Clinker from a cement kiln

Clinker is a generic name given to waste from industrial processes, particularly those that involve smelting metals, welding, burning fossil fuels and use of a blacksmith's forge, which commonly causes a large buildup of clinker around the tuyere. Clinker often forms a loose, dark deposit consisting of waste materials such as coke, coal, slag, charcoal, and grit. Clinker often has a glassy look to it, usually because of the formation of molten silica compounds during processing. Clinker generally is much denser than coke, and, unlike coke, generally contains too little carbon to be of any value as fuel. It is also applied to the byproduct of combustion and heating by those who use anthracite or lignite coal-fired boilers.[1]

Clinkers can occur naturally, for example in underground deposits of coal that has been altered by heat from nearby molten magma; volcanic clinkers are jagged pieces of lava that look similar to industrial clinker.[2]

Etymology

Look up clinker in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

"Clinker" is from Dutch, and was originally used in English to describe clinker bricks. The term was later applied to hard residue, due to its similar appearance.

Uses

An individual piece of cement clinker

Clinker often is reused as a cheap material for paving footpaths. It is laid and rolled, and forms a hard path with a rough surface that presents less risk of slipping than most loose materials. In sufficient thickness such a layer drains well and is valuable for controlling muddiness. However, if laid without sufficient adhesive, it needs frequent rolling and addition of more clinker to maintain the path in good condition if it is subject to heavy foot traffic.

In sewage treatment works, the foul water is first screened to remove floating debris. Then it is sedimented to remove insoluble particles. After this, it is sprayed over a filter bed of clinker. Aerobic microbes soon grow in hollows in the clinker, where they kill harmful anaerobic bacteria in the water and remove much of the offensive organic waste.

Historically, clinker from coal-burning steamships simply was discarded overboard, leaving detectable trails on the seabed of some prominent steamship routes. As such, the deposits have proven to be of biological, historical and archaeological interest.[3]

Naturally occurring clinkers exist. For example, in the Powder River Basin is covered by clinkers from coal-seam fires, i.e., "baked, welded and molded rocks formed by the natural burning of coal beds."[4][5][6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Gardner, Karen; Damm, Sean (January 10, 2022). "What Causes Clinkers in Coal-Fired Boilers?". Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Neuendorf, K.K.E.; Mehl, Jr., J.P.; Jackson, J.A., eds. (2005). Glossary of Geology (5th ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: American Geological Institute. p. 121. ISBN 978-0922152896.
  3. ^ Smith, K.N. (26 August 2022). "A Trail of Rocks Traces Historical Steamship Routes". Hakai Magazine. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  4. ^ Stracher, Glenn B., ed. (2007). Geology of Coal Fires; Case Studies from Around the World (Paperback). United States: Geological Society of America. p. 156. ISBN 9780813741185.
  5. ^ Flores, Romeo M.; Stricker, Gary D.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Ellis, Margaret S.; Heffern, Edward L.; Putnam, Jason D. (2008). "Cornucopia of coal and coalbed gas in the Powder River Basin: From mining and utilization to methane and methanogens". In Reynolds, Robert G.H. (ed.). Roaming the Rocky Mountains and Environs: Geological Field Trips (Paperback). Vol. 10. United States: Geological Society of America. pp. 1–15. doi:10.1130/2007.fld010(01). ISBN 9780813700106. ((cite book)): |work= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Heffern, E.L; Reiners, P.W.; Naeser, C.W.; Coates, D.A. (2007). Stracher, G.B (ed.). Geochronology of clinker and implications for evolution of the Powder River Basin landscape, Wyoming and Montana in. Vol. XVIII. pp. 155–175. doi:10.1130/2007.4118(10). ISBN 978-0-8137-4118-5. ((cite book)): |work= ignored (help)
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