Characterization of air emissions and residual ash from open burning of electronic wastes during simulated rudimentary recycling operations

Air emissions and residual ash samples were collected and analyzed during experiments of open, uncontrolled combustion of electronic waste (e-waste), simulating practices associated with rudimentary e-waste recycling operations. Circuit boards and insulated wires were handled separately to simulate processes associated with metal recovery. The average emissions of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDFs) were 92 ng toxic equivalency (TEQ)/kg [n = 2, relative standard deviation (RSD) = 98%] and 11 900 ng TEQ/kg (n = 3, RSD = 50%) of the initial mass of the circuit boards and insulated wire, respectively. The value for the insulated wire is about 100 times higher than that for backyard barrel burning of domestic waste. The emission concentrations of polybrominated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans (PBDD/PBDFs) from the combustion of circuit boards were 100 times higher than for their polychlorinated counterparts. Particulate matter (PM) sampling of the fly ash emissions indicated PM emission factors of approximately 15 and 17 g/kg of the initial mass for the circuit boards and insulated wire, respectively. Fly ash samples from both types of e-waste contained considerable amounts of several metallic elements and halogens; lead concentrations were more than 200 times the United States regulatory limits for municipal waste combustors and 20 times those for secondary lead smelters. Leaching tests of the residual bottom ash showed that lead concentrations exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency landfill limits, designating this ash as a hazardous waste.     

Improved quartz furnace method for chlorine and sulfur determination in municipal solid waste

 A method of determining the chlorine (Cl) and sulfur (S) in municipal solid waste (MSW) was studied. The quartz furnace method was improved in two ways: recovery from ash by hot extraction with dilute nitric acid, and avoidance of the volatilization of alkali (earth) metal chlorides by setting the sample combustion temperature at 600°C. In a comparison with the bomb method, using nine sets of kitchen garbage and waste plastics, the bomb method yielded a 15%–25% lower value than the improved quartz furnace method. Combustion in the bomb was frequently incomplete, resulting in recovery losses of Cl and S. The average kitchen garbage involved 5.2 mg Cl/g, of which at least 24.1% would be converted to HCl. Plastics contained 23 mg Cl/g generating 88.1% HCl on average. In the same way, kitchen garbage contained 3.0 mg S/g, generating 52.3% SO _x , whereas plastics contained 1.1 mg S/g with 55.1% SO _x formation. Received: March 20, 2002 / Accepted: October 13, 2002     

Selection of adsorbents for treatment of leachate: batch studies of simultaneous adsorption of heavy metals

The simultaneous adsorption of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) ions from spiked deionized water and spiked leachate onto natural materials (peat A and B), by-product or waste materials (carbon-containing ash, paper pellets, pine bark, and semi-coke), and synthetic materials (based on urea-formaldehyde resins, called blue and red adsorbents) or mixtures thereof was investigated. The adsorbents that gave the highest metal removal efficiencies were peat A, a mixture of peat B and carbon-containing ash, and a mixture of peat A and blue. At an initial concentration of 5 mg/l for each metal, the removal of each species of metal ion from spiked water and spiked leachate solutions was very good (>90%) and good (>75%), respectively. When the initial concentration of each metal in the solutions was twenty times higher (100 mg/l), there was a noticeable decrease in the removal efficiency of Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Ni²⁺, but not of Pb²⁺. Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacities, q_m, on peat A were found to be 0.57, 0.37, and 0.36 mmol/g for Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Ni²⁺, respectively. The order of metal adsorption capacity on peat A was the same in the case of competitive multimetal adsorption conditions as it was for single-element adsorption, namely Pb²⁺ > Cd²⁺ ≥ Ni²⁺. The results show that peat alone (an inexpensive adsorbent) is a good adsorbent for heavy metal ions.     

