The University along with CEMEX USA and LG&E Energy Corporation, plan to build a near-commercial-scale facility - coal utilization byproduct beneficiation plant - on the grounds of the 2,200 megawatt Ghent Power Station in Ghent, Kentucky.

The research team will demonstrate an advanced process to separate unburned carbon from power plant ash or ash ponds and recycle it for fuel.

During the process, the ash is upgraded to produce pozzolan, a durable alternative to Portland cement. Other beneficial byproducts include aggregate concrete material, graded construction fill-sand, recycled carbon fuel, and a polymer filler for plastics.

The production of pozzolan reduces the manufacture of Portland cement, a significant generator of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Manufacturing Portland cement releases about a ton of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere per ton of cement produced. Estimates are that the pozzolan byproduct can replace up to 30% of the Portland cement used to make concrete.

The Energy Department’s award to the University of Kentucky Research Foundation is the fifth of six awards in round one of the Clean Coal Power Initiative.