INRTU Researchers Study Chinese Experience in Ash and Slag Processing to Create Eco-Friendly Building Materials
Igor Kaloshin, Head of the INRTU Research Department, and Sergei Makarenko, Associate Professor at the Department of Construction Operations, visited the China University of Mining and Technology (Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province), as well as several major industrial enterprises in China. The INRTU representatives reviewed advanced practices in recycling ash and slag waste from thermal power plants, with the aim of applying these approaches in projects under the Research-Educational Center “Baikal” and the “Priority 2030” program.
Researchers at China University of Mining and Technology presented their laboratory and research facilities for both fundamental and applied studies to the Irkutsk delegation. The INRTU team showed particular interest in projects focused on producing geopolymer concrete and filtration materials for industrial and wastewater treatment from ash and slag waste.
In China’s major industrial hubs, Igor Kaloshin and Sergei Makarenko explored the market of equipment suppliers for producing construction materials from ash and slag mixtures. Their focus was on solutions that meet the technological parameters established through laboratory experiments.
“China is one of the global leaders in ash and slag recycling. Coal-fired thermal power plants in the country generate over 600 million tons of such waste annually, with about 420 million tons reused in the production of eco-friendly construction materials. This is why we had high expectations for the visit to China.
Over the course of a week, we visited five manufacturing plants with advanced production culture and efficient decision-making processes in Zhengzhou, Xi’an, and Shanghai. These companies produce equipment for cement, concrete, and ceramics manufacturing. These are precisely the areas we are developing in partnership with our industrial partner and raw materials supplier, Irkutskzoloprodukt (part of En+ Group).
Our Chinese colleagues provided us with commercial proposals covering the manufacturing, delivery, and installation supervision of the equipment of interest. This information will be used to develop feasibility studies for the technologies being created at INRTU for producing construction materials from thermal power plant waste,”
Sergei Makarenko noted.
At INRTU, Sergei Makarenko, who is currently working on his doctoral dissertation, heads a laboratory focused on developing efficient construction materials based on industrial waste and mineral resources from the Irkutsk Region. In 2021, he was awarded 2 million rubles under the “Start-1” of the The Innovation Assistance Fund for a project on high-performance composite binders. A year later, his company “TekhnoCement” became a resident of the Skolkovo Innovation Center. His initiatives are aimed at launching environmentally friendly and affordable construction materials, including ash-based ceramics. In 2024, Sergei Makarenko received 3 million rubles under the “Start-Vzlet” program of the Innovation Assistance Fund for a project on high-performance ceramics based on ash and slag waste from the Irkutsk Region. Patents have been obtained for the developed compositions and technologies for producing binders and ceramics.
Photos provided by Sergei Makarenko
