Enrichment of elements in industrial waste incineration bottom ashes obtained from three different types of incinerators,as studied by ICP-AES and ICP-MS

The elemental composition of the industrial waste incineration bottom ash (IWIBA) samples collected from three different types of incinerator with different kinds of wastes were compared. The major-to-ultratrace elements in the IWIBA samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). As a result, ca. 40 elements in the concentration range from milligrams per gram to submicrograms per gram could be determined with relative standard deviations of less than 5%. The IWIBA sample from petrochemical wastes contained lower concentrations of the elements, because fewer mineral constituents were contained in the input waste materials. On the contrary, the elemental concentrations in the IWIBA sample from industrial solid wastes provided the highest values for most elements, while the elemental compositions of the IWIBA sample from food wastes were similar to those of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash. In addition, it was found from the analytical results that the levels of various heavy metals such as Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, As, Zr, Mo, Sb, Ba, and Pb were higher in the IWIBA samples than in municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash. The enrichment factors of the elements in the IWIBA samples were estimated from the analytical results to compare the elemental distributions in incineration bottom ashes in relation to their mining influence factors, which are the indices for human use of the elements.     

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.     

Usefulness of TAO model to predict and manage the transformation in soil of carbon and nitrogen forms from West-Africa urban solid wastes

The TAO model of Transformation of Added Organic materials (AOM) calibrated on AOMs and substrates of temperate areas was used to assess the transformations in soil of carbon and nitrogen forms of AOMs: raw materials, selected mixtures and composts from Ouagadougou urban wastes. AOMs were studied in terms of chemical and biochemical contents and for their C and N mineralization during incubations in a typical Ferric Lixisol of the sub-urban agriculture of Ouagadougou. The TAO model was used to predict the transformations of C (very labile, resistant and stable organic C) and N (very labile, resistant and stable organic N, produced and immobilized inorganic N) forms driven by AOM biochemical data. Without any change in calibration formulae, TAO predicted accurately the C transformations and inorganic N production of most of the tested AOMs, with a tendency to slightly overestimate C mineralization of previously well-composted materials and re-mineralization of immobilized N. Complementary adjustments using more complete data from laboratory experiments are suggested, but the model agrees with other data collected in the field and appears as a promising tool to optimise the management of urban wastes in the tropical area as well as for agro industrial organic fertilizers of the temperate zone. This application suggests ways to improve the management of urban wastes aiming to optimize agricultural yields, system sustainability and C sequestration in soil.     

Recycling and reuse of industrial wastes in Taiwan

Eighteen million metric tons of industrial wastes are produced every year in Taiwan. In order to properly handle the industrial wastes, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan EPA) has set up strategic programs that include establishment of storage, treatment, and final disposal systems, establishment of a management center for industrial wastes, and promotion of recycling and reuse of industrial wastes. The Taiwan EPA has been actively promoting the recycling and reuse of industrial wastes over the years. In July 1995 the Taiwan EPA amended and promulgated the Criteria for the Industrial Waste Storage, Collection and Processing Facility, July, 1995 that added articles related to general industrial waste recycling and reuse. In June 1996 the Taiwan EPA promulgated the Non-listed General Industrial Waste Reuse Application Procedures, June, 1996, followed by the Regulations Governing the Permitting of Hazardous Industrial Waste Reuse, June 1996, setting up a full regulatory framework for governing industrial waste reuse. To broaden the recycling and reuse of general industrial wastes, the Taiwan EPA has listed 14 industrial waste items for recycling and reuse, including waste paper, waste iron, coal ash, tempered high furnace bricks (cinder), high furnace bricks (cinder), furnace transfer bricks (cinder), sweetening dregs, wood (whole/part), glass (whole/part), bleaching earth, ceramics (pottery, brick, tile and cast sand), individual metal scraps (copper, zinc, aluminum and tin), distillery grain (dregs) and plastics. As of June 1999, 99 applications for reuse of industrial wastes had been approved with 1.97 million metric tons of industrial wastes being reused.     

