Material characterization of the MSWI bottom ash as a function of particle size. Effects of glass recycling over time.

Differences during the last 15years in materials' composition in Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) regarding bottom ash (BA) were assessed as a function of particle size (>16, 8-16, 4-8, 2-4, 1-2 and 0-1mm). After sieving, fractions >2mm were carefully washed in order to separate fine particles adhering to bigger particles. The characterization took into account five types of materials: glass (primary and secondary), ceramics (natural and synthetic), non-ferrous metals, ferrous metals and unburned organic matter. The evaluation was performed through a visual (>2mm) and chemical (0-2mm) classification. Results showed that total weight of glass in the particles over 16mm has decreased with respect to 1999. Moreover, the content of glass (primary and secondary) in BA was estimated to be 60.8wt%, with 26.4wt% corresponding to primary glass in >2mm size fractions. Unlike 1999, in which glass was the predominant material, ceramics are currently the major phase in bottom ash (BA) coarse fractions. As for the metals, respect to 1999, results showed a slight increase in all size fractions. The greatest content (>22wt%) of ferromagnetic was observed for the 2-4mm size fraction while the non-ferrous type was almost non-existent in particles over 16mm, remaining below 10wt% for the rest fractions. In the finest fractions (<2mm), about 60 to 95% of non-ferrous metals corresponded to metallic aluminium. The results from the chemical characterization also indicated that the finest fractions contributed significantly to the total heavy metals content, especially for Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn and Ti.

Reagent use efficiency with removal of nitrogen from pig slurry via struvite: A study on magnesium oxide and related by-products.

Controlled struvite formation has been attracting increasing attention as a near mature technology to recover nutrients from wastewater. However, struvite feasibility is generally limited by the high cost of chemical reagents. With the aim to understand and control reagent use efficiency, experiments and equilibrium model simulations examined inorganic nitrogen (TAN) removal from pig manure via struvite with added magnesium and phosphate reagents. Four industrial magnesium oxide (MgO), a commercial product and three by-products from magnesite calcination, were tested with phosphate added as a highly soluble potassium salt. TAN removal extents with the MgOs ranged from 47 to 72%, with the highest grade MgO providing the greatest extent of TAN removal. However, model analysis showed that all the MgO reagents were poorly soluble (only about 40% of added magnesium actually dissolved). The model results suggested that this poor dissolution was due to kinetic limitations, not solubility constraints. A further set of additional reagents (termed stabilization agents) were prepared by pre-treating the MgO reagents with phosphoric acid, and were tested separately as a source of both magnesium and phosphate. Results showed that acid pre-treatment of moderate to highly reactive MgOs (soft to medium-burnt) primarily formed bobierrite as the stabilizing agent, whereas the pre-treatment of very low reactivity MgOs (dead-burnt) mostly formed newberyite. The newberyite stabilizing agents achieved very high TAN removal extents of about 80%, which is significant, considering that these were formed from dead-burnt/low-grade MgOs. However, the bobierrite stabilizing agents achieved a substantially lower TAN removal extent than their medium-to-high reactivity precursor MgOs. Again, model analysis showed that the bobierrite stabilizing agents were poorly soluble, due to kinetic limitations, not solubility constraints. In contrast, the model suggested that the newberyite stabilizing agents almost completely dissolved to very effectively form struvite. A mechanism was proposed by which conditions near a dissolving reagent particle surface causes unwanted struvite nucleation onto and overgrowth of the reagent particle, inhibiting further dissolution and markedly reducing reagent efficiency. The findings of the study could have implications for reagent efficiency with struvite in general, even when using other solid reagents such as magnesium hydroxide or other MgOs.

Use of weathered and fresh bottom ash mix layers as a subbase in road constructions: environmental behavior enhancement by means of a retaining barrier.

The presence of neoformed cement-like phases during the weathering of non-stabilized freshly quenched bottom ash favors the development of a bound pavement material with improved mechanical properties. Use of weathered and freshly quenched bottom ash mix layers placed one over the other allowed the retention of leached heavy metals and metalloids by means of a reactive percolation barrier. The addition of 50% of weathered bottom ash to the total subbase content diminished the release of toxic species to below environmental regulatory limits. The mechanisms of retention and the different processes and factors responsible of leaching strongly depended on the contaminant under concern as well as on the chemical and physical factors. Thus, the immediate reuse of freshly quenched bottom ash as a subbase material in road constructions is possible, as both the mechanical properties and long-term leachability are enhanced.

Pilot-scale road subbase made with granular material formulated with MSWI bottom ash and stabilized APC fly ash: environmental impact assessment.

A granular material (GM) to be used as road sub-base was formulated using 80% of weathered bottom ash (WBA) and 20% of mortar. The mortar was prepared separately and consisted in 50% APC and 50% of Portland cement. A pilot-scale study was carried on by constructing three roads in order to environmentally evaluate the performance of GM in a real scenario. By comparing the field results with those of the column experiments, the overestimations observed at laboratory scale can be explained by the potential mechanisms in which water enters into the road body and the pH of the media. An exception was observed in the case of Cu, whose concentration release at the test road was higher. The long-time of exposure at atmospheric conditions might have favoured oxidation of organic matter and therefore the leaching of this element. The results obtained showed that immobilization of all heavy metals and metalloids from APC is achieved by the pozzolanic effect of the cement mortar. This is, to the knowledge of the authors, the only pilot scale study that is considering reutilization of APC as a safe way to disposal.

Aggregate material formulated with MSWI bottom ash and APC fly ash for use as secondary building material.

The main goal of this paper is to obtain a granular material formulated with Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) bottom ash (BA) and air pollution control (APC) fly ash to be used as secondary building material. Previously, an optimum concrete mixture using both MSWI residues as aggregates was formulated. A compromise between the environmental behavior whilst maximizing the reuse of APC fly ash was considered and assessed. Unconfined compressive strength and abrasion resistance values were measured in order to evaluate the mechanical properties. From these results, the granular mixture was not suited for certain applications owing to the high BA/APC fly ash content and low cement percentages used to reduce the costs of the final product. Nevertheless, the leaching test performed showed that the concentrations of all heavy metals were below the limits established by the current Catalan legislation for their reutilization. Therefore, the material studied might be mainly used in embankments, where high mechanical properties are not needed and environmental safety is assured.