[Greenbuilding] Fly Ash Bricks

[Lawrence Lile]

Our local "Greendrinks" group, which meets at a coffeeshop on the first
Wednesday of the month.  Yesterday I met a Proffessor Henry Liu, who is
developing a method to produce bricks from coal plant flyash.  Flyash is
the stuff that scrubbers remove from power plant smoke, and is generally
dumped, although people are starting to use it in concrete. 
 
Here is an article about Dr Liu's research:
 
http://content.asce.org/Modern%20Marvels/Liu-ModernMarvels.html
 
and here is his company:
 
http://www.freightpipelinecompany.com/
 
Dr. Liu researched for years on creating "frieght pipelines", which
transport bulk materials like coal through a pipeline under water
pressure.  This has been controversial.  Although it is vastly more
energy efficient than any method (trucks, trains, or ships) that we use
today, it uses a lot of water, and this has been an issue in some dry
western states where a coal pipeline was proposed.  Of course, if you
build two pipelines, the water can be returned, but the pipeline costs
twice as much!  New York City is considering a huge underground freight
pipeline right now. 
 
Fascinating guy. 
 
--Lawrence Lile, P.E.