Beyond waste: new sustainable fillers from fly ashes stabilization, obtained by low cost raw materials.

A sustainable economy can be achieved only by assessing processes finalized to optimize the use of resources. Waste can be a relevant source of energy thanks to energy-from-waste processes. Concerns regarding the toxic fly ashes can be solved by transforming them into resource as recycled materials. The commitment to recycle is driven by the need to conserve natural resources, reduce imports of raw materials, save landfill space and reduce pollution. A new method to stabilize fly ash from Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator (MSWI) at room temperature has been developed thanks to COSMOS-RICE LIFE+ project (www.cosmos-rice.csmt.eu). This process is based on a chemical reaction that occurs properly mixing three waste fly ashes with rice husk ash, an agricultural by-product. COSMOS inert can replace critical raw materials (i.e. silica, fluorspar, clays, bentonite, antimony and alumina) as filler. Moreover the materials employed in the stabilization procedure may be not available in all areas. This paper investigates the possibility of substituting silica fume with corresponding condensed silica fume and to substitute flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) residues with low-cost calcium hydroxide powder. The removal of coal fly ash was also considered. The results will be presented and a possible substitution of the materials to stabilize fly ash will be discussed.

Comparison between rice husk ash grown in different regions for stabilizing fly ash from a solid waste incinerator.

The Stabilization of heavy metals from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash by rice husk ash (RHA) is under intense study as an effective strategy to recover and reuse industrial and agricultural waste together. We compare the metal entrapment performances of RHA from different Asian rice sources ­ namely from Japonica rice grown in Italy and Indica rice grown in India ­ Physicochemical and morphological characterization of the final stabilized material show that the same thermal treatment may result in marked structural differences in the silica contained in the two RHA. Remarkably, one of them displays a crystalline silica content, although obtained by a thermal treatment below 800 °C. We also find that the presence of an alkali metal ion (potassium) in the rice husk plays a crucial role in the attainment of the final silica phase. These physicochemical differences are mirrored by different stabilization yields by the two RHA.