During recent years, the pressure on the global environment has led to an increase in the demand for renewable energy, and a necessary reorganisation of the existing energy sector. Since coal-fired power plants already exist, a prevalent option is to transform the existing plans to use alternative, sustainable fuels for energy production. One alternative and sustainable fuel is biomass, defined as an organic material, e.g. plant material such as wood, residual wood or sawdust. This reorganisation inevitably leads to a significant increase in the formation of new types of residual wastes, such as wood ash.
The main objective of the PhD project is to identify problems and potentials based on the wood ash characteristics and utilisation as a supplementary cementitious material. The characteristics of the wood ashes vary depending on the production parameters, making it necessary to compare the production parameters with the wood ash characteristics. This allows for possible optimisation of the combustion process at the power plants, both relation to the energy production and in order to optimise the residual wood ash. This will further lead to wood ash being considered a resource, which can be utilised in the cement and concrete industry, instead of as a residual product, which needs to be deposited.
Supervisors: Lisbeth M. Ottosen (DTU Byg), Gunvor M. Kirkelund (DTU Byg), Mette Rica Geiker (NTNU), Pernille E. Jensen (DTU Byg).