Fly ash

Alright kiddo, let's talk about fly ash! You know how when you burn things like paper or wood, you get the ash that's left over? Well, it's kind of like that, except instead of burning paper or wood, we're burning something else called coal.

Coal is a kind of rock that's been formed over millions and millions of years. People use it to make electricity and to heat buildings, but when we burn coal, it creates a lot of stuff we don't want, like gases that can be bad for the environment, and these little bits of ash called fly ash.

Fly ash is made up of really tiny particles that are too small to see with our eyes. It's kind of like really fine sand or dust. When we burn coal, all of that fly ash goes up into the air like smoke, but it's not something we want in the air because it can be bad for our lungs and the environment.

So, what do we do with all that fly ash? Well, some people have found a way to use it instead of just throwing it away. They mix it with other materials like cement, and use it to make things like bricks, roads, and even some kinds of concrete. It's kind of like recycling - instead of throwing away something we don't need, we found a way to use it to make something new and useful.

And that's what fly ash is all about! It's a byproduct of burning coal, but instead of just tossing it out, we can find ways to use it and make something good out of it.