce more CLSM.
CLSM is similar to concrete, but has a much lower material strength, so it should not be used to support bridges and buildings, the bureau said.
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