A study of disposed fly ash from landfill to replace Portland cement

The landfills of fly ash are the problem of all power plants because this disposed fly ash is not used in any work. This research studies the potential of using disposed fly ashes which have disposal time of 6-24 months from the landfill of Mae Moh power plants in Thailand to replace Portland cement type I. Median particle sizes of disposed fly ashes between 55.4 and 99.3 microm were ground to reduce the sizes to about 7.1-8.4 microm. Both original and ground disposed fly ashes were investigated on physical and chemical properties. Compressive strengths of disposed fly ash mortars were determined when Portland cement type I was replaced by disposed fly ashes at the rate of 10%, 20%, and 30% by weight of cementitious material (Portland cement type I and disposed fly ash). The results presented that most particles of original disposed fly ashes were solid and sphere with some irregular shape while those of ground disposed fly ashes were solid and irregular shape. CaO and LOI contents of disposed fly ashes with different disposal times had high variation. The compressive strengths of original disposed fly ash mortars were low but those of ground disposed fly ash mortars at the age of 7 days were higher than 75% of the standard mortar and increased to be higher than 100% after 60 days. From the results, it could be concluded that ground disposed fly ashes were excellent pozzolanic materials and could be used as a partial replacement of cement in concrete, even though they were exposed to the weather for 24 months.     

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.     

Sustainable construction: composite use of tyres and ash in concrete

An investigation was carried out to establish the physical, mechanical and chemical characteristics of a non-standard (unprocessed) pulverised fuel ash (PFA) and waste tyres from a former landfill site at the Power Station Hill near Church Village, South Wales, United Kingdom. Investigations are on-going to establish the suitability of the fly ash and/or tyres in road construction (embankment and pavement) and also in concrete to be used in the construction of the proposed highway. This paper reports on concrete-based construction where concrete blends (using various levels of PFA as partial replacement for Portland cement (PC), and shredded waste tyres (chips 15-20mm) as aggregate replacement) were subjected to unconfined compressive strength tests to establish performance, hence, optimising mix designs. Strength development up to 180 days for the concrete made with PC-PFA blends as binders (PC-PFA concrete), with and without aggregate replacement with tyre chips, is reported. The binary PC-PFA concrete does not have good early strength but tends to improve at longer curing periods. The low early strength observed means that PC-PFA concrete cannot be used for structures, hence, only as low to medium strength applications such as blinding, low-strength foundations, crash barriers, noise reduction barriers, cycle paths, footpaths and material for pipe bedding.     

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.     

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.     

Synthetic aggregates from combustion ashes using an innovative rotary kiln

This paper describes the use of a number of different combustion ashes to manufacture synthetic aggregates using an innovative rotary 'Trefoil' kiln. Three types of combustion ash were used, namely: incinerated sewage sludge ash (ISSA); municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash (MSWIBA-- referred to here as BA); and pulverised fuel ash (Pfa). The fine waste ash fractions listed above were combined with a binder to create a plastic mix that was capable of being formed into 'green pellets'. These pellets were then fired in a Trefoil kiln to sinter the ashes into hard fused aggregates that were then tested for use as a replacement for the natural coarse aggregate in concrete. Results up to 28 days showed that these synthetic aggregates were capable of producing concretes with compressive strengths ranging from 33 to 51 MPa, equivalent to between 73 and 112% of that of the control concrete made with natural aggregates.     

Assessing the environmental impact of ashes used in a landfill cover construction

Large amounts of construction materials will be needed in Europe in anticipation for capping landfills that will be closed due to the tightening up of landfill legislation. This study was conducted to assess the potential environmental impacts of using refuse derived fuel (RDF) and municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) ashes as substitutes for natural materials in landfill cover designs. The leaching of substances from a full-scale landfill cover test area built with different fly and bottom ashes was evaluated based on laboratory tests and field monitoring. The water that drained off above the liner (drainage) and the water that percolated through the liner into the landfill (leachate) were contaminated with Cl^?, nitrogen and several trace elements (e.g., As, Cu, Mo, Ni and Se). The drainage from layers containing ash will probably require pre-treatment before discharge. The leachate quality from the ash cover is expected to have a minor influence on overall landfill leachate quality because the amounts generated from the ash covers were low, <3–30 l (m² yr)^?1. Geochemical modelling indicated that precipitation of clay minerals and other secondary compounds in the ash liner was possible within 3 years after construction, which could contribute to the retention of trace elements in the liner in the long term. Hence, from an environmental view point, the placement of ashes in layers above the liner is more critical than within the liner.     

