The problem of of the use of fly ash still constitutes a research and exploration area for scientists. This is due to the fact that, 6,000,000 Mg of coal combustion by-products (CCB) are storage on landfills yearly in Poland alone. One of the potential directions of using fly ash is to use it as a substrate in hydrothermal syntheses of mesoporous materials (synthetic zeolites). Zeolites are aluminosilicates with a spatial structure. Due to their specific structure they are characterized by a number of specific properties among others molecular-sieve, ion-exchange and catalytic that can be used in engineering and environmental protection. So far, the synthesis has been carried out using coal combustion by-products such as fly ash or microsphere. The article analyzes whether separation from the fly ash of the appropriate fraction (below 63 μm) will affect the formation of zeolite grains. The syntheses were carried out using class F fly ash and the fraction separated from it, which was obtained by sieving the ash through a 63 μm sieve. Chemical (XRF) and mineralogical (XRD, SEM-EDS) analyzes were carried out for substrates as well as the obtained reaction products. In the case of substrates, the analysis did not show any significant differences between the ash and the separated fraction. However, in products after synthesis (Na-X zeolite with a small amount of Na-P1 zeolite, and small amounts of quartz and unreacted aluminosilicate glass - mullite) higher aluminum and sodium contents were observed from the separated fraction, with a lower calcium and potassium content. A small proportion of illite was observed on the diffraction curve of the zeolite from the fraction. Observations of grain morphology showed no differences in formation. Based on the conducted analyzes, it can be stated that, considering the economics of the synthesis process, the separation of fine fractions from the fly ash does not affect the quality of the synthesis process.

The issue of mercury emission and the need to take action in this direction was noticed in 2013 via the Minamata Convention. Therefore, more and more often, work and new law regulations are commencing to reduce this chemical compound from the environment. The paper presents the problem of removing mercury from waste gases due to new BREF/BAT restrictions, in which the problem of the need to look for new, more efficient solutions to remove this pollution was also indicated. Attention is paid to the problem of the occurrence of mercury in the exhaust gases in the elemental form and the need to carry out laboratory tests. A prototype installation for the sorption of elemental mercury in a pure gas stream on solid sorbents is presented. The installation was built as part of the LIDER project, financed by the National Center for Research and Development in a project entitled: “The Application of Waste Materials From the Energy Sector to Capture Mercury Gaseous Forms from Flue Gas”. The installation is used for tests in laboratory conditions in which the carrier gas of elemental mercury is argon. The first tests on the zeolite sorbent were made on the described apparatus. The tested material was synthetic zeolite X obtained as a result of a two-stage reaction of synthesis of fly ash type C with sodium hydroxide. Due to an increase, the chemical affinity of the tested material in relation to mercury, the obtained zeolite material was activated with silver ions (Ag+) by an ion exchange using silver nitrate (AgNO3). The first test was specified for a period of time of about 240 minutes. During this time, the breakthrough of the tested zeolite material was not recorded, and therefore it can be concluded that the tested material may be promising in the development of new solutions for capturing mercury in the energy sector. The results presented in this paper may be of interest to the energy sector due to the solution of several environmental aspects. The first of them is mercury sorption tests for the development of new exhaust gases treatment technologies. On the other hand, the second aspect raises the possibility of presenting a new direction for the management and utilization of combustion by-products such as fly ash.

It is estimated that the amount of used car tires in the European Union in 2016 was established at the level of 3,515,000 Mg, which is undoubtedly a problem from the point of view of engineering and environmental protection. An alternative to storing this waste in landfills is their pyrolysis. As a result of thermal decomposition, calorific value products (oil and gas fraction) are obtained, as well as a solid residue, which due to its composition and properties can be processed into a high quality carbon sorbent. For this purpose, various methods of modification of the pyrolyzate are used, both involving physical and chemical activation. This article presents the characteristics of solid residue after the pyrolysis of rubber tires running at a temperature of about 400°C, which included an analysis of chemical composition (XRF and IR), mineralogical composition (XRD, SEM-EDS) and textural characteristics. Additionally, for the purpose of activation, the sample was treated with nitrogen at a temperature of 550°C. The mineralogical analysis showed that the dominant mineral component is carbon. In addition, the presence of quartz, calcite and sphalerite was observed. Analysis of the chemical composition suggests that due to the high carbon content (about 80% by mass) it is possible for a carbon sorbent from the analyzed waste to be obtained. However, previous preliminary studies did not allow a material constituting a substitute for activated carbon to be obtained, because the applied modification only slightly increased the BET specific surface area, which reached the value of approx. 85 m2/g. Based on the analysis of the pore size distribution of the 2 tested samples, it was found to be homogeneous/modal with a micro/mesoporous nature, while the shape of the hysteresis loop suggests the presence of “bottle shape” pores. Due to the relatively high content of zinc, the composition of waste (about 4% of mass), the possibility of recovery of this element should also be considered.

W artykule zbadano możliwość wykorzystania popiołów lotnych klasy C (otrzymywanych w wyniku spalania węgla brunatnego w kotle pyłowym) i F (otrzymywanych w wyniku spalania węgla kamiennego metodą konwencjonalną) jako substratów do syntezy materiału zeolitowego z grupy filipsytu. W tym celu przeprowadzono szereg syntez hydrotermalnych z wykorzystaniem reagentów takich jak wodorotlenek sodu (NaOH) oraz bromek tetrapropyloamoniowy (TPABr). W wyniku reakcji otrzymano docelowy materiał zeolitowy, zarówno z popiołu klasy C, jak i F. Otrzymane produkty syntezy, jak też popiołowe substraty reakcji, poddano charakterystyce chemicznej i mineralogicznej. Badania wykazały, że popiół lotny powstały z węgla brunatnego i kamiennego może być substratem w reakcjach syntez zeolitu, jakim jest filipsyt. Analiza porównawcza dyfraktogramów rentgenowskich produktów z obu typów popiołów wykazała, że lepszym substratem jest popiół klasy C otrzymywany w wyniku spalania węgla brunatnego w kotle pyłowym (w reakcji syntezy otrzymano lepiej wykształcone formy zeolitowe). W pracy dokonano także analizy literaturowej potencjalnych kierunków zastosowania filipsytu w inżynierii i ochronie środowiska. Na podstawie zweryfikowanych danych stwierdzono, iż dalszym kierunkiem badań będzie analiza możliwości wykorzystania otrzymanych materiałów jako potencjalnych sorbentów amoniaku.