For building contractors, a solution that allows for less water and Ordinary Portland Cement usage when it comes to producing concrete for construction would normally sound near impossible, but water is being turned to wine with something called Fly Ash. Simply put, this product can be gotten through a process of burning coal in a thermal system but it is not used this way. It first needs to be processed to a state necessary to achieve the desired effect. It can bind very well with cement to make concrete, being pozzolanic. Fly Ash works optimally in the presence of a catalyst hence, the use of cement; however, there are substitutes to this like geopolymers.
When Fly Ash is mixed with aggregates and paste after a certain period, using the free lime present in cement, it makes a reaction to properly form concrete. This reaction process is where the water reduction activity surfaces because it is at this point that Fly Ash replaces the space water would normally fill.
More specifically, the type of fly ash best for used in construction projects are the classified or multi-processed ones as they are less coarse than the original texture and this allows for workability. This finer textured Fly Ash is gotten after a series of processing stages according to standards.
Finely-grained Fly Ash is a great binder, good at reducing hydration heat, excellent at allowing for little use of water, and a guarantor of no-segregation. In addition to this, the building project would be very strong and durable, thermal cracking would be prevented, and there will be no worry about steel corroding. Carbon emission is also greatly reduced in comparison to when using only Portland cement, so one does not only get sturdy infrastructures; you get to save the planet while at it. Applications of Fly Ash include bridges, dams, buildings, roads, and many more.