Prediction of unconfined compressive strength of cement paste containing industrial wastes

Neural network analysis was used to construct models of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) as a function of mix composition using existing data from literature studies of Portland cement containing real industrial wastes. The models were able to represent the known non-linear dependency of UCS on curing time and water content, and generalised from the literature data to find relationships between UCS and quantities of five waste types. Substantial decreases in UCS were caused by all wastes; except for EAF dust, the effect was nonlinear with the greatest decrease caused initially by approx. 12% plating sludge, 40% foundry dust, 58% other ash, and 72% MSWI fly ash by mass of dry product. It appears that the maximum waste additions used in modelling may approximate the practical limits of waste additions used in modelling may approximate the practical limits of waste addition to Portland cement, i.e., 50% plating sludge or EAF dust, 64% foundry dust, 92% other ash, and 85% MSWI fly ash by mass of dry product. The laboratory was found to be a key predictive variable and acted as a surrogate for laboratory-specific variables related to cement composition, strength and hardening class, product mixing and preparation details, laboratory conditions, and testing details. While the neural network modelling approach has been shown to be feasible, development of better models would require larger data sets with more complete information regarding laboratory-specific variables and waste composition.     

Assessment of mobility and bioavailability of contaminants in MSW incineration ash with aquatic and terrestrial bioassays

Incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a waste treatment method which can be sustainable in terms of waste volume reduction as well as a source of renewable energy. In the process fly and bottom ash is generated as a waste material. The ash residue may vary greatly in composition depending on the type of waste incinerated and it can contain elevated levels of harmful contaminants such as heavy metals. In this study, the ecotoxicity of a weathered, untreated incineration bottom ash was characterized as defined by the H14 criterion of the EU Waste Framework Directive by means of an elemental analysis, leaching tests followed by a chemical analysis and a combination of aquatic and solid-phase bioassays. The experiments were conducted to assess the mobility and bioavailability of ash contaminants. A combination of aquatic and terrestrial bioassays was used to determine potentially adverse acute effects of exposure to the solid ash and aqueous ash leachates. The results from the study showed that the bottom ash from a municipal waste incineration plant in mid-Sweden contained levels of metals such as Cu, Pb and Zn, which exceeded the Swedish EPA limit values for inert wastes. The chemical analysis of the ash leachates showed high concentrations of particularly Cr. The leachate concentration of Cr exceeded the limit value for L/S 10 leaching for inert wastes. Filtration of leachates prior to analysis may have underestimated the leachability of complex-forming metals such as Cu and Pb. The germination test of solid ash and ash leachates using T. repens showed a higher inhibition of seedling emergence of seeds exposed to the solid ash than the seeds exposed to ash leachates. This indicated a relatively low mobility of toxicants from the solid ash into the leachates, although some metals exceeded the L/S 10 leaching limit values for inert wastes. The Microtox® toxicity test showed only a very low toxic response to the ash leachate exposure, while the D. magna immobility test showed a moderately high toxic effect of the ash leachates. Overall, the results from this study showed an ecotoxic effect of the solid MSW bottom ash and the corresponding ash leachates. The material may therefore pose an environmental risk if used in construction applications. However, as the testing of the solid ash was rather limited and the ash leachate showed an unusually high leaching of Cr, further assessments are required in order to conclusively characterize the bottom ash studied herein as hazardous according to the H14 criterion.     

进口含锌物料的表征和鉴别

采用X射线荧光光谱(XRF)、X射线衍射光谱(XRD)等分析手段,对4种进口疑似固体废物的含锌物料进行了表征。通过分析含锌物料的主要元素组成、物相组成和常规理化特征,结合外观特征,与含锌矿物、含锌产品及相关文献资料等进行比对,推导出含锌物料的产生来源。然后,参照我国《进口废物管理目录》得出鉴别结论。结果表明:4种含锌物料分别为锌矿、湿法冶炼锌浸出渣、热镀锌灰和固定CO2产物;后3种属于我国目前禁止进口的固体废物。     

Recovery of high purity zinc from filter ash produced during the thermal treatment of waste and inerting of residual materials.

