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NE Kansas | The byproduct produced by coal fired power plants is also known as Fly Ash. It's used a lot in the construction industry as a concrete modifier. It's also used as a soil amendment in roadways as a subgrade stabilizer in heavy clay soils. The EPA has really cracked down on how it's used in construction and how it's disposed of. I'd be surprised if it's allowed to be spread via a standard lime or fertilizer applicator much longer. For street and highway construction, the states are starting to require an enclosed tiller where the ash is pumped directly into the tiller and mixed into the subgrade. This procedure dramatically reduces the amount of dust created compared to dumping it on the subgrade, spreading with a grader and tilling it in. Here's a link that explains where the Fly Ash, or what farmers know as gypsum or synthetic gypsum comes from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_combustion_products. It should be noted that there are different classes of Fly Ash dependent on the properties of the coal being burned. Coal from Montana has different properties and produces different ash than coal from Virginia. Thus it is important to have it tested prior to spreading it on your farm.
Edited by Ksbee 1/20/2011 11:05
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Flue gas gypsum
