The combustion of coal in coal-fired boilers produces unburned residues. These residues include bottom ash, also known as clinker ash, which exists at the bottom of the boiler. Bottom ash generally accounts for less than the quarter of the total ash production. This ash must be collected and disposed of owing to adverse environmental and health concerns.

Despite its use in cement and other building material manufacturing, large quantities must still be disposed of in landfills, waste sites or impoundments. Intermittent removal of bottom ash collected at the bottom of the furnace is carried out using bottom ash handling systems. There are two kinds of systems available in the market – wet and dry bottom ash handling systems. 

Advantages of dry bottom ash handling systems over wet systems include lower unburnt carbon, lower power consumption, higher boiler efficiency, lower operating & maintenance costs and no water treatment costs. Furthermore, the efficiency increase reduces coal usage and consequently, lowers CO2 emission.

However, the installation cost of these systems is higher as compared to wet bottom ash handling systems. Globally, wet bottom handling systems are predominantly used due to their effective cost. Importantly, the global environmental pressure and increasing efforts from power industries to reduce CO2 or associated pollutants will bourgeon the demand for bottom ash handling systems.

The global sales of bottom ash handling systems vary cyclically due to the long life cycle of the product.

The world’s demand for energy resources will increase endlessly. To cater to the growing demand, it has become important to minimize the dissipation of resources and to optimize the recovery of resources. Therefore, new technologies and solutions are being introduced in coal-based industries to improve the overall efficiency.

This factor will contribute significantly to the growth of the bottom ash handling system market. The current downward trend in coal-fired electricity generation in North America has impacted the pace of growth of bottom ash handling systems in the region.

Federal governments across the globe are poised to enhance their nuclear power infrastructure, thereby, reducing their dependency on coal-fired power plants. Subsequently, the demand for bottom ash handling systems is likely to plunge in near future. Increasingly strict regulations, such as Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG), and growing environmental concerns may further shift the bottom ash handling systems market from wet systems to dry bottom ash handling systems.

Globally, the growing emphasis on environment-friendly options has caused an unrest in many bottom ash handling power plants. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that electricity generation from natural gas will exceed coal generation in the U.S. in the coming years. Japan, together with China, India, and the U.S., accounts for approximately seventy-five percent of the global coal consumption.

Further, Japan has been totally reliant on coal imports after the end of coal production in 2002. Furthermore, the decline in coal-fired power plants’ construction in some of the prominent economies, such as China, India and the U.S., will plummet the sales of bottom ash handling systems. However, coal is the most reliable energy resource and will continue its dominance in ASEAN region.

Coal consumption in the region reflects a substantial increase in electricity consumption to steer economic growth. With such rapidly growing electricity demand, ASEAN is likely build coal-fired power plants with smaller capital costs, thereby, attributing to the demand growth of bottom ash handling systems. However, effective enforcement of stringent environmental regulations might support the growth of dry bottom ash handling systems.

Example of some of the market participants in the global bottom ash handling system market identified across the value chain include:

• Clyde Bergemann Power Group
• Macawber Beekay
• MBE EWB Technological Limited
• Magaldi, Inc.
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Booyeoung Eng. Co., Ltd.
• United Conveyor Corporation
• Sinofinn
• Bevcon Wayors