The method described below recovers zinc, a valuable metal that is present in high concentrations in filter ash from the thermal treatment of waste, and returns the filter ash stripped of heavy metals to the combustion process in order to destroy organic substances. On an industrial scale, the heavy metals in the filter ash were mobilized by means of hydrochloric acid in the acidic fluids produced in the flue-gas scrubbing process without the addition of further chemicals. A pilot plant for implementing the selective reactive extraction (SRE) method on the ash extracts, using a highly selective complexant, was operated over a period of several months in order to obtain a concentrated, high-purity zinc salt solution (mono metal solution). A zinc depletion rate of 99.8% in the aqueous extract was achieved using mixer-settler units. The residual zinc concentration in the waste water was then < 2 mg L(-1). By stripping the loaded organic phase, a concentrated, high-purity mono metal solution with 190 g L(-1) zinc was obtained. Zinc metal with a purity > 99.99% is then separated by means of electrolysis. To destroy organic substances present in the filter ash, particularly dioxins and furans, the extracted filter ash cake was returned to the combustion process together with household waste. Plant operation, raw and pure gas parameters, and quality of the bottom ash produced were not impacted by such recirculation. The profitability of the overall process is attributable both to the recovery of valuable zinc metal and to the cost savings made in waste water treatment and in the disposal of the waste combustion residues because the remaining mixture of filter ash and bottom ash can be reused in a combined form. This method therefore supports the sustainable and economically viable reuse of filter ash.     

Characterization of char derived from various types of solid wastes from the standpoint of fuel recovery and pretreatment before landfilling

Carbonization is a kind of pyrolysis process to produce char from organic materials under an inert atmosphere. In this work, chars derived from various solid wastes were characterized from the standpoint of fuel recovery and pretreatment of waste before landfilling. Sixteen kinds of municipal and industrial solid wastes such as residential combustible wastes, non-combustible wastes, bulky wastes, construction and demolition wastes, auto shredder residue, and sludges were carbonized at 500 degrees C for 1h under nitrogen atmosphere. In order to evaluate the quality of char as fuel, proximate analysis and heating value were examined. The composition of raw waste had a significant influence on the quality of produced char. The higher the ratio of woody biomass in waste, the higher heating value of char produced. Moreover, an equation to estimate heating value of char was developed by using the weight fraction of fixed carbon and volatile matter in char. De-ashing and chlorine removal were performed to improve the quality of char. The pulverization and sieving method seems to be effective for separation of incombustibles such as metal rather than ash. Most char met a 0.5 wt% chlorine criterion for utilization as fuel in a shaft blast furnace after it was subjected to repeated water-washing. Carbonization could remove a considerable amount of organic matter from raw waste. In addition, the leaching of heavy metals such as chrome, cadmium, and lead appears to be significantly suppressed by carbonization regardless of the type of raw waste. From these results, carbonization could be considered as a pretreatment method for waste before landfilling, as well as for fuel recovery.     

Utilization of Industrial Wastes from Mining and Packaging Industries in Wood-Plastic Composites

The manufacturing industry produces a lot of different by-products and waste. In this research, the utilization of different industrial wastes as a part of wood-plastic composites was tested. Limestone waste and carton cutting waste were tested by replacing part of the reinforcing fibers of the composite with these materials. The materials were made with the extrusion process, and they were tested for their mechanical properties, water absorption and thickness swelling. The materials were also viewed with a scanning electron microscope. The results showed that both industrial wastes affected the properties of the composite. Mining waste in the composite improved the moisture properties, impact strength and hardness of the material. Carton cutting waste improved the impact strength remarkably.     

