Study on the Possibility of Recovering Lignites from Refused Innerburden

Abstract

The technique of Selective Size Reduction was adopted in order to investigate the possibility of recovering the combustible material from the refused innerburden of the Komanos mine in Greece, in an effort to increase the exploitable energy reserves. The variation of the qualitative characteristics of the grain fractions, produced by the application of this technique, provided useful information on both the suitability of these fractions for combustion in the Power Plants of the area and the possibility of the exploitation of the refuse. The results have shown that the fraction –1.6+1 mm, which was produced from the third stage of crushing with a recovery of 70%, was of acceptable quality for combustion in specific Power Plants, while the refuse (–1 mm) appeared to be proper for use in the cement industry.