At a time when the consumption of fly ash in the construction industry is increasing, much to the relief of scientists and environmental activists, who were concerned about its improper disposal by Thermal Power Plants (TPPs), the policies of the Central government seem to be working against it, say researchers.
The proposal of the Centre to extract Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from fly ash is like searching for a ‘needle in a haystack’. The far-fetched idea leaves the remaining bulk material in an environmental liability, according to N. Bhanumathidas and N. Kalidas, researchers of the Visakhapatnam-based Institute for Solid Waste Research and Ecological Balance (INSWAREB). They have been involved in research on the subject for over three decades.
Fly ash generated, which is around 250 million tonnes a year, is increasingly reclassified from waste to secondary raw material for brick, cement and other construction industries. While India has other ‘REE-rich resources’, the proposal to take up ‘REE-centric processing of fly ash’ abuses techno-prudence as it degrades the remaining bulk material to an environmental liability, they argued.
Contending the statements of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T) that ‘fly ash is a rich source of REEs, and other precious elements’, the researchers wonder how REEs at 0.04% by weight become a rich source?