Utilization of industrial by-products for the production of controlled low strength materials (CLSM)

Industrial by-products were used for the production of controlled low-strength material (CLSM). CLSM, also known as 'flowable fill' is used as a replacement of compacted soil in cases where the application of the latter is difficult or impossible. The low mechanical requirements (compared with structural concrete) enable the use of industrial by-products for the production of CLSM. In this study cement kiln dust, asphalt dust, coal fly ash, coal bottom ash and quarry waste were tested for the possibility of producing CLSM with large proportions of those wastes. The results showed that in most cases, CLSM with good properties could be made with significant amounts of dust (25-50%w), especially when the dust has some cementing or pozzolanic potential as do fly ash and cement kiln dust.     

Reusing fly ash in glass fibre reinforced cement: a new generation of high-quality GRC composites

New composite materials based on an alkali-resistant glass-fibre reinforced cement (AR-GRC) system are being developed by using fly ash (FA) produced at coal thermoelectric power plants, and fluid catalytic cracking catalyst residue (FC3R) from the petrol industry as cement replacement materials. These wastes are reactive from the pozzolanic viewpoint, and modify the nature and the microstructure of the cement matrix when a part of the Portland cement is replaced in the formulation of GRC. Several microstructural and mechanical aspects are being studied for AR-GRC systems. The behaviour of composites exposed to ageing shows that the pozzolanic activity of the ground FA added in high amounts and its mixture with the FC3R increase the flexural strength and no evidences of strength decay are observed. Additionally, the fibres due to the high alkalinity of the cementing matrix can be deteriorated. Fibres in the control (only Portland cement) and FC3R containing composites were attacked, whereas composites with FA and their mixture with FC3R show that the fibres have not been attacked, due to the pozzolanic activity of replacing materials that reduce the calcium hydroxide content in the cementing matrix.     

Synthesis of mesoporous silica materials from municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash

Incinerator bottom ash contains a large amount of silica and can hence be used as a silica source for the synthesis of mesoporous silica materials. In this study, the conditions for alkaline fusion to extract silica from incinerator bottom ash were investigated, and the resulting supernatant solution was used as the silica source for synthesizing mesoporous silica materials. The physical and chemical characteristics of the mesoporous silica materials were analyzed using BET, XRD, FTIR, SEM, and solid-state NMR. The results indicated that the BET surface area and pore size distribution of the synthesized silica materials were 992 m²/g and 2–3.8 nm, respectively. The XRD patterns showed that the synthesized materials exhibited a hexagonal pore structure with a smaller order. The NMR spectra of the synthesized materials exhibited three peaks, corresponding to Q² [Si(OSi)₂(OH)₂], Q³ [Si(OSi)₃(OH)], and Q⁴ [Si(OSi)₄]. The FTIR spectra confirmed the existence of a surface hydroxyl group and the occurrence of symmetric Si–O stretching. Thus, mesoporous silica was successfully synthesized from incinerator bottom ash. Finally, the effectiveness of the synthesized silica in removing heavy metals (Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Cr²⁺) from aqueous solutions was also determined. The results showed that the silica materials synthesized from incinerator bottom ash have potential for use as an adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions.     

Fly ash reinforced thermoplastic vulcanizates obtained from waste tire powder

Novel thermoplastic composites made from two major industrial and consumer wastes, fly ash and waste tire powder, have been developed. The effect of increasing fly ash loadings on performance characteristics such as tensile strength, thermal, dynamic mechanical and magnetic properties has been investigated. The morphology of the blends shows that fly ash particles have more affinity and adhesion towards the rubbery phase when compared to the plastic phase. The fracture surface of the composites shows extensive debonding of fly ash particles. Thermal analysis of the composites shows a progressive increase in activation energy with increase in fly ash loadings. Additionally, morphological studies of the ash residue after 90% thermal degradation shows extensive changes occurring in both the polymer and filler phases. The processing ability of the thermoplastics has been carried out in a Monsanto processability testing machine as a function of shear rate and temperature. Shear thinning behavior, typical of particulate polymer systems, has been observed irrespective of the testing temperatures. Magnetic properties and percolation behavior of the composites have also been evaluated.     