Studies on materials containing polysaccharides as soil amendments 1: effects on animal waste water purification in a potting experiment

A potting experiment was carried out to determine the effects of soil amendments containing polysaccharides and earthworms on a land application system for the purification of animal waste water. The following soil amendments were used: purified Konjak powder (KP, powder containing glucomannan made from the root system of devil's tongue, Amorphophalus rivieri Dur.), crystallized cellulose (CC), and a mixture of the two (MX). These soil amendments were added to the pots, and then Chrysanthemum corondria were planted in the earthworm pots (A pots), the nonearthworm pots (B pots), and the control pots (C pots); the first two plots received primary-treated animal waste water, and the other one received tap water. The following items were then measured: pH, electrical conductivity, chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus, the volume of drained water from each pots, the height and dry matter weight of plants, and the water permeability into the soil. The MX-A pots, i.e., the pots containing both soil amendments and earthworms, gave good results, especially for water permeability, plant growth, the purification of COD_Mn, and TN. These results suggest that the presence of soil amendments and earthworms may enhance the improvement of water quality in land application systems using vegetation. Received: December 9, 1998 / Accepted: February 8, 2000     

Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Sediment Habitat of Ranunculus spp. in Lowland Chalk Streams – Implications for Ecological Status?

Ranunculus spp. are the dominant plants of lowland chalk stream habitats in England. The spatial variability of sediment characteristics (silt–clay, organic matter, total phosphorus and total nitrogen content) within stands of Ranunculus spp. was investigated in 12 rivers in lowland England. Variability was found to be high and there were no discernible differences between samples taken from within Ranunculus and a limited number of samples from bare substrate. For two of these rivers, comparisons were also made between reaches upstream and downstream of waste water treatment works outfalls in terms of the characteristics of the sediments within Ranunculus stands. In one river a clear increase in sediment nutrient, fine and organic material content was observed downstream but in the other there was no consistent difference. Temporal variability was considered for two rivers in the Frome catchment, Dorset, by analysing the monthly variability in sediment organic matter and silt–clay content beneath Ranunculus stands over an annual cycle of growth and die-back. Whilst a clear pattern of fine and organic material retention consistent with seasonal plant growth patterns was evident at one site, the three sites displayed different temporal patterns. This inconsistency is believed to reflect differences in sediment supply at the three sites.     

钛硅分子筛催化双氧水氧化水中间甲酚

探索催化双氧水氧化去除间甲酚对开发炼油厂碱渣废水处理新技术意义重大。采用钛硅分子筛催化双氧水氧化水中间甲酚,考察了反应时间、反应温度、双氧水加入量、催化剂加入量和初始溶液pH对间甲酚去除率的影响。实验结果表明：钛硅分子筛对双氧水氧化间甲酚具有显著的催化作用;在反应时间为90 min、反应温度为80 ℃、n（H₂O₂）∶n（间甲酚）为4、催化剂加入量为1.5 g/L、初始溶液pH为1.0~11.0的条件下,间甲酚去除率约为94%,间甲酚溶液的BOD₅/COD从氧化前的0.26提高到氧化后的0.38,可生化性显著提高。     

Desulfurization of coke oven gas from the coking of coking coal blended with a sorbent and waste plastic

A new way to implement the simultaneous reutilization of solid waste, the desulfurization of coke oven gas (COG), and even the desulfurization of coke by the co-coking of coking coal (CC) and waste plastic (WP) blended with a sorbent is proposed; the evolution of H₂S and the removal efficiency of H₂S from COG during the co-coking process were investigated in a lab-scale cylindrical reactor. The experimental results indicated that for the coking of CC blended with ZnO, Fe₂O₃, or blast furnace dust (BFD) as a sorbent, the instantaneous concentration of H₂S in COG was lower than 500 mg/m³ (which meets the technical specification requirement of the Chinese Cleaner Production Standard–Coking Industry, HJ/T 126-2003) when the molar ratio between the key component of the sorbent and the volatile S in CC or the CC/WP blend, n _Zn+Fe/n _S, was about 1.2 for ZnO and Fe₂O₃, but not for BFD under the same conditions, suggesting that ZnO and Fe₂O₃ are promising sorbents, but that BFD must be treated chemical or thermally before being used as a sorbent because of the size and complicated nature of the influence of its phase/chemical composition on its desulfurization ability. However, for the co-coking of CC and WP blended with ZnO as a sorbent, n _Zn+Fe/n _S must increase to 1.4 and 1.7 for 100/2 and 100/5 blends of CC/WP, respectively, to ensure a satisfactory efficiency for H₂S removal from COG. Part of this paper was presented at the International Symposium on EcoTopia Science 2005 (ISET05), Aug 8–9, 2005, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan     

