Physical, chemical and geotechnical characterization of fly ash, bottom ash and municipal solid waste from Telangana State in India

Abstract

Utilization of fly ash, bottom ash and municipal solid waste in the field of geotechnical engineering necessitates determination of its physical, chemical, morphological and engineering properties. This paper presents detailed physical, chemical and geotechnical characterization of fly ash, bottom ash and municipal solid waste from Telangana State in India. Fly ash and bottom ash samples were collected from Kakatiya thermal power station in India. Municipal solid waste (MSW) sample was collected from Borabanda municipal dump site in the city of Hyderabad, India. From the experimental results, it is noticed that specific gravity of fly ash, bottom ash and municipal solid waste were found to be 1.86, 1.77 and 2.2 respectively. Presence of quartz and mullite; quartz, mullite and calcium carbonate; and quartz and corundum are found to be predominant in fly ash, bottom ash and MSW respectively. The peak friction angle of fly ash, bottom ash and municipal solid waste were found to be 37.02°, 33.77° and 35.23° respectively. Permeability characteristics of fly ash, bottom ash and municipal solid waste were observed to be 1.01E−04 cm/s, 2.01E−04 cm/s and 1.16E−04 cm/s respectively. From the observation of experimental results, it can be concluded that fly ash, bottom ash and municipal solid waste from Telangana state are effective material to be used as backfill material, filter material and embankment construction.