CCA-treated wood disposed in landfills and life-cycle trade-offs with waste-to-energy and MSW landfill disposal

Chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood is a preservative treated wood construction product that grew in use in the 1970s for both residential and industrial applications. Although some countries have banned the use of the product for some applications, others have not, and the product continues to enter the waste stream from construction, demolition and remodeling projects. CCA-treated wood as a solid waste is managed in various ways throughout the world. In the US, CCA-treated wood is disposed primarily within landfills; however some of the wood is combusted in waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities. In other countries, the predominant disposal option for wood, sometimes including CCA-treated wood, is combustion for the production of energy. This paper presents an estimate of the quantity of CCA-treated wood entering the disposal stream in the US, as well as an examination of the trade-offs between landfilling and WTE combustion of CCA-treated wood through a life-cycle assessment and decision support tool (MSW DST). Based upon production statistics, the estimated life span and the phaseout of CCA-treated wood, recent disposal projections estimate the peak US disposal rate to occur in 2008, at 9.7 million m(3). CCA-treated wood, when disposed with construction and demolition (C&D) debris and municipal solid waste (MSW), has been found to increase arsenic and chromium concentrations in leachate. For this reason, and because MSW landfills are lined, MSW landfills have been recommended as a preferred disposal option over unlined C&D debris landfills. Between landfilling and WTE for the same mass of CCA-treated wood, WTE is more expensive (nearly twice the cost), but when operated in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) regulations, it produces energy and does not emit fossil carbon emissions. If the wood is managed via WTE, less landfill area is required, which could be an influential trade-off in some countries. Although metals are concentrated in the ash in the WTE scenario, the MSW landfill scenario releases a greater amount of arsenic from leachate in a more dilute form. The WTE scenario releases more chromium from the ash on an annual basis. The WTE facility and subsequent ash disposal greatly concentrates the chromium, often oxidizing it to the more toxic and mobile Cr(VI) form. Elevated arsenic and chromium concentrations in the ash leachate may increase leachate management costs.     

Quick monitoring of pozzolanic reactivity of waste ashes

This article proposes a quick method of monitoring for pozzolanic reactivity of waste ashes by investigating the electrical conductivity of the suspension at an elevated temperature. This suspension is obtained by mixing tested pozzolan with an ordinary Portland cement (OPC) solution produced by mixing ordinary Portland cement with water. For comparison, silica fume, metakaolin, rice husk ash and river sand – whose pozzolanic reactivities range from reactive to inert – were used in the experimental investigation. The electrical conductivity of the suspension was continually recorded by using an electrical conductivity meter and stored by using a personal computer for a period of slightly over 1 day. The indicative parameters that can be related to pozzolanic reactivity were discussed and analyzed in detail. It was found that it is possible to determine the pozzolanic reactivity of fly ash within 28 h by using the proposed technique, as compared to 7 or 28 days for the determination of strength activity index according to ASTM. This technique would help concrete technologists to speedily investigate the quality of fly ash for use as a cement replacement in order to alleviate pollution caused by cement production and solve disposal problems of waste ashes.     

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.     

Leachability of municipal solid waste ashes in simulated landfill conditions

In Japan the volume of municipal solid waste is reduced by incineration, with fly ash and bottom ash disposed in controlled landfills. The leachability of anions and heavy metal cations, Zn, Cu and Pb, from MSW fly ash and bottom ash at different pHs was examined using batch- and column-leaching tests. The MSW ashes had a high capacity for neutralizing acids. Behaviour during leaching depended on the pH of the solution. For the volumes applied, the leachabilities of MSW fly ash were very similar at pHs from 3 to 6. Due to its amphoteric nature, Pb is leachable at pHs of approximately 10 or more, with leachate concentrations of about 3 and 3-10mg/L for the fly ash and bottom ash, respectively, much higher than for Zn and Cu. Pb concentrations for most leaching solutions were 1 and 3mg/L for the fly ash and bottom ash, respectively. Zn, and Cu leached at low concentrations for solutions of pH 3-6. Na and K ions leached at high concentrations of approximately 5000 mg/L in the first batch leaching test, decreasing to 10mg/L by the fourth leach. Ca and Mg ions leached more gradually than Na and K. Cl(-) and SO(4)(2+) ions were the major anions in the MSW ash. The high pH and cation leaching are expected to have negative impacts on the performance of clay liners.     