Phosphate recovery from phosphorus-rich solution obtained from chicken manure incineration ash

The recovery of phosphorus from waste is very important for Japan because Japan has no natural phosphorus resources. In order to recover phosphorus from incineration ash of chicken manure, an acid dissolution–alkali precipitation method was investigated. Phosphorus content in the ash was 8%. The ash was treated with hydrochloric acid to obtain phosphorus-rich solution. Phosphorus could then be recovered as a precipitant by adding sodium hydroxide solution into the phosphorus-rich solution and gradually changing the pH in the solution to 3, 4, and 8. At pH 3, a small amount of phosphorus was precipitated to remove iron, which would cause coloring of subsequent precipitants. At pH 4, 84% of the phosphorus in the original solution could be recovered as CaHPO₄ · 2H₂O with a purity of 92%. At pH 8, 8% of the phosphorus in the phosphorus-rich solution could be recovered as identified hydroxyapatite. A recovery rate of 92% phosphorus as CaHPO₄ · 2H₂O and identified as hydroxyapatite was achieved.     

Recovery of coagulant from water supply plant sludge and its effect on clarification

Spent coagulant in water supply plant sludge was extracted with H₂SO₄ and the efficiency of the reused coagulant was studied. The optimum pH values for coagulant extraction and clarification with the reused coagulant were 3.0–4.0 and about 6, respectively. In treating raw influent obtained from a sewage treatment plant and wastewater from a coastal landfill site, the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen, and total phosphorous with the recovered coagulant was higher than that with commercial aluminum sulfate or polyaluminum chloride. In addition, the sludge settling properties, the extra sludge mass formation, the supernatant quality, and the cost of reagents were also studied. The coagulant recovered from water supply plant sludge by H₂SO₄ extraction could be successfully reused for the clarification of domestic and food industry wastewaters.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission from co-firing municipal solid waste (MSW) and coal in a fluidized bed incinerator

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) emissions from a commercial municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) were studied. A MSW–coal mixture and coal only were used as fuel for the fluidized bed incinerator. Seven sampling points were chosen according to the classified four PAH emission pathways: flue gas, residue, ash and water. The mixture of MSW and coal resulted in PAH emission more than that of coal only, and PAH emission increased with increasing MSW mass percentage. Calcium oxide (CaO) or calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) was added as a desulfurizer. PAH emission also changed with different desulfurizers because of their different influences on heat balance. The PAH toxic equivalent (TEQ) of all operating conditions was also examined, showing that total daily PAH emission from MSWI can be determined.     

The Teshima Island industrial waste case and its process towards resolution

 The worst case of illegal dumping of industrial waste in Japan occurred on Teshima Island. The disputes concerning the removal and treatment of waste material were completely resolved. An outline of the process of arbitration and the terms of the agreement are given. A technological examination committee was organized to resolve the problem of environmental pollution caused by industrial wastes. An impermeable wall has been constructed on the north coast of the disposal area to prevent polluted water from flowing out to sea. A total of 600 000 tons of industrial waste will be excavated and moved to Naoshima Island. This material will be melted down and transformed into slag at a new melting furnace in Naoshima, with a capacity of 200 tons per day. The slag will be reused as aggregate in concrete. Comprehensive environmental preservation measures and full environmental monitoring of sewage and emission gas are planned in Teshima and Naoshima. Received: June 10, 2002 / Accepted: June 10, 2002     

Water extraction with CO2 bubbling as pretreatment of melting-furnace fly ash for metal recovery

