<p>Electricity accounts for much of the primary energy used in China, and more thanthree-quarter of the total electricity is generated by coal combustion. Coal burningcombined with flue gas cleaning system generates large quantity of coal combustionproducts (CCPs), which has caused significant environmental and economic burden tothe economy, ecology and society. Of great importance are thus different applicationswhich contribute to the increased use of CCPs. This thesis looks at an overview ofCCPs production and utilization all around the world and investigates current CCPsapplications as well as potential technically sound and economically justifiedtechnologies. Results of this thesis show that CCPs utilization rate in differentcountries varies widely from 13% to 97%. Worldwide, a significant proportion ofCCPs from the main producers, e.g. China, the United States and India, is still beingdisposed off, resulting in a low-level of overall utilization of these products. It isevident that the amount of CCPs produced substantially exceeds consumptionsbecause of various existing obstacles and limitations. In order to formulate effectiveapproaches, identifying challenges to increased use of CCPs is of great weight. The aimof this thesis is to analyze current and potential utilizations of CCPs and morespecifically address factors that inhibit or promote the use of CCPs from coal-firedpower plants in China.</p><p>Savings of natural resources, energy, emissions of pollutants, GHG emissions anduseful land were found as the major incentives for CCPs utilization. In China, a ban ofsolid clay bricks was also found to be a very powerful measure to stimulate thedevelopment of other by-product based wall materials while saving useful land andprotecting the environment. However, this strong support from the government hasnot been fully implemented, which seriously hampered CCPs uses. Results presentedin this thesis also show that high transportation cost of low unit-value CCPs,competition from available natural materials and spatial variation in supply-demandposes three of the most important barriers to the increased use of CCPs in China.Industrial organizations with assistances from the government have shown to be offundamental importance for formulating approaches to take in overcoming thebarriers.</p><p>This thesis emphasized that transforming laboratory- and pilot-scale technologies intocommercial productivity is of the highest priority for increased use of CCPs. Aconceptual model of CCPs Eco-Industry Park (EIP) as a potential effective solutionwas proposed. Mutual economic and environmental benefits can be achieved throughthe collaboration between different industries in the CCPs EIP. And other feasiblerecommendations of initiatives from both the government and industries were alsodiscussed.</p>

Electricity accounts for much of the primary energy used in China, and more thanthree-quarter of the total electricity is generated by coal combustion. Coal burningcombined with flue gas cleaning system generates large quantity of coal combustionproducts (CCPs), which has caused significant environmental and economic burden tothe economy, ecology and society. Of great importance are thus different applicationswhich contribute to the increased use of CCPs. This thesis looks at an overview ofCCPs production and utilization all around the world and investigates current CCPsapplications as well as potential technically sound and economically justifiedtechnologies. Results of this thesis show that CCPs utilization rate in differentcountries varies widely from 13% to 97%. Worldwide, a significant proportion ofCCPs from the main producers, e.g. China, the United States and India, is still beingdisposed off, resulting in a low-level of overall utilization of these products. It isevident that the amount of CCPs produced substantially exceeds consumptionsbecause of various existing obstacles and limitations. In order to formulate effectiveapproaches, identifying challenges to increased use of CCPs is of great weight. The aimof this thesis is to analyze current and potential utilizations of CCPs and morespecifically address factors that inhibit or promote the use of CCPs from coal-firedpower plants in China. Savings of natural resources, energy, emissions of pollutants, GHG emissions anduseful land were found as the major incentives for CCPs utilization. In China, a ban ofsolid clay bricks was also found to be a very powerful measure to stimulate thedevelopment of other by-product based wall materials while saving useful land andprotecting the environment. However, this strong support from the government hasnot been fully implemented, which seriously hampered CCPs uses. Results presentedin this thesis also show that high transportation cost of low unit-value CCPs,competition from available natural materials and spatial variation in supply-demandposes three of the most important barriers to the increased use of CCPs in China.Industrial organizations with assistances from the government have shown to be offundamental importance for formulating approaches to take in overcoming thebarriers. This thesis emphasized that transforming laboratory- and pilot-scale technologies intocommercial productivity is of the highest priority for increased use of CCPs. Aconceptual model of CCPs Eco-Industry Park (EIP) as a potential effective solutionwas proposed. Mutual economic and environmental benefits can be achieved throughthe collaboration between different industries in the CCPs EIP. And other feasiblerecommendations of initiatives from both the government and industries were alsodiscussed.