Recovery of municipal waste incineration bottom ash and water treatment sludge to water permeable pavement materials

Water treatment plant sludge and municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash are non-hazardous residues, and they can be reprocessed to produce useful materials for city public works. In this study, an effort was endeavored to investigate the properties of water permeable bricks made of water treatment sludge and bottom ash without involving an artificial aggregate step. The water treatment plant sludge was dried and ground, and the bottom ash was subjected to magnetic separation to remove ferrous metals. Both sludge and bottom ash were ground and sieved to a size of <2mm. Different contents of water treatment sludge (70-95% by weight) were mixed with bottom ash and the blocks were molded under a pressure of 110 kg/cm2. Thereafter, the molded blocks were sintered at temperatures of 900-1200 degrees C for 60-360 min. The compressive strength, permeability and water absorption rate of the sintered brick were examined and compared to relevant standards. The amount of bottom ash added in the mixture with water treatment sludge affects both the compressive strength and the permeability of the sintered bricks. The two effects are antonymous as higher bottom ash content will develop a beehive configuration and have more voids in the brick. It is concluded that a 20% weight content of bottom ash under a sintering condition of 1150 degrees C for 360 min can generate a brick with a compressive strength of 256 kg/cm2, a water absorption ratio of 2.78% and a permeability of 0.016 cm/s.     

Possibility of using waste tire rubber and fly ash with Portland cement as construction materials

The growing amount of waste rubber produced from used tires has resulted in an environmental problem. Recycling waste tires has been widely studied for the last 20 years in applications such as asphalt pavement, waterproofing systems and membrane liners. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of utilizing fly ash and rubber waste with Portland cement as a composite material for masonry applications. Class C fly ash and waste automobile tires in three different sizes were used with Portland cement. Compressive and flexural strength, dry unit weight and water absorption tests were performed on the composite specimens containing waste tire rubber. The compressive strength decreased by increasing the rubber content while increased by increasing the fly ash content for all curing periods. This trend is slightly influenced by particle size. For flexural strength, the specimens with waste tire rubber showed higher values than the control mix probably due to the effect of rubber fibers. The dry unit weight of all specimens decreased with increasing rubber content, which can be explained by the low specific gravity of rubber particles. Water absorption decreased slightly with the increase in rubber particles size. These composite materials containing 10% Portland cement, 70% and 60% fly ash and 20% and 30% tire rubber particles have sufficient strength for masonry applications.     

Utilization of bottom ash from the incineration of separated wastes as a cement substitute.

Waste incineration is still an essential technology in the concept of integrated waste management. Most of the combustion residues are incinerator bottom ash. It has been discovered that incinerator bottom ash from the incineration of separated waste in the primary chamber of the modular two-stage incinerator mainly consists of metal oxides, especially SiO2 and CaO, in proportions that are quite similar to those in cement and so the feasibility of its application as a substitute for cement in concrete was investigated. It was found that after 28 days, the flexural and compressive strengths of the binder using bottom ash were practically comparable with those of a pure cement mixture. The results show that it is reasonable to use a binder containing incinerator bottom ash for applications in which an early-stage lower strength of concrete element is acceptable.     

Municipal incineration bottom ash treatment using hydrothermal solidification

Solidification of municipal incineration bottom ash (MIBA) has been carried out using a hydrothermal processing method, in which the MIBA was first compacted in a mold at 5-20 MPa, and then hydrothermally cured in an autoclave under saturated steam pressure at 150-250 degrees C for 10-72 h. Experimental results showed that the tensile strength of the solidified body was greatly influenced by the addition of NaOH solution and fresh cement in the MIBA. The hydrothermal curing temperature and time exerted a significant influence on the development of tensile strength of solidified body. The strength development is speculated to be due primarily to the formation of 1.1 nm tobermorite. Laboratory leaching tests were conducted to determine the amount of heavy metals dissolved from the solidified bodies and the results showed that under the hydrothermal conditions of this study the leaching of heavy metals was very low. As such, the hydrothermal processing method may have a high potential for recycling MIBA.     