The application and evaluation research of coffee residue ash into mortar

Coffee residue is usually regarded as a kind of agriculture waste; as its quantity increases the treatment of coffee residue will become an environmental problem. This research is innovative in that it derives the possibility of recycle application using coffee residue ash for cement replacement. In this research, coffee residue is burned in an electronic oven to three kinds of coffee residue ash at 500, 600 and 700 °C, and then appropriate apparatus is used to check the chemical and physical properties of these three types of coffee residue ash. After a general comparison, this study selected 500 and 600 °C coffee residue ashes with 2, 3, 5, 10 and 15 % cement replacements to make 5 cm³ cube mortar specimen to test different curing ages’ compressive strength. Through measurement and experiment, this research found that the compressive strength decreased by adding 500 or 600 °C coffee residue ash into the mortar. By considering waste reduction and practice application, this research derives that using the 600 °C coffee residue ash with 10 % replacement is better than others application, such using result also can get valuable efficiencies of financial and CO₂ reduction.     

Heavy metal leaching from hydroxide, sulphide and silicate stabilised/solidified wastes

A synthetic, mixed-metal solution has been stabilised by treatment with sodium hydroxide, sodium sulphide, and sodium silicate, respectively. The three stabilised filter cakes have subsequently been solidified using additions of ordinary Portland cement and pulverised fuel ash (PFA) which are typically used in UK solidification operations. Both the stabilised filter cakes and the solidified wastes have been subjected to an equilibrium extraction test, a modified TCLP test, and a series of single-extraction, batch leach tests using an increasingly acidic leachant. Metal release was found to be primarily dependent on the pH of the leachate. Under mildly acidic conditions, the percentages leached from the stabilised and the stabilised/solidified wastes were comparable for most metals. A high-volume fraction of these solidified wastes is occupied by the stabilised filter cake. When they are broken up and tested in single-extraction leach tests, the primary effect of the cementitious additives is to increase the pH of the leachate so that most heavy metals remain insoluble. When tested under acidic leachate conditions, copper, lead, and mercury were found to be particularly well retained within sodium sulphide stabilised wastes. Under similar test conditions, cadmium was leached at very low levels from the sodium silicate stabilised waste.     

Durability of recycled aggregate concrete using pozzolanic materials

In this study, pulverized fuel ash (PFA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) were used to compensate for the loss of strength and durability of concrete containing recycled aggregate. As a result, 30% PFA and 65% GGBS concretes increased the compressive strength to the level of control specimens cast with natural granite gravel, but the tensile strength was still lowered at 28 days. Replacement with PFA and GGBS was effective in raising the resistance to chloride ion penetrability into the concrete body, measured by a rapid chloride ion penetration test based on ASTM C 1202-91. It was found that the corrosion rate of 30% PFA and 65% GGBS concretes was kept at a lower level after corrosion initiation, compared to the control specimens, presumably due to the restriction of oxygen and water access. However, it was less effective in increasing the chloride threshold level for steel corrosion. Hence, it is expected that the corrosion time for 30% PFA and 65% GGBS concrete containing recycled aggregate mostly equates to the corrosion-free life of control specimens.     

Practice review of five bioreactor/recirculation landfills

Five landfills were analyzed to provide a perspective of current practice and technical issues that differentiate bioreactor and recirculation landfills in North America from conventional landfills. The bioreactor and recirculation landfills were found to function in much the same manner as conventional landfills, with designs similar to established standards for waste containment facilities. Leachate generation rates, leachate depths and temperatures, and liner temperatures were similar for landfills operated in a bioreactor/recirculation or conventional mode. Gas production data indicate accelerated waste decomposition from leachate recirculation at one landfill. Ambiguities in gas production data precluded a definitive conclusion that leachate recirculation accelerated waste decomposition at the four other landfills. Analysis of leachate quality data showed that bioreactor and recirculation landfills generally produce stronger leachate than conventional landfills during the first two to three years of recirculation. Thereafter, leachate from conventional and bioreactor landfills is similar, at least in terms of conventional indicator variables (BOD, COD, pH). While the BOD and COD decreased, the pH remained around neutral and ammonia concentrations remained elevated. Settlement data collected from two of the landfills indicate that settlements are larger and occur much faster in landfills operated as bioreactors or with leachate recirculation. The analysis also indicated that more detailed data collection over longer time periods is needed to draw definitive conclusions regarding the effects of bioreactor and recirculation operations. For each of the sites in this study, some of the analyses were limited by sparseness or ambiguity in the data sets.     

