BENTU Design Turns Power Plant Fly Ash into Concrete Street Furniture
BENTU Design has launched The Second Mine, a project that repurposes coal fly ash from the Shenhua Power Plant near Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River in China into durable concrete street furniture. By combining fly ash with slag and other solid waste, the studio reduces cement content while refining the material's internal structure. The resulting composite relies on fly ash's fine, powder-like quality to enhance density, surface continuity, and long-term stability. The furniture pieces serve as material studies, with subtle tonal shifts and granular finishes that reveal their industrial origins. The project frames waste as 'urban mining,' reintroducing industrial outputs into new production cycles. Developed through local sourcing, BENTU Design's approach establishes a link between regional industry and design outcomes, proposing a circular design model where discarded matter is re-evaluated and reworked.
Key facts
- BENTU Design initiated The Second Mine project at the confluence of Poyang Lake and the Yangtze River in China.
- The project reuses coal fly ash from the nearby Shenhua Power Plant.
- Fly ash is combined with slag and other solid waste to create a durable concrete composite.
- Cement content is reduced in the new material.
- The resulting street furniture pieces weigh 65 or 105 kg and come in various color combinations.
- The project frames waste as 'urban mining' for new production cycles.
- Materials used include BTPC, steel slag, recycled Jingdezhen ceramics, red sandstone tailings, fly ash, active silica powder, and polymer materials.
- The furniture sizes are L500xW480xH480 mm and L800xW480xH480 mm.
Entities
Artists
- BENTU Design
Institutions
- BENTU Design Studio
- Shenhua Power Plant
- designboom
Locations
- China
- Poyang Lake
- Yangtze River