Chemical speciation and mobility of heavy metals in municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash

Chemical speciation is a significant factor that governs the toxicity and mobility of heavy metals in municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash. Sequential extraction procedure is applied to fractionate heavy metals(Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, and Cr) into five defined groups: exchangeable, carbonate, Fe-Mn oxide, organic, and residual fractions. The mobility of heavy metals is also investigated with the aid of toxicity characteristic leaching procedure. In the fly ash sample, Pb is primarily presented in the carbonate(51%) and exchangeable(20%) fractions; Cd and Zn mainly exist as the exchangeable(83% and 49% respectively); Cu is mostly contained in the last three fractions(totally 87%); and Cr is mainly contained in the residual fraction(62%). Pb, Zn and Cd showed the high mobility in the investigation, thus might be of risk to the natural environment when municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash is landfilled or reutilized.

Influence of SO_2 in incineration flue gas on the sequestration of CO_2 by municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash

The influence of CO2 content and presence of SO2 on the sequestration of CO2 by municipal solid waste incinerator （MSWI） fly ash was studied by investigating the carbonation reaction of MSWI fly ash with different combinations of simulated flue gas. The reaction between fly ash and 100% CO2 was relatively fast; the uptake of CO2 reached 87 g CO2/kg ash, and the sequestered CO2 could be entirely released at high temperatures. When CO2 content was reduced to 12%, the reaction rate decreased; the uptake fell to 41 g CO2/kg ash, and 70.7% of the sequestered CO2 could be released. With 12% CO2 in the presence of SO2, the reaction rate significantly decreased; the uptake was just 17 g CO2/kg ash, and only 52.9% of the sequestered CO2 could be released. SO2 in the simulated gas restricted the ability of fly ash to sequester CO2 because it blocked the pores of the ash.

Effects of Using Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Tailings as Lightweight Aggregate on the Mechanical Properties of Specified Density Concrete

Municipal solid waste incineration tailings were used as lightweight aggregate(MSWIT-LA)in the preparation of specified density concrete to study the effects on compressive strength,axial compressive strength,flexural strength,microhardness,total number of pores,pore area,and pore spacing.The results showed that the internal curing and morphological effects induced by an appropriate quantity of MSWIT-LA improved the compressive response of specified density concrete specimens,whereas an excessive quantity of MSWIT-LA significantly reduced their mechanical properties.An analysis of pore structure indicated that the addition of MSWIT-LA increased the total quantity of pores and promoted cement hydration,resulting in a denser microstructure than that of ordinary concrete.The results of a principal component analysis showed that the mechanical response of specified density concrete prepared with 25%MSWIT-LA was superior to that of an equivalent ordinary concrete.It was therefore concluded that MSWIT-LA can be feasibly applied to achieve excellent specified density concrete properties while utilising municipal solid waste incineration tailings to protect the environment and alleviate shortages of sand and gravel resources.

Model Prediction and Optimal Control of Gas Oxygen Content for A Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Process

In the municipal solid waste incineration process,it is difficult to effectively control the gas oxygen content by setting the air flow according to artificial experience.To address this problem,this paper proposes an optimization control method of gas oxygen content based on model predictive control.First,a stochastic configuration network is utilized to establish a prediction model of gas oxygen content.Second,an improved differential evolution algorithm that is based on parameter adaptive and t-distribution strategy is employed to address the set value of air flow.Finally,model predictive control is combined with the event triggering strategy to reduce the amount of computation and the controller's frequent actions.The experimental results show that the optimization control method proposed in this paper obtains a smaller degree of fluctuation in the air flow set value,which can ensure the tracking control performance of the gas oxygen content while reducing the amount of calculation.

Solidification of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration FlyAsh with Cement and Its Leaching Behaviors of Heavy Metals

The solidifying effect of cement addition on municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWFA for short,collected from the gas exhaust system of MSW incinerator),the interaction of MSWFA with cement and water and the leaching of heavy metals from cement solidified MSWFA are investigated.The main results show that:(1) when MSWFA is mixed with cement and water,H 2 evolution,the formation and volume expansion of AFt will take place,the volume expansion can be reduced by ground rice husk ash addition;(2) heavy metals do leach from cement solidified MSWFA and at lower pH more leaching will occur;(3) compared with cement-solidified fly ash,the leachate of solidified MSWFA is with higher heavy metal contents;(4) with the increment of cement addition leached heavy metals are decreased;and (5) concentrations of Zn,Mn,Cu and Cd in all the leachates can meet the relevant Standards of Japan,but as the regulations for soil and groundwater protection of Japan are concerned,precautions against the leaching of Pb,Cl - and Cr 6+ and so on are needed.

