Geotechnical characterization of Panki and Panipat pond ash in India

Abstract

Rapid growth in thermal power plants acquires huge valuable lands for disposing coal ash generated as a waste material from thermal power plants. In most of the thermal power plants, the coal ash is dumped in the nearby low lying areas which results into the formation of ash pond. Pond ash can be effectively used for various geotechnical applications such as, filling low lying areas, construction of highways and embankments to minimize the disposal problem. The utilization of pond ash in geotechnical engineering applications needs thorough understanding of its physical, chemical, mineralogical, morphological and engineering properties. This paper presents a detailed geotechnical characterization of pond ashes collected from Panki and Panipat thermal power plants which comes under seismic zone III and IV respectively. From the laboratory studies, it is observed that Panki and Panipat pond ashes show low specific gravity (2.21–2.338), good drainage characteristics (2.42E−05 m/s to 4.21E−05 m/s) and good friction properties (33.04°–36.53°). So it can be effectively used for embankment construction, backfill material, filter material etc.