The potential of recycling and reusing municipal solid waste incinerator ash in Taiwan

By 2004, there were 19 municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI) with a total yearly treatment capacity of 7.72 million tons in service in Taiwan. All 19 incinerators operated daily to generate about 1.05 million tons of incinerator ash, including bottom ash and stabilized fly ash in 2003, and the average ash yield is 18.67%. The total number of incinerators is expected to increase to 27, serving almost all cities in Taiwan by 2007. The authors have suggested a set of criteria based on the yield of incinerator ash (Phi) to study the ash recycle and reuse potential. The Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration has studied the treatment and reuse of MSWI ashes for many years and collected references on international experience accumulated by developed nations for establishing policies on treatment and reuse of MSWI ashes. These citations were analyzed as the basis for current governmental decision making on policies and factors to be considered for establishing policies on recycle and reuse of MSWI ashes. Feasible applications include utilization of ashes, which after sieving and separation of metal particles, produce granular materials. When granular materials comply with TCLP limitations, they can be utilized as cement additives or road base. The procedures of evaluation have been proposed in the performance criteria to be included in the proposed decision-making process of ash utilization.     

Incorporation of gypsum waste in ceramic block production: Proposal for a minimal battery of tests to evaluate technical and environmental viability of this recycling process

Civil engineering-related construction and demolition debris is an important source of waste disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills. After clay materials, gypsum waste is the second largest contributor to the residential construction waste stream. As demand for sustainable building practices grows, interest in recovering gypsum waste from construction and demolition debris is increasing, but there is a lack of standardized tests to evaluate the technical and environmental viability of this solid waste recycling process. By recycling gypsum waste, natural deposits of gypsum might be conserved and high amounts of the waste by-product could be reused in the civil construction industry. In this context, this paper investigates a physical property (i.e., resistance to axial compression), the chemical composition and the ecotoxicological potential of ceramic blocks constructed with different proportions of clay, cement and gypsum waste, and assesses the feasibility of using a minimal battery of tests to evaluate the viability of this recycling process. Consideration of the results for the resistance to axial compression tests together with production costs revealed that the best formulation was 35% of plastic clay, 35% of non-plastic clay, 10% of Portland cement and 20% of gypsum waste, which showed a mean resistance of 4.64 MPa. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry showed calcium and sulfur to be the main elements, while quartz, gypsum, ettringite and nacrite were the main crystalline compounds found in this formulation. Ecotoxicity tests showed that leachate from this formulation is weakly toxic toward daphnids and bacteria (EC_20% = 69.0 and 75.0, respectively), while for algae and fish the leachate samples were not toxic at the EC_50% level. Overall, these results show that the addition of 20% of gypsum waste to the ceramic blocks could provide a viable substitute for clay in the ceramics industry and the tests applied in this study proved to be a useful tool for the technical and environmental evaluation of this recycling process, bacterial and daphnid tests being more sensitive than algae and fish tests.     

国内城市生活垃圾焚烧飞灰研究现状及进展

随着我国经济快速发展及城市化水平提升,城市生活垃圾产量越来越大,焚烧逐渐成为城市生活垃圾处理的主要方式.但焚烧会产生大量的垃圾焚烧飞灰(以下简称飞灰),飞灰属于危险废物.论述了飞灰的来源、成分、特性及危害,介绍了飞灰的处理处置技术:水泥固化技术、化学药剂稳定化技术、熔融固化技术、水热稳定化技术和水泥窑协同处理技术,并分...     

Pilot project of mechanical-biological treatment of waste in Brazil

By mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) of residual municipal solid waste the behaviour of landfills can be significantly improved. After MBT the organic content (COD and BOD5), total organic carbon, and total nitrogen in the leachate, as well as the gas production rate, are reduced to values lower than 90% of the fresh untreated waste. The volume of the stabilized material to be disposed on landfills decreases enormously, by up to 70%. The monitoring effort for a landfill constructed under these conditions is reduced to a minimum and the stabilized material can be used in other ways, as material for reforestation, for cover material or for thermal utilization to produce energy. Environmental conditions are important in MBT, as well as waste characteristics. This paper describes the results of a pilot project of MBT performed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The results have shown that this technology can be used successfully in developing countries, with economy for the society and important results for the environment.     

Lysimeter washing of MSW incinerator bottom ash

Stockpiled municipal waste incinerator bottom ash is frequently considered for utilization as a construction material. Two 360 kg lysimeter experiments were conducted to study percolation washing of contaminants from stockpiled MSW bottom ash. One lysimeter was leached with a concentrated sodium hydroxide solution, as a possible pre-treatment for improvement of the bottom ash characteristics prior to utilization, while the other was leached using distilled water. The lysimeter leachate was analysed, and at the end of the 2-year leaching period, the bottom ash from each lysimeter was subjected to several laboratory tests to assess the effect of the treatments. The laboratory tests showed that distilled water leachability of both treated ashes was an order of magnitude lower than that of fresh ash, but long-term contaminant leachability under acidic conditions had not changed. Although alkaline washing clearly resulted in greater contaminant removal than did distilled water washing, the chemical properties of the alkaline-leached bottom ash were not significantly different from those of the water-leached ash.