Fuel, Vol.78, No.2, 161-168, 1999
Recovery of coke fines from fly ash by air sparged hydrocyclone flotation
Fly ash from a power plant in Gdansk, Poland is stockpiled at two dump sites and contains an average of 15 wt% combustible residue, in the form of very fine coke particles. If recovered, the coke could serve as environmentally friendly fuel or as a source of carbon-derived materials, and the ash could be utilized in the production of construction materials. Since the fly ash material is already wet, a flotation technique was proposed for separation and product recovery. The flotation tests were carried out in a 1-1 Denver-type flotation cell and in a 2 inch diameter air-sparged hydrocyclone (ASH). The flotation concentrate from the air-sparged hydrocyclone contained 35% coke by weight on a dry basis, with a coke recovery to the concentrate of 54%. Experimental results are discussed with respect to particle characteristics.