RESUMO
The management of an increasing amount of municipal waste via incineration has been gaining traction. Fly ash as a by-product of incineration of municipal solid waste is considered a hazardous waste due to the elevated content of various elements. The enrichment and distribution of 24 elements in fly ash from three wastes incinerators were evaluated. Two coarse (>100 µm and <100 µm) and five sub-sieve (12-16, 16-23, 23-34, 34-49, and 49-100 µm) particle size fractions separated on a cyclosizer system were analyzed. An enhancement in the enrichment factor was observed in all samples for the majority of elements in >100 µm range compared with <100 µm range. The enrichment factor of individual elements varied considerably within the samples as well as the sub-sieve particle size ranges. These variations were attributed primarily to: (i) the vaporization and condensation mechanisms, (ii) the different design of incineration plants, (iii) incineration properties, (iv) the type of material being incinerated, and (v) the affinity of elements.
