>> THE TEST BEING CONDUCTED ON
THIS LOADING DOCK AT THE FORT
INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
CENTER AT NORTH CAROLINA A&T MAY
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION TO NORTH
CAROLINA'S AND THE NATION'S COAL
ASH PROBLEM.
THAT PROPANE-FUELED FLAME BURNS
AT ABOUT 2,000 DEGREES, BUT EVEN
AFTER 10 MINUTES OF DEGREE
FLAME, SENSORS ON THE BACK OF
THE BLOCK RECORD THE TEMPERATURE
AS CLIMBING TO JUST OVER 100
DEGREES.
THE FIRE AND HEAT-RESISTANT
MATERIAL IS CALLED ECO-CORE.
AND, OH, YES, IT'S MADE OF COAL
ASH.
>> WELL, I -- I THINK IS A
MIRACLE STUFF.
WE -- YOU KNOW, WE -- WE -- WHEN
WE FIRST STARTED WORKING ON IT
FOR THE NAVY, THE MAIN OBJECTIVE
WAS FOR FIRE -- FIRE MATERIAL.
BUT WE FOUND OUT, WOW, THIS
STUFF IS STRONG.
IT RESISTS WATER, SEA WATER AND
REGULAR WATER.
AND, UH -- AND IT'S GOT HIGH
STRENGTH, LIKE THIS HAS GOT A
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF 4,000
PSI, WHICH MEANS YOU COULD --
YOU COULD PUT A CAR -- STAND UP
ON CAR ON A SQUARE INCH OF IT,
IF YOU COULD, AND IT'S THAT
STRONG, WHICH IS, TO ME, IS, YOU
KNOW, AMAZING MATERIAL.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
COAL ASH.
IT IS THE SAME MATERIAL THAT
POURED OUT OF A STORAGE POND AT
A DUKE ENERGY POWER PLANT AND
INTO THE DAN RIVER IN FEBRUARY.
COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS PRODUCE
TWO FORMS OF ASH.
THERE'S HEAVY BOTTOM ASH, WHICH
STAYS IN THE FURNACE, AND
LIGHTER FLY ASH, WHICH IS A
REFINED COMPONENT OF COAL ASH
AND IS CAPTURED IN THE PLANT'S
SMOKESTACKS.
THE TWO TYPES OF ASH ARE DUMPED
INTO STORAGE PONDS AT POWER
PLANTS ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA AND
THE NATION.
>> SO ECO-CORE IS ACTUALLY --
IT'S MADE UP OF TWO.
ONE IS THE FLY ASH, WHICH IS A
VERY LIGHT WEIGHT, HOLLOW
CERAMIC BUBBLES, AND THAT IS
ACTUALLY BINDER IS A HIGH
CHARRED BINDER.
>> ECO-CORE IS ALMOST 95% FLY
ASH THAT IS MIXED WITH A LIQUID
POLYMER RESIN, OR A BINDER.
THE PASTE IS THEN POURED INTO A
MOLD WHERE IT IS HOT PRESSED
INTO THE DESIRED SHAPE.
>> THE GRADE OF FLY ASH THAT WE
USE IS LITTLE HOLLOW SPHERES,
AND THESE RANGE IN SIZE FROM 100
TO 300 MICRONS.
AND WE'RE INTERESTED IN THE
HOLLOW SPHERES BECAUSE WE'RE
INTERESTED IN THERMAL INSULATION
AND LIGHT WEIGHT.
IF IT WERE SOLID, IT WOULDN'T DO
THE THINGS THAT WE WANT IT TO
DO.
THE LITTLE MICRO AMOUNTS OF
TRAPPED AIR BECOMES EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT IN THERMAL INSULATION
AND FIRE RESISTANCE.
WE WANT TO COAT EACH ONE OF
THOSE LITTLE BUBBLES WITH THE
THINNEST POSSIBLE LAYER OF
POLYMER SO THAT WHEN THEY GET
TOGETHER, THE ONLY PLACE THAT
THE POLYMER IS IS WHERE THE
BUBBLES TOUCH.
AND THEN THE POLYMER BONDS THE
BUBBLES TOGETHER, AND THAT'S
WHERE WE ARE, AND THAT'S WHAT
MAKES THIS MATERIAL GOOD,
BECAUSE WE'VE TRAPPED AS MUCH
AIR IN IT AS POSSIBLE.
THE MATERIAL MOLDS REALLY EASY,
BECAUSE IT'S LIKE PUSHING BALL
BEARINGS TOGETHER.
>> IRONICALLY, THE ENGINEERS
DECIDED TO EXPERIMENT WITH USING
FLY ASH AS A BUILDING MATERIAL
AS THEY WERE DRIVING PAST A
POWER PLANT ON THE WAY BACK FROM
A MEETING WITH THE NAVY, WHICH
WAS LOOKING FOR A NEW MATERIAL
FOR ITS SHIPS.
>> IN THE PROCESS, I STRUCK THE
IDEA ABOUT FLY ASH, BECAUSE FLY
ASH CONTAINS SILICA.
IT'S PRIMARY CERAMIC.
AND THERE ARE HOLLOW BUBBLES, SO
THAT WOULD BE A CHOICE.
>> FLY ASH IS ALMOST IMMUNE TO
FIRE BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE HEAT
OF POWER PRODUCTION.
RESEARCHERS BOOSTED THE FIRE
RESISTANCE EVEN MORE, UP TO NAVY
STANDARDS, BY HEATING ECO-CORE
IN AN OVEN.
THE ENGINEERS HAVE SPENT ALMOST
A DECADE WORKING ON THE NAVY
PROJECT AND PERFECTING THE
PROPERTIES OF ECO-CORE.
THE RESULTING MATERIAL IS USEFUL
AS THE INTERIOR PART OF THE WALL
OR SHIP'S HULL.
BUT AFTER TESTING ECO-CORE IN
EVERY WAY IMAGINABLE, ITS
CREATORS BELIEVE THE USES FOR
ECO-CORE ARE ALMOST LIMITLESS.
>> AND THIS MATERIAL STANDS OUT
AS SUPERIOR.
SO IT JUST HAS A FANTASTIC
COMBINATION OF PROPERTIES.
>> TROUBLE IS ONLY A SMALL
AMOUNT OF ECO-CORE CAN BE
PRODUCED IN A LAB.
THE TEAM IS LOOKING FOR A
MANUFACTURING EXPERT WHO CAN
FIGURE OUT HOW TO PRODUCE IT
COMMERCIALLY ON A LARGE SCALE.
>> WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH THAT'S GOING
ON ON CAMPUS.
WE PROTECT IT, AND THEN WE GO
OUT TO MARKET THE TECHNOLOGY TO
TRY AND FIND POTENTIAL COMPANIES
THAT CAN LICENSE THE TECHNOLOGY
AND BRING IT TO MARKET.
>> THE ENGINEERS ADMIT WHAT THEY
CALL THEIR MIRACLE MATERIAL
WON'T PRODUCE A MIRACLE AND
SOLVE THE COAL ASH PROBLEM.
BUT THEY BELIEVE IT WILL HELP.
>> THERE'S A BIG MARKET OUT
THERE SOMEWHERE FOR THIS TYPE OF
MATERIAL.