The invention discloses a method for preparing phacellite by using 
coal ash as a 
raw material, which comprises the following steps: 1) 
drying the 
coal ash, and carrying out gradient 
magnetic separation of dry method; 2) mixing the magnetically-separated 
coal ash and 
potassium hydroxide according to a 
mass ratio of 1:0.1-0.3, adding the mixture into a 
crucible of a 
muffle furnace, heating the mixture, and baking the mixture at a constant temperature; 3) adding acid into a baked product of the coal ash according to a 
solid-
liquid ratio of 1:1-5, dissolving the baked product in the acid for 1 to 2 hours, adding a chelating agent into the mixture according to a 
solid-
liquid ratio of 1:0.1-0.5 during 
acid dissolution, and continually stirring the mixture; 4) after the 
acid dissolution is finished, filtering, washing and 
drying the filter residue to obtain a coal ash pretreatment sample; and 5) adding 
potassium hydroxide solution into the coal ash pretreatment sample according to a 
solid-
liquid ratio of 1:2-5, adding the mixture into a stainless steel reaction kettle, heating the mixture to carry out 
hydrothermal reaction, and filtering, washing and 
drying a 
reaction product to obtain a phacellite product. The method overcomes the defects of the prior art such as high cost, uneven chemical components of the product and the like, achieves 
resource utilization of the solid waste coal ash, and has environmental and economic double benefits.