In Japan, melting-furnace fly ash (MFA) generated from ash melting and gasification/melting plants is considered an “urban mine” due to its high metal content. This study aimed to develop a novel approach to pretreating MFA for metal recovery. Water extraction with CO₂ bubbling was investigated because MFA mainly consists of water-soluble salts containing elements such as Cl, Ca, Na, and K. Instead of acid addition, CO₂ bubbling was applied to maintain the optimal pH for minimizing the release of target metal elements and maximizing the removal of undesirable elements during water extraction. The results revealed that CO₂ bubbling effectively decreased the release of Pb, Zn, and Cd into the treatment water. This was mainly due to coprecipitation with CaCO₃, which was primarily formed by the reaction of Ca²⁺ from the MFA with CO₃ ²⁻ from the CO₂ gas. The bubbling process also helped accelerate the removal of Cl from MFA. Furthermore, the study showed that it is possible to lower the water-to-solid ratio to 5 with only a slight reduction in water extraction effect. Finally, approximately four times the concentration of target metals (rare metals and Cu, Pb, and Zn) was achieved by removing 90% of Cl, 70%–90% of Na and K, and 30%–40% of Ca through water extraction with CO₂ bubbling, resulting in a concentration of target metals that was nearly equal to that of ore.     

Phosphorus recovery from secondary effluent and side-stream liquid in a sewage treatment plant using zirconium-loaded saponified orange waste

Zirconium was loaded onto orange waste, a cheap and available agricultural waste in Japan, to investigate the feasibility of its utilization for phosphorus recovery from secondary effluent and side-stream liquid, which contain 5.9 and 68.2 mg/dm³ phosphorus, respectively. The phosphorus removal from side-stream liquid by using zirconium-loaded saponified orange waste (Zr-SOW) gel increased with an increasing solid/liquid ratio, and it was found that Zr-SOW gel showed better performance than zirconium ferrite. The prepared adsorbent was effective for phosphorus removal and exhibited a reasonably high adsorption capacity, twice than that of zirconium ferrite. The secondary effluent was treated in a column packed with Zr-SOW gel, and an dynamic adsorption capacity of 1.3 mol-P/kg was attained. The adsorbed phosphorus from the column was successfully eluted as a concentrated form by using a small amount of 0.2 M NaOH. Throughout the elution process, zirconium was not leaked from the adsorption gel.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> using RDF char and municipal solid waste char based catalyst

Experiments were performed in order to investigate the possibility for the development of catalysts for low-temperature selective catalytic reduction (SCR) using municipal waste char and RDF byproduct. Physical and chemical activations, using water, and HCl and KOH, were employed to increase the catalytic activities. The characteristics of the activated catalysts were investigated using N₂ adsorption–desorption and FT-IR. The catalysts activated chemically using basic treatment showed higher NO _x removal efficiencies than those activated physically or chemically using acidic treatment. The de-NO _x performance of the activated catalysts was dependent on the chemical properties, such as oxygen functional groups as well as physical properties, such as specific surface area and pore volume. In order to investigate the effect of MnO _x , which has been reported to be efficient for the removal of NO _x in low-temperature SCR processes, the chemically activated catalyst was impregnated with manganese. The Mn-impregnated catalyst had the highest NO _x conversion at all of the temperatures tested in this study.     

A simplified material flow analysis employing local expert judgment and its impact on uncertainty

Material flow analysis (MFA) is an effective tool for waste management, but low- and middle-income countries lack essential data for MFA. This study proposed a simplified MFA (sMFA) utilizing local expert judgment (LEJ) and examining the impact of simplification on its uncertainty. A stochastic sMFA model was developed for nitrogen and phosphorus in urban Mandalay, Myanmar. This model was compared with the intensive MFA (iMFA) model employing intensive surveys for primary data collection. For the total loadings to the environment, the medians of the sMFA were higher by 3% and 11%, respectively, for nitrogen and phosphorus than those of the iMFA. The widths of the 80% confidence intervals of these loadings in the sMFA, normalized by those in the iMFA, were − 0.05 and − 0.11, respectively. The three largest flows to the environment were the same for the two models: on-site sanitation effluent/leakage, greywater, and industrial wastewater. Large median gaps between the models were observed for industrial wastewater, fecal sludge, and human excreta, associated with informal waste management, whereby LEJ did not work well. Overall, the sMFA demonstrated a good estimation of nitrogen and phosphorus flows with limited increase of uncertainty, still requiring focused attention on informal waste streams.