Assessment and analysis of industrial liquid waste and sludge disposal at unlined landfill sites in arid climate

Municipal solid waste disposal sites in arid countries such as Kuwait receive various types of waste materials like sewage sludge, chemical waste and other debris. Large amounts of leachate are expected to be generated due to the improper disposal of industrial wastewater, sewage sludge and chemical wastes with municipal solid waste at landfill sites even though the rainwater is scarce. Almost 95% of all solid waste generated in Kuwait during the last 10 years was dumped in five unlined landfills. The sites accepting liquid waste consist of old sand quarries that do not follow any specific engineering guidelines. With the current practice, contamination of the ground water table is possible due to the close location of the water table beneath the bottom of the waste disposal sites. This study determined the percentage of industrial liquid waste and sludge of the total waste dumped at the landfill sites, analyzed the chemical characteristics of liquid waste stream and contaminated water at disposal sites, and finally evaluated the possible risk posed by the continuous dumping of such wastes at the unlined landfills. Statistical analysis has been performed on the disposal and characterization of industrial wastewater and sludge at five active landfill sites. The chemical analysis shows that all the industrial wastes and sludge have high concentrations of COD, suspended solids, and heavy metals. Results show that from 1993 to 2000, 5.14+/-1.13 million t of total wastes were disposed per year in all active landfill sites in Kuwait. The share of industrial liquid and sludge waste was 1.85+/-0.19 million t representing 37.22+/-6.85% of total waste disposed in all landfill sites. Such wastes contribute to landfill leachate which pollutes groundwater and may enter the food chain causing adverse health effects. Lined evaporation ponds are suggested as an economical and safe solution for industrial wastewater and sludge disposal in the arid climate of Kuwait.     

An alternative method for the treatment of waste produced at a dye and a metal-plating industry using natural and/or waste materials.

The aim of this study was to develop cost-effective, appropriate solidification technologies for treating hazardous industrial wastes that are currently disposed of in ways that may threaten the quality of local groundwater. One major objective was to use materials other than cement, and preferably materials that are themselves wastes, as the solidification additives, namely using wastes to treat wastes or locally available natural material. This research examines the cement-based and lime-based stabilization/solidification (S/S) techniques applied for waste generated at a metal-plating industry and a dye industry. For the lime-based S/S process the following binder mixtures were used: cement kiln dust/ lime, bentonite/lime and gypsum/lime. For the cement-based S/S process three binder mixtures were used: cement kiln dust/cement, bentonite/cement and gypsum/cement. The leachability of the wastes was evaluated using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure. The applicability and optimum weight ratio of the binder mixtures were estimated using the unconfined compressive strength test. The optimum ratio mixtures were mixed with waste samples in different ratios and cured for 28 days in order to find the S/S products with the highest strength and lowest leachability at the same time. The results of this work showed that the cement-and lime-based S/S process, using cement kiln dust and bentonite as additives can be effectively used in order to treat industrial waste.     

Changes in fungal population of fly ash and vinasse mixture during vermicomposting by Eudrilus eugeniae and Eisenia fetida: documentation of cellulase isozymes in vermicompost

