Coal sludge/fines is/are produced by a traditional coal washing plant and stored in large coal ponds. This sludge is extremely wet and contains fine sand and other contamination.
Starobeshevo project
In the Starobeshevo project in Ukraine, the coal sludge is dried thermally and pelletized before it is used in a coal-fired power station.
Gorenergo project
In the Gorenergo project, the coal sludge is washed, cleaned with spirals and pneumatic flotation. Fine sand is removed and the clean coal is finally dewatered before it is sold to the power stations.
During the washing process, sand and gravel will be classified into several fraction like fine and coarse sand, fine and coarse gravel and any contamination. Beside the contamination, each of the fractions has a high value and is used in the production of concrete or is used in road construction etc.
Demolished waste is separated automatically into ferrous, non-ferrous, gravel, ceramics, fines and contamination like plastics and wood. Technology like IR, CCD cameras, eddy current etc is used to separate these fractions.
The contamination is used as a RDF (= high caloric waste) in the cement industry for the production of heat. Ferrous and non-ferrous is re-used in the steel industry. Ceramics are crushed and grinded till a powder and till gravel, reused into new bricks. The concrete stones are crushed and grinded till a powder, re-used as a filler or as a low quality cement.