Mechanism of high concentration phosphorus wastewater treated by municipal solid waste incineration fly ash

The mechanism of removing phosphate by MSWI(municipal solid waste incineration)fly ash was investigated by SEM(scanning electron microscopy)with EDS(energy dispersion spectrum),XRD(X-ray diffraction),FT-IR(Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy),BET(specific surface area),and BJH(pore size distribution).The results indicate that the removal rate of phosphate(100 mg/L)in 50 mL phosphorus wastewater reaches at 99.9% as the dosage of MSWI fly ash being 0.9000 g under room temperature.The specific surface area of MSWI fly ash is less than 6.1 m2/g and the total pore volume is below 0.021 cm3/g,suggesting that the absorption capacity of calcite is too weak to play an important role in phosphate removal.SEM images show that drastic changes had taken place on its specific surface shape after reaction,and EDS tests indicate that some phosphate precipitates are formed and attached onto MSWI fly ash particles.Chemical precipitation is the main manner of phosphate removal and the main reaction is: 3Ca2++2 PO4 3-+xH2O→Ca3(PO4)2↓·xH2O.Besides,XRD tests show that the composition of MSWI fly ash is complex,but CaSO4 is likely to be the main source of Ca2+.The soluble heavy metals in MSWI fly ash are stabilized by phosphate.

Microstructures and thermal properties of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash

To analyze the feasibility of utilization of thermal technology in fly ash treatment, thermal properties and microstructures of municipal solid waste incineration （MSW1） fly ash were studied by measuring the chemical element composition, specific surface area, pore sizes, functional groups, TEM image, mineralogy and DSC-TG curves of raw and sintered fly ash specimens. The results show that MSWI fly ash particles mostly have irregular shapes and non-typical pore structure, and the supersonic treatment improves the pore structure; MSWI fly ash consists of Such crystals as SiO2, CaSO4 and silica-aluminates, and some soluble salts like KCl and NaCl. During the sintering process, mineralogy changes largely and novel solid solutions are produced gradually with the rise of temperature. Therefore, the utilization of a proper thermal technology not only destructs those persistent organic toxicants but also stabilizes hazardous heavy metals in MSWI fly ash.

Hydration Kinetics of Municipal Solid Wastes Incineration(MSWI) Fly Ash-Cement

Hydration heat behavior and kinetics of blended cement containing up to 20% MSWI fly ash were investigated based on its hydration heat evolution rate measured by isothermal calorimeter. Kinetics parameters, N and K, and hydration degree, Ca(OH)2 content, were also calculated and analyzed. According to the experimental results, the induction period was elongated, the second heat evolution peak was in advance, and the third hydration heat peak could be detected due to MSWI fly ash pozzolanic reaction. The hydration reaction rate was controlled by nucleation kinetics in the acceleration period and then by diffusion in the decay period, but in the deceleration period, the hydration experienced a dual controlling reaction of autocatalytic chemical reaction and diffusion. The hydration rate of blended cement was faster. Ca(OH)2 content increased before 14 days.

Comparative evaluation of processes for heavy metal removal from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash

Hydrochloric acid leaching, chloride evaporation, acetic acid leaching, and biological leaching were evaluated and compared as processes of heavy metal removal for municipal solid waste incineration fly ash(MSWFA). Six factors, namely, energy consumption, process efficiency, process handling, process cost estimation, cost reduction potential, and study progress, were used in order to find out their advantages and disadvantages and to help develop a better recovery process of heavy metals from MSWFA in terms of treatment of the waste material. Hydrochloric acid leaching process was found to be most balanced among the evaluated processes. It showed superiority on energy consumption, process cost estimation, and study progress. On the other hand, despite of its excellency in process efficiency, chloride evaporation process was most unfavorable mainly due to heavy energy dependence. Biological process, with huge potential of cost reduction, was concluded to be the second best process.

Geo-environmental application of municipal solid waste incinerator ash stabilized with cement

The behavior of soluble salts contained in the municipal solid waste incinerator(MSWI) ash significantly affects the strength development and hardening reaction when stabilized with cement.The present study focuses on the compaction and strength behavior of mixed specimens of cement and MSWI ash.A series of indices such as unconfined compressive strength,split tensile strength,California bearing ratio(CBR) and pH value was examined.Prior to this,the specimens were cured for 7 d,14 d,and 28 d.The test results depict that the maximum dry density(MDD) decreases and the optimum moisture content(OMC)increases with the addition of cement.The test results also reveal that the cement increases the strength of the mixed specimens.Thus,the combination of MSWI ash and cement can be used as a lightweight filling material in different structures like embankment and road construction.

