Fly Ash with Ammonia: Properties and Emission of Ammonia from Cement Composites

Materials (Basel). 2021 Feb 3;14(4):707. doi: 10.3390/ma14040707.

Abstract

The article presents the results of tests performed on fly ash with a high content of ammonium (up to 400 ppm) from the NOx reduction process. The main properties of fly ash were tested according to EN 450-1 and the results were compared with fly ash without ammonium. The comparison showed that fly ash with high concentration of ammonium suits the requirements of the European standard. Although the requirements do not limit the ammonium content, using such material as an additive for cement composites causes the emission of gaseous ammonium during mixing and from the final product. For this reason, the emission of ammonium from mortars containing fly ash were tested. The results have shown that using high ammonium fly ash might pollute indoor air and affect the health of users.

Keywords: ammonia; ammonia emission; ammonia slip; concrete; denitrification process; fly ash.