Surface characteristics analysis on the potential adsorbent of fly ash

In order to better understand fly ash (FA) samples, the sedimentation curve and loss weight in burning process were studied to reveal the physical properties, and the component and surface characteristics were analyzed with TG-DTG, SEM, FTIR and XRD approaches. The results showed SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ accounted for 79.61% of the total weight of FA samples, and the sedimentation process was finished at 30 min. The total weight of FA samples decreased with temperatures increasing, especially from 620 °C to 670 °C. At 643.5 °C, the DTG value was highest, reached to 0.06148 %/°C. SEM micrographs indicated the rough and holey surface on FA samples composed of particles with different structures and shapes. The representative products were quartz and aluminosilicate, -OH, Si-O-Si and O-Si-O were found on the FTIR spectra and XRD diffractogram. The achievements were of great importance for the future utilization of FA samples in wastewater purification.