Graphical abstract

     

Composting Of <100 mm Fraction Of Municipal Solid Waste

A low cost solution for management of municipal solid waste in small municipalities was investigated; composting experiments were done using domestic waste. Particles >100 mm were removed, the screened substrate (<100 mm) was used for composting experiments on static piles. The results have shown that the size of waste does not affect composting. Though the inert material left greatly adds to the porosity, rainfall does not markedly affect the process; in fact excessive dryness gave the least stable end product, and total nitrogen, ammoniacal nitrogen and phosphorus content were the best pointers to the instability.     

Relationship Between the Sediment Geochemistry and Phosphorus Fluxes in a Great Lakes Coastal Marsh,Cootes Paradise,ON, Canada

Cootes Paradise is a coastal wetland, adjacent to Hamilton Harbour at the western tip of Lake Ontario. The marsh has been considerably degraded due to the excessive sediment and nutrient input from sewage treatment plants (STPs), marsh tributaries and Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs). Although there has been reduction in nutrient loadings from external sources, high nutrient levels, and a prolific algal growth remain a problem in Cootes Paradise. To assess the importance of external versus internal nutrient loadings to the marsh, nutrient fluxes from sediments were estimated using porewater profiles at three locations from 2001 and five additional sites from 2002. The fluxes varied between 0.27 and 5.25 mg P m⁻² day⁻¹, with sites receiving outfalls of STP and CSO having highest fluxes (∼5 mg P m⁻² day⁻¹). Mean phosphorus release rate of 2.02 mg P m⁻² day⁻¹ was calculated from the spatial distribution of the non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAI-P) in sediments, employing a relationship between the NAI-P and P fluxes. The results confirm that sediment P geochemistry is important in regulating the P pool in porewater which, consequently, governs the P fluxes from sediments.     

Investigation of hydrogen generation from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash

Hydrogen generation from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash was investigated to understand the influences of contacting method, kinds of contact solution, liquid to solid ratio, and particle size distribution of materials. Redox properties of materials and hydrogen generation were also studied. The largest quantity of gas generated in contact with water was 29.1 ml/g-ash, most of which was hydrogen. Fluidized bed fly ash generated more gas than stoker fly ash. In order to calculate the hydrogen generation potential (the maximum quantity of gas generated in contact with water), a novel system using a Y-shaped test tube and NaOH was utilized. This method gives values which are related to the quantity of generated gas in contact with water. A relationship between the aluminum content and hydrogen generation potential was observed, especially for fluidized bed fly ash. The reducing potential of fluidized bed fly ash was higher than that of stoker fly ash. Only fluidized bed fly ash showed a positive correlation between aluminum content and reducing potential, and between reducing potential and hydrogen generation potential. These results suggest that fluidized bed fly ash contains more Al⁰ than stoker fly ash. Received: September 11, 1998 / Accepted: March 19, 1999     

Artificial carbonation for controlling the mobility of critical elements in bottom ash

In municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI), bottom ash, generated at a stoker grate type incinerator, the critical elements were identified in terms of EU regulation. The stabilizing effect of moderate carbonation (pH 8.28 ± 0.03) on critical contaminants was studied through availability and diffusion leaching protocols. Data from the performed tests were evaluated with the goal of reusing MSWI bottom ash as secondary construction material. To investigate the mobilizing effect of CO₂, suspended MSWI bottom ash was severely carbonated (pH 6.40 ± 0.07). The effect of CO₂ and its interaction with other leaching factors, such as liquid/solid (L/S) ratio, leaching time, pH, ultrasound treatment, and leaching temperature, were examined using a reduced 2^6-1 experimental design. Contaminants identified as critical were Cr, Cu, Mo, Sb, Cl⁻, and SO₄ ²⁻. Although moderate carbonation decreased the release of Cr, Cu, Mo, and Sb from compacted bottom ash, the main disadvantage remains its inability to demobilize Cl⁻ and SO₄ ²⁻. The hypothesized mobilizing effect of severe carbonation was proven. The treatment enhanced the separation of critical components (α = 0.05) (except for Cl⁻), i.e., about fivefold for Sb and about twofold for Cr, Cu, and S. Nevertheless, the prospect is good that severe carbonation could constitute the deciding key parameter to facilitate the technical feasibility of a future washing process for MSWI bottom ash.