Development of Flotation Device for Removing Unburnt Carbon in Fly Ash for Use in Hardened Cementitious Materials

Abstract

The unburned carbon in fly ash inhibits the performance of concrete. A device using the flotation method to remove unburned carbon in fly ash was developed, and the operating condition of the device was experimentally examined. According to the results, the device was able to remove unburnt carbon from fly ash by using the installed micro bubble nozzles and a whirl-type pump. The removal efficiency of unburnt carbon improved when prior forced stirring was carried out by a concrete mixer for 3 min, and a scavenger was added into the fly ash slurry at a density of about 60 wt%. It has also been confirmed that the method of circulating water is more effective than the method of not circulating water. The elements of the modified fly ash slurry (MFAS) have also been experimentally confirmed as not being too different from untreated fly ash, except for the fact that the content of unburned carbon is reduced. The compressive strength and drying shrinkage characteristics of concrete made with MFAS were investigated. The use of MFAS will reduce the performance of concrete compared to that of ordinary concrete. This shows that in a certain range (15–30%), the influence of MFAS on drying shrinkage is constant. The static elastic modulus and dynamic elastic modulus were also investigated. The above results show that the application of MFAS prepared by the flotation method to concrete is feasible.