Fly ash (FA) and vinasse (VN), two industrial wastes, are generated in huge amounts and cause serious hazards to the environment. In this experiment, different proportions of these two wastes were used as food for two epigeic earthworms (Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae) to standardize the recycling technique of these two wastes and to study their effect on fungal especially cellulolytic fungal population, cellulase activity and their isozyme pattern, chitin content and microbial biomass of waste mixture during vermicomposting. Increasing VN proportion from 25% to 50% or even higher, counts of both fungi and cellulolytic fungi in waste mixtures were significantly (P ? 0.05) increased during vermicomposting. Higher cellulase activity in treatments having 50% or more vinasse might be attributed to the significantly (P ? 0.05) higher concentration of group I isozyme while concentrations of other isozymes (group II and III) of cellulase were statistically at par. Higher chitin content in vinasse-enriched treatments suggested that fungal biomass and fungi-to-microbial biomass ratio in these treatments were also increased due to vermicomposting. Results revealed that Eudrilus eugeniae and Eisenia fetida had comparable effect on FA and VN mixture during vermicomposting. Periodical analysis of above-mentioned biochemical and microbial properties and nutrient content of final vermicompost samples indicated that equal proportion (1:1, w/w) of FA and VN is probably the optimum composition to obtain best quality vermicompost.     

Flue gas desulfurization gypsum and coal fly ash as basic components of prefabricated building materials

The manufacture of prefabricated building materials containing binding products such as ettringite (6CaO·Al₂O₃·3SO₃·32H₂O) and calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) can give, in addition to other well-defined industrial activities, the opportunity of using wastes and by-products as raw materials, thus contributing to further saving of natural resources and protection of the environment.Two ternary mixtures, composed by 40% flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum or natural gypsum (as a reference material), 35% calcium hydroxide and 25% coal fly ash, were submitted to laboratory hydrothermal treatments carried out within time and temperature ranges of 2 h–7 days and 55–85 °C, respectively. The formation of (i) ettringite, by hydration of calcium sulfate given by FGD or natural gypsum, alumina of fly ash and part of calcium hydroxide, and (ii) CSH, by hydration of silica contained in fly ash and residual lime, was observed within both the reacting systems. For the FGD gypsum-based mixture, the conversion toward ettringite and CSH was highest at 70 °C and increased with curing time. Some discrepancies in the hydration behavior between the mixtures were ascribed to differences in mineralogical composition between natural and FGD gypsum.     

Co-combustion performance of poultry wastes and natural gas in the advanced Swirling Fluidized Bed Combustor (SFBC)

Co-combustion of poultry wastes with natural gas in an advanced Swirling Fluidized Bed Combustor (SFBC) has been carried out to investigate the performance of poultry wastes combustion. Wastes burnt were poultry litter, poultry manure and sawdust. This paper presents the effect of three different wastes, excess air ratio, and secondary/total air ratio on the combustion characteristics. These characteristics include temperature distributions, carbon combustion efficiency, major gaseous pollutants emissions and heat recovery efficiency. The results indicate that, with the given moisture and ash contents in wastes, the excess air and the secondary air play important roles in achieving stable combustion. The carbon combustion efficiency could increase by 8-10% when the excess air is increased to 25% with the secondary air being at 20% and having a low injection height. However, the carbon combustion efficiency for the sawdust, which is 92% on average, is much higher than that of the poultry litter and manure, which is 81% and 76% on average, respectively. Differences regarding temperature distribution and pollutants emission were also observed with different combinations of the excess air, the secondary air and the secondary air injection height. The NO(x) emission was very low even though the materials contain high levels of nitrogen. In addition, the heat recovery efficiency aiming at the commercial use of the SFBC system for the farm industries was also evaluated.     

包装垃圾的分类与回收利用

包装垃圾是由废弃的包装物产生的固体垃圾,约占我国城市生活垃圾的1/3,虽然政府进行了必要回收,但仍有1/3以上的塑料、玻璃等包装物没能被有效回收利用,成了填埋场的主要填埋物,造成了环境污染和土地、石油等不可再生资源大量浪费。从回收利用和源头减量两方面提出包装垃圾的应对,一是对包装垃圾按来源、成分等进行详细分类,并建议回收处置方法;二是从制定行业政策方面来减少过度包装和扶持再生资源行业健康发展,有效处置包装垃圾等可再生资源。