In October this year a small innovative enterprise "Ecostroy NII-PV" produced the first batch of construction materials of thermal power plant and metallurgy waste of Pavlodar Oblast at the production site of S. Toraighyrov PSU. Behind this development is the technology of construction materials and products manufacturing of the ash and slag waste of the Novosibirsk thermal power plants created in NSTU. This technology makes it possible to use the waste as secondary raw materials and not to bury it in ash dumps, as it is done in landfills. Adding ash and slag waste can reduce the cost of construction materials by 30% and even make them more durable.
In 2018, the scientists of the two universities succeeded in receiving the grant of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for 230 million tenge, which is equal to 41.4 million rubles. The scientists were able to create an innovative enterprise "EcostroyNII-PV" with the help of the allocated financing, rent industrial area in Pavlodar for the manufacturing of construction products from waste, purchase and commission the industrial manufacturing line and to obtain the first industrial samples.
Scientific and technical cooperation between S. Toraighyrov Pavlodar State University and Novosibirsk State Technical University began in 2012 after signing bilateral agreement. According to this agreement the postgraduate students of PSU developed innovative technologies for solid waste disposal industry of Pavlodar Oblast at the Department of EEP in NSTU within the framework of their thesis. After completing postgraduate study of NSTU in 2018 Askar Tleulesov, the postgraduate student (whose research supervisor was the head of the EEP Department, Professor V. V. Larichkin) became the main initiator of the project "Innovative use of solid man-made waste of thermal power and metallurgy enterprises of Pavlodar Oblast in the production of construction materials".
The effect expected by the authors of the project is, firstly, improving the ecology of Pavlodar Oblast by reducing the amount of waste sent to ash dumps and sludge storage; secondly, the production of construction materials of waste, which will allow metallurgical enterprises and thermal power plants to enter a new market and, as a result, to receive additional revenues. The technology of construction materials production with the use of man-made waste will meet the needs of the region, reduce imports of similar goods and increase exports of manufactured products.
In 2012, scientists of the EEP Department of NSTU conducted research on the development of construction materials using fuel and energy industry wastes of the Siberian region. According to the developed technology, a trial batch of the paver blocks was produced and laid on the campus of NSTU. It turned out that over time, these construction products have become better in comparison with the conventional paver blocks on the streets, which eventually loses its strength. Scientists have found that in the period from 2012 to 2018 the strength of new construction products which were made by the developed technology using waste did not decrease, but on the contrary, even increased by 25%.
The cost of new construction materials is 20-30% lower than that of the traditional ones; this is achieved by reducing the cement content in the mixture by 10-30 %. The new technology makes it possible to replace expensive cement with cheap high-grade ash which has binding properties. The manufacture of construction materials with NSTU technology does not require significant changes in the conventional technology of concrete products manufacturing. In addition, the use of different shades of ash allows changing the color of products, which leads to additional savings.
"Waste disposal is a global trend. In Europe people have long learned to get useful products from wastes which are not dangerous and have a mineral component. The difference is that we call it waste, and in Europe they are called materials. And the material is a thing that has its price. On numerous occasions at various meetings and conferences we discussed the implementation of the developed technologies at the Novosibirsk Oblast enterprises which produce waste. It was at this stage that we faced the problems of misunderstanding. Firstly, any new technology implementation is an additional cost and time for the enterprises, and shareholders want to make profit immediately, so they are not interested in the implementation of the development. Secondly, the problem of waste disposal is not regulated at the state level. And, unfortunately, only the international grant allowed both us and the staff of PSU to implement this project on the territory of Kazakhstan. In our region it could both be useful for the environment and generate an additional income for businesses. I hope that over time we will learn how to use industrial waste as secondary raw materials", said the author of the development, Doctor of Technical Sciences Vladimir Larichkin, the head of the EEP Department of NSTU and Director of the Independent Testing Center of the Novosibirsk State Technical University.
Now the representatives of the two universities are engaged in patenting the formulation for the production of construction products using man-made waste. Starting from next April, the scientists plan to launch the supply of their products to construction companies and to export the products and technologies to the neighboring territories
It is noteworthy that on November 14 "Sibirskaya Generiruyushchaya Kompaniya" (Siberian generating company) announced plans to reduce the amount of ash and slag in the ash dumps at the Novosibirsk Heating Plant-2 and Heating Plant-3. SGK plans to develop and approve the documentation for the technology of ash and slag material obtaining with the view of its further use in the production of construction materials and in road construction.