FLY ASH BRICK

What is fly ash?

           Fly ash closely resembles volcanic ashes used in production of the earliest known hydraulic cements about 2,300 years ago. Those cements were made near the small Italian town of Pozzuoli - which later gave its name to the term  pozzolan

           A  pozzolan  is a siliceous or siliceous / aluminous material that, when mixed with lime and water, forms a cementitious compound. Fly ash is the best known, and one of the most commonly used, pozzolans in the world.

           Instead of volcanoes, today's fly ash comes primarily from coal-fired electricity generating power plants. These power plants grind coal to a powder fineness before it is burned. Fly ash - the mineral residue produced by burning coal - is captured from the power plant's exhaust gases and collected for use.

           Fly ash is a fine, glass powder recovered from the gases of burning coal during the production of electricity. These micron-sized earth elements consist primarily of silica, alumina and iron.

           The difference between fly ash and portland cement becomes apparent under a microscope. Fly ash particles are almost totally spherical in shape, allowing them to flow and blend freely in mixtures. That capability is one of the properties making fly ash a desirable admixture for concrete.