Utilization of municipal solid waste bottom ash and recycled aggregate in concrete

In the combustion process of municipal solid waste (MSW), bottom ash (BA) represents the major portion of the solid residue. Since BA is composed of oxides, especially SiO(2) and CaO, the feasibility of its application in concrete as a substitute for cement was tested. It was found that at the age of 28 days, the flexural and compressive strengths of the binder linearly decrease at the rate of 0.03 and 0.02 MPa per wt% of BA in the binder, respectively. According to the results it may be recommended to replace up to 15 wt% of cement by BA and to use such binder where a low strength of concrete elements is required. Furthermore, the aggregate used for low strength concrete need not be of a very good quality. Therefore, gravel aggregate was partially replaced by recycled aggregate (RA). Consistency measured by slump was significantly reduced (>50%) when BA or/and RA were introduced into the mixture. However, concrete density and compressive strength were not affected and were approximately 2300 kg/m(3) and approximately 40 MPa, respectively.     

Utilization of power plant bottom ash as aggregates in fiber-reinforced cellular concrete

Recently, millions tons of bottom ash wastes from thermoelectric power plants have been disposed of in landfills and coastal areas, regardless of its recycling possibility in construction fields. Fiber-reinforced cellular concrete (FRCC) of low density and of high strength may be attainable through the addition of bottom ash due to its relatively high strength. This paper focuses on evaluating the feasibility of utilizing bottom ash of thermoelectric power plant wastes as aggregates in FRCC. The flow characteristics of cement mortar with bottom ash aggregates and the effect of aggregate type and size on concrete density and compressive strength were investigated. In addition, the effects of adding steel and polypropylene fibers for improving the strength of concrete were also investigated. The results from this study suggest that bottom ash can be applied as a construction material which may not only improve the compressive strength of FRCC significantly but also reduce problems related to bottom ash waste.     

Hydrothermal solidification of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash with slag addition

Hydrothermal solidification of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash has been carried out under saturated steam pressure (1.56 MPa) at 200 °C for up to 24 h by mixing quartz, slaked lime and water-cooled blast furnace slag (WBFS). The strength enhancement for the WBFS addition was best. The strength development was shown to be due mainly to tobermorite formation, and the tobermorite formation densified matrix, thus promoting the strength development. WBFS seemed to have a higher reactivity than the quartz during the initial hydrothermal process, which provided more silica available to harden the solidified specimens. However, a longer curing time (24 h) was favorable to the quartz dissolution for tobermorite formation, which in turn, enhanced the strength for quartz addition. Curing time affected the crystal morphology evolution, and the stubby plate of tobermorite seemed to result in a high strength enhancement in this study. Laboratory leaching tests were conducted to determine the amount of heavy metals dissolved from the final solidified specimens, and the leaching results showed that after hydrothermal processing the heavy metals dissolved from the solidified specimens were reduced effectively. As such, the hydrothermal processing may have a high potential for recycling/reusing MSWI ash on a large scale.     

Recycling of combined coal-biomass ash from electric power plant waste as a cementitious material: characteristics and improvement

Combined coal-biomass ash has an enormous impact on environmental quality near electric power plants. This paper describes an alternative to disposal in which the ash is used to produce cementitious materials. Ash was obtained from combustion of coal and biomass containing four mass ratios of anthracite, bitumen, rice husks, and eucalyptus bark. The cement-forming properties were systematically characterized including compressive strength development, durability, and expansion in water. The ash samples were ground to increase the specific surface area, and then used to partially replace ASTM Type I Portland cement in mixtures containing 15, 30, or 45 % ash by mass. The water-binder material's (Portland cement with or without combined coal-biomass ash) ratios (w/c) were held constant at 45, 55, or 65 % by mass. Types A, B, and D ash behaved similarly, while the properties of type C ash were slightly different. Increasing the ash fraction in Portland cement mixtures increased the water requirement and resulted in lower compressive strength. Thorough mechanical grinding reduced the porosity and significantly enhanced the material properties.     

Recycling municipal incinerator fly- and scrubber-ash into fused slag for the substantial replacement of cement in cement-mortars

Fly- and scrubber-ash (weight ratio of approximately 1:3) from municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI) are a major land-fill disposal problem due to their leaching of heavy metals. We uniformly mixed both types of ash with optimal amounts of waste glass frit, which was then melted into a glassy slag. The glassy slag was then pulverized to a particle size smaller than 38 μm for use as a cement substitute (20–40% of total cement) and blended with sand and cement to produce slag-blended cement-mortar (SCM) specimens. The toxicity characteristics of the leaching procedure tests on the pulverized slag samples revealed that the amount of leached heavy metals was far below regulatory thresholds. The compressive strength of the 28-day cured SCM specimens was comparable to that of ordinary Portland cement mortars, while the compressive strength of specimens cured for 60 or 90 days were 3–11% greater. The observed enhanced strength is achieved by Pozzolanic reaction. Preliminary evaluation shows that the combination of MSWI fly- and scrubber-ash with waste glass yields a cost effective and environmentally friendly cement replacement in cement-mortars.     

双掺粉煤灰再生骨料对混凝土强度影响研究

通过试验研究再生骨料混凝土中粉煤灰和再生骨料对混凝土强度的影响。采用粉煤灰替代部分水泥、再生骨料替代部分天然粗骨料的方法,通过正交试验测定混凝土立方体抗压强度的方法,来研究粉煤灰对再生骨料混凝土强度的影响。试验得出:当再生骨料掺量为20%~30%时,粉煤灰的最佳掺量为20%左右;当再生骨料掺量高于40%、粉煤灰掺量高于20%时,其混凝土拌合物搅拌时间不小于240 s,且当粉煤灰在20%~30%时,可获得较理想的混凝土抗压强度;当粉煤灰的掺入量分布在20%~30%、再生骨料的最佳掺量为50%时,可获得较理想的混凝土抗压强度。由此得出,合理的再生骨料、粉煤灰掺量对混凝土的抗压强度影响并不明显且有提高的趋势,对降低混凝土成本,提高建筑垃圾的再生利用,有一定的经济效益和社会效益。     

粉煤灰-粉煤灰合成沸石对Cs~+的固化

以电厂废弃物粉煤灰为原料、采用碱熔-水热法制备了粉煤灰合成A型沸石(以下简称沸石),再以沸石对溶液中的Cs+进行分离富集,最后在碱激发剂的作用下以粉煤灰和吸附后的沸石制得地聚合物固化体。对固化体的性能进行了评价,并探讨了固化机理。实验结果表明:在吸附温度25℃、初始Cs+质量浓度100 mg/L、固液比10.0 g/L的条件下,沸石对的Cs+的吸附率达98%,比粉煤灰提高了2倍以上;沸石掺量为20%~30%(w)时,固化体的抗压强度符合GB 14569.1—2011要求,固化体中Cs+的42 d浸出率和累计浸出分数均远优于GB 14569.1—2011限值,表现出优异的抗浸出性能。     

Strength properties of concrete incorporating coal bottom ash and granulated blast furnace slag

Coal bottom ash (CBA) and fly ash (FA) are by-products of thermal power plants. Granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) is developed during iron production in iron and steel plants. This research was conducted to evaluate the compressive strength property and some durability characteristics of concrete incorporating FA, CBA, and GBFS. FA is used as an effective partial cement replacement; CBA and GBFS are used as partial replacement for fine aggregate without grinding. Water absorption capacity, unit weight and compressive strengths in 7, 28, and 90-day ages were assessed experimentally. For these experiments, concrete specimens were produced in the laboratory in appropriate shapes. The samples are divided into two main categories: M1, which incorporated CBA and GBFS; and M2, which incorporated FA, CBA, and GBFS. Remarkable decreases are observed in compressive strength and water absorption capacity of the concrete; bulk density of the concrete is also decreased. It can be concluded that if the content of CBA and GBFS is limited to a reasonable amount, the small decreases in strength can be accepted for low strength concrete works.     

Utilization of gold tailings as an additive in Portland cement.

Mine tailings are formed as an industrial waste during coal and ore mining and processing. In the investigated process, following the extraction of gold from the ore, the remaining tailings are subjected to a two-stage chemical treatment in order to destroy the free cyanide and to stabilize and coagulate heavy metals prior to discharge into the tailings pond. The aim of this study was the investigation of the feasibility of utilization of the tailings as an additive material in Portland cement production. For this purpose, the effects of the tailings on the compressive strength properties of the ordinary Portland cement were investigated. Chemical and physical properties, mineralogical composition, particle size distribution and microstructure of the tailings were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), particle size analyzer (Mastersizer) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Following the characterization of the tailings, cement mortars were prepared by intergrinding Portland cement with dried tailings. Composition of the cement clinkers were adjusted to contain 5, 15, 25% (wt/wt) dried tailings and also silica fume and fly ash samples (C and F type) were added to clinker in different ratios. The mortars produced with different amounts of tailings, silica fume, fly ashes and also mixtures of them were tested for compressive strength values after 2, 7, 28 and 56 days according to the European Standard (EN 196-1). The results indicated that gold tailings up to 25% in clinker could be beneficially used as an additive in Portland cement production. It is suggested that the gold tailings used in the cement are blended with silica fume and C-type fly ash to obtain higher compressive strength values.     

Recycling MSWI bottom and fly ash as raw materials for Portland cement

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) ash is rich in heavy metals and salts. The disposal of MSWI ash without proper treatment may cause serious environmental problems. Recently, the local cement industry in Taiwan has played an important role in the management of solid wastes because it can utilize various kinds of wastes as either fuels or raw materials. The objective of this study is to assess the possibility of MSWI ash reuse as a raw material for cement production. The ash was first washed with water and acid to remove the chlorides, which could cause serious corrosion in the cement kiln. Various amounts of pre-washed ash were added to replace the clay component of the raw materials for cement production. The allowable limits of chloride in the fly ash and bottom ash were found to be 1.75% and 3.50% respectively. The results indicate that cement production can be a feasible alternative for MSWI ash management. It is also evident that the addition of either fly ash or bottom ash did not have any effect on the compressive strength of the clinker. Cement products conformed to the Chinese National Standard (CNS) of Type II Portland cement with one exception, the setting time of the clinker was much longer.     

Use of waste ash from palm oil industry in concrete

Palm oil fuel ash (POFA), a by-product from the palm oil industry, is disposed of as waste in landfills. In this study, POFA was utilized as a pozzolan in concrete. The original size POFA (termed OP) was ground until the median particle sizes were 15.9 microm (termed MP) and 7.4 microm (termed SP). Portland cement Type I was replaced by OP, MP, and SP of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% by weight of binder. The properties of concrete, such as setting time, compressive strength, and expansion due to magnesium sulfate attack were investigated. The results revealed that the use of POFA in concretes caused delay in both initial and final setting times, depending on the fineness and degree of replacement of POFA. The compressive strength of concrete containing OP was much lower than that of Portland cement Type I concrete. Thus, OP is not suitable to be used as a pozzolanic material in concrete. However, the replacement of Portland cement Type I by 10% of MP and 20% of SP gave the compressive strengths of concrete at 90 days higher than that of concrete made from Portland cement Type I. After being immersed in 5% of magnesium sulfate solution for 364 days, the concrete bar mixed with 30% of SP had the same expansion level as that of the concrete bar made from Portland cement Type V. The above results suggest that ground POFA is an excellent pozzolanic material and can be used as a cement replacement in concrete. It is recommended that the optimum replacement levels of Portland cement Type I by MP and SP are 20% and 30%, respectively.     

Oyster shell as substitute for aggregate in mortar.

Enormous amounts of oyster shell waste have been illegally disposed of at oyster farm sites along the southern coast of Korea. In this study to evaluate the possibility of recycling this waste for use as a construction material, the mechanical characteristics of pulverized oyster shell were investigated in terms of its potential utilization as a substitute for the aggregates used in mortar. The unconfined compressive strengths of various soil mortar specimens, with varying blending ratios of cement, water and oyster shell, were evaluated by performing unconfined compression tests, and the results were compared with the strengths of normal cement mortar made with sand. In addition, the effect of organic chemicals on the hardening of concrete was evaluated by preparing ethyl-benzene-mixed mortar specimens. The long-term strength improvement resulting from the addition of fly ash was also examined by performing unconfined compression tests on specimens with fly-ash content. There was no significant reduction in the compressive strength of the mortars containing small oyster shell particles instead of sand. From these test data, the possible application of oyster shells in construction materials could be verified, and the change in the strength parameters according to the presence of organic compounds was also evaluated.     

Physical and mechanical properties of cement-based products containing incineration bottom ash

This paper presents the results of a wider experimental programme conducted in the framework of the NNAPICS ("Neural Network Analysis for Prediction of Interactions in Cement/Waste Systems") project funded by the European Commission and a number of industrial partners under Brite-EuRamIII. Based on the fact that bottom ashes from waste incineration are classified as non-hazardous wastes according to the European Waste Catalogue, the aim of the present work was to investigate the feasibility of addressing the potential use of such residues in cement-based mixtures. This issue was suggested by the analysis of the properties of different bottom ashes coming from Italian municipal and hospital solid waste incinerators, which showed a chemical composition potentially suitable for such applications. Different mixes were prepared by blending bottom ash with ordinary Portland cement in different proportions and at different water dosages. The solidified products were tested for setting time and bulk density, unconfined compressive strength and evaporable water content at different curing times. The results of the experimental campaign were analysed through a statistical procedure (analysis of variance), in order to investigate the effect of mixture composition (waste replacement level and water dosage) on the product properties.     

Leaching of heavy metals from solidified waste using Portland cement and zeolite as a binder

This study investigated the properties of solidified waste using ordinary Portland cement (OPC) containing synthesized zeolite (SZ) and natural zeolite (NZ) as a binder. Natural and synthesized zeolites were used to partially replace the OPC at rates of 0%, 20%, and 40% by weight of the binder. Plating sludge was used as contaminated waste to replace the binder at rates of 40%, 50% and 60% by weight. A water to binder (w/b) ratio of 0.40 was used for all of the mixtures. The setting time and compressive strength of the solidified waste were investigated, while the leachability of the heavy metals was determined by TCLP. Additionally, XRD, XRF, and SEM were performed to investigate the fracture surface, while the pore size distribution was analyzed with MIP. The results indicated that the setting time of the binders marginally increased as the amount of SZ and NZ increased in the mix. The compressive strengths of the pastes containing 20 and 40wt.% of NZ were higher than those containing SZ. The compressive strengths at 28 days of the SZ solidified waste mixes were 1.2-31.1MPa and those of NZ solidified waste mixes were 26.0-62.4MPa as compared to 72.9MPa of the control mix at the same age. The quality of the solidified waste containing zeolites was better than that with OPC alone in terms of the effectiveness in reducing the leachability. The concentrations of heavy metals in the leachates were within the limits specified by the US EPA. SEM and MIP revealed that the replacement of Portland cement by zeolites increased the total porosity but decreased the average pore size and resulted in the better containment of heavy ions from the solidified waste.     

Solidification/stabilisation of air pollution control residues using Portland cement: Physical properties and chloride leaching

Portland cement (CEMI) was used to solidify air pollution control (APC) residues from an energy-from-waste plant burning municipal solid waste. APC residue/CEMI mixes were prepared with CEMI additions ranging from 0 to 50 weight% (wt%) of total dry mass and water/solids ratios between 0.40 and 0.80. Isothermal conduction calorimetry was used to assess the effect of APC residues on the hydration of CEMI. Although up to 30wt% additions of APC residues accelerated CEMI hydration, the total heat of hydration during the initial 98h was significantly reduced. Higher levels of APC residues severely inhibited CEMI hydration. The consistence, setting time, compressive strength, porosity and chloride leaching characteristics of the solidified products were determined. As might be expected, increasing the CEMI addition and reducing the water content resulted in increased compressive strengths. All mixes achieved compressive strengths greater than 1MPa at 7 and 28days but only 50wt% samples did not show significant strength reduction when tested after immersion in water. Monolithic leaching tests indicated low physical immobilisation of chloride in the CEMI solidified APC residues, with chloride leaching in excess of relevant UK landfill waste acceptance criteria (WAC). The results of this study show that greater than 50% CEMI additions would be required to effectively treat APC residues to meet current WAC limits.     

Use of gold mill tailings in making bricks: a feasibility study.

Mill tailings dumps at Kolar Gold Fields, Karnataka, are creating environmental problems. One of the solutions to these problems is to use the mill tailings for some useful purpose. This study examined the possibility of making bricks from the mill tailings with some additives in laboratory experiments. Samples of the mill tailings and the additives were analysed for particle size distribution, Atterberg limits and specific gravity. The plasticity index of the mill tailings being zero, they could not be used directly for making bricks. Therefore some additives that had plasticity or binding properties were mixed with the mill tailings. Ordinary Portland cement, black cotton soils and red soils were selected as additives. Each of the additives was mixed separately with the mill tailings in different proportions by weight and a large number of bricks were prepared using metallic moulds. The bricks were termed as cement-tailings bricks or soil-tailings bricks, depending on the additives used. The cement-tailings bricks were cured for different periods and their corresponding compressive strengths were determined. The bricks with 20% of cement and 14 days of curing were found to be suitable. The soil-tailings bricks were sun-dried and then fired in a furnace at different temperatures. The quality of bricks was assessed in terms of linear shrinkage, water absorption and compressive strength. The cost analysis revealed that cement-tailings bricks would be uneconomical whereas the soil-tailings bricks would be very economical.