Leaching behavior of heavy metals with hydrochloric acid fromfly ash generated in municipal waste incineration plants

The extraction behavior of heavy metals from municipal waste incineration （MWI） fly ash was investigated systematically. The extraction process includes two steps, namely, fly ash was firstly washed with water, and then subjected to hydrochloric acid leaching. The main parameters for water washing process were tested, and under the optimal conditions, about 86% Na, 70% K and 12% Ca were removed from fly ash, respectively. Hydrochloric acid was used for the extraction of valuable elements from the water-washed fly ash, and the optimal extraction was achieved for each heavy metal as follows： 86% for Pb, 98% for Zn, 82% for Fe, 96% for Cd, 62% for Cu, 80% for Al, respectively. And the main compositions of the finally obtained solid residue are Ca2PbO4, CaSi2Os, PbsSiO7, Ca3A12Si3012 and SiO2.

Prediction of NO_(x)concentration using modular long short-term memory neural network for municipal solid waste incineration

Air pollution control poses a major problem in the implementation of municipal solid waste incineration(MSWI).Accurate prediction of nitrogen oxides(NO_(x))concentration plays an important role in efficient NO_(x)emission controlling.In this study,a modular long short-term memory(M-LSTM)network is developed to design an efficient prediction model for NO_(x)concentration.First,the fuzzy C means(FCM)algorithm is utilized to divide the task into several sub-tasks,aiming to realize the divide-and-conquer ability for complex task.Second,long short-term memory(LSTM)neural networks are applied to tackle corresponding sub-tasks,which can improve the prediction accuracy of the sub-networks.Third,a cooperative decision strategy is designed to guarantee the generalization performance during the testing or application stage.Finally,after being evaluated by a benchmark simulation,the proposed method is applied to a real MSWI process.And the experimental results demonstrate the considerable prediction ability of the M-LSTM network.

Investigation of basic properties of fly ash from urban waste incinerators in China

Basic properties of fly ash samples from different urban waste combustion facilities in China were analyzed using as X-ray fluorescence （XRF）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The leaching toxicity procedure and some factors influencing heavy metals distribution in fly ash were further investigated. Experimental results indicate that the fly ash structures are complex and its properties are variable. The results of XRF and SEM revealed that the major elements （〉10000 mg/kg, listed in decreasing order of abundance） in fly ash are O, Ca, Cl, Si, S, K, Na, Al, Fe and Zn. These elements account for 93% to 97%, and the content of Cl ranges from 6.93% to 29.18 %, while that of SiO2 does from 4.48% to 24.84%. The minor elements （1000 to 10000 mg/kg） include Cr, Cu and Pb. Primary heavy metals in fly ash include Zn, Pb, Cr, Cu etc. According to standard leaching test, heavy metal leaching levels vary from 0 to 163.10 mg/L （Pb） and from 0.049 to 164.90 mg/L （Zn）, mostly exceeding the Chinese Identification Standard for hazardous wastes. Morphology of fly ash is irregular, with both amorphous structures and polycrystalline aggregates. Further research showed that heavy metals were volatilized at a high furnace temperature, condensed when cooling down during the post-furnace system and captured at air pollution control systems. Generally, heavy metals are mainly present in the forms of aerosol particulates or tiny particulates enriched on surfaces of fly ash particles. The properties of fly ash are greatly influenced by the treatment capacities of incinerators or the variation of waste retention time in chamber. Fly ash from combustors of larger capacities generally has higher contents of volatile component and higher leaching toxicity, while those of smaller capacities often produce fly ash containing higher levels of nonvolatile components and has lower toxicity. The content of heavy metals and leaching toxicity maybe have no convincing correlation, and high alkali content of CaO greatly contribute to leaching toxicity of heavy metal and acid neutralization capacity against acid rain.

Effects of Sulfur Compounds on Cd Partitioning in a Simulated Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator

The effect of sulfur compounds （including sulfur, sulfide, sulfite and sulfate）, initial concentration of heavy metal and operating conditions on Cd emission in municipal solid waste （MSW） incineration were investi-gated using a simulated tubular furnace and simulