TXRF analysis of soils and sediments to assess environmental contamination

Total reflection x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (TXRF) is proposed for the elemental chemical analysis of crustal environmental samples, such as sediments and soils. A comparative study of TXRF with respect to flame atomic absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy was performed. Microwave acid digestion and suspension preparation methods are evaluated. A good agreement was found among the results obtained with different spectroscopic techniques and sample preparation methods for Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn. We demonstrated that TXRF is suitable for the assessment of environmental contamination phenomena, even if the errors for Pb, As, V, and Ba are ingent.     

Integrated management of ash from industrial and domestic combustion: a new sustainable approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy conversion

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This work supports, for the first time, the integrated management of waste materials arising from industrial processes (fly ash from municipal solid...     

A new method for municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash inertization, based on colloidal silica

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is a straightforward way to manage waste, however the disposal of process byproducts, mainly bottom and fly ash, is still a problem, because of their hazardous contents. Fly ash is a byproduct of many other processes that involve combustion to produce energy. In this paper we present and discuss a new method for MSWI fly ash inertization, mainly based on the use of colloidal silica as a stabilization agent for metals. In the patented procedure, fly ash of different provenance can be used to produce an inert and non-hazardous material, that can be reused. In fact to make the recovery process more efficient, landfilling should be totally avoided. For this reason, to enhance the possibility of reuse, a washing process, for salts recovery, is proposed as a final step of the inertization procedure. The obtained inert material is called COSMOS (COlloidal Silica Medium to Obtain Safe inert), and it is composed of calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, silicon oxide and a wide quantity of non-soluble amorphous compounds. COSMOS does not contain any corrosive salts. This makes it extremely interesting for cement industry applications with several other advantages, and environmental benefits. The new proposed inertization procedure appears very promising, because it allows MSWI fly ash to be considered a valuable resource. Thanks to the obtained results, a demonstration project, in the frame of LIFE+, has been funded by the European Commission (LIFE+ 2008 project ENV/IT/000434, ).     

A new method to inertize incinerator toxic fly ash with silica from rice husk ash

Fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration is a toxic waste due to the presence of toxic heavy metals. Here, a new method for metal stabilization based on the use of silica gel extracted from rice husk ash is presented. This method is sustainable because of the use of only waste materials to produce a final inert product, and because the inertization procedure occurs at room temperature. The estimated maximum Pb adsorption capacity of extracted silica, of about 36 mg/g, is found to be far greater than the adsorption capacity of other known absorbers used for municipal solid waste incineration fly ash.     

Metal fractionation in soils and assessment of environmental contamination in Vallecamonica, Italy

Metal contamination was investigated in soils of the Vallecamonica, an area in the northern part of the Brescia province (Italy), where ferroalloy industries were active for a century until 2001. The extent in which emissions from ferroalloy plants affected metal concentration in soils is not known in this area. In this study, the geogenic and/or anthropogenic origin of metals in soils were estimated. A modified Community Bureau of Reference sequential chemical extraction method followed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analyses were employed to evaluate the potential bioavailability of Al, Cd, Mn, Fe, Cr, Zn, and Pb in soils. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess the relationships among metal sources in soil samples from different locations. This approach allowed distinguishing of different loadings and mobility of metals in soils collected in different areas. Results showed high concentrations and readily extractability of Mn in the Vallecamonica soils, which may suggest potential bioavailability for organisms and may create an environmental risk and potential health risk of human exposure.     

Analysis of crystalline phases in airborne particulate matter by two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (XRD2)

In this work, the potentiality of two-dimensional X-ray diffraction (XRD(2)) to characterise aerosol particles collected on commercial glass filters is presented. Indeed, even if routine analysis usually requires only mass determination, and rarely chemical composition, phase determination is fundamental to recognize the primary or secondary origin of the particulate matter and thus to determine the main sources of the pollution and to model contamination events. The experiments were performed at Daresbury Synchrotron (UK) Laboratory on 14.1 Beamline. The analysis of filters collected in Tuscany (Italy) is discussed with particular attention to the presence of arsenic sulfide. The first results of these experiments are very promising, showing the presence of unexpected compounds in the particulate matter of the investigated area.     

Review of fly ash inertisation treatments and recycling

Fly ash (FA) is a by-product of power, and incineration plants operated either on coal and biomass, or on municipal solid waste. FA can be divided into coal fly ash, obtained from power plant burning coal, flue gas desulphurisation FA, that is, the by-product generated by the air pollution control equipment in coal-fired power plants to reduce the release of SO₂, biomass FA produced in the plants for thermal conversion of biomass and municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) FA, that is, the finest residue obtained from the scrubber system in a MSWI plant. Because of the large amount produced in the world, fly ash is now considered the world’s fifth largest material resource. The composition of FA is very variable, depending on its origins; then, also pollutants can be very different. In this frame, it is fundamental to exploit the chemical or physical potentials of FA constituents, thus rendering them second-life functionality. This review paper is addressed to FA typology, composition, treatment, recycling, functional reuse and metal and organic pollutants abatement. Because of the general growing of environmental awareness and increasing energy and material demand, it is expected that increasing recycling rates will reduce the pressure on demand for primary raw materials, help to reuse valuable materials which would otherwise be wasted and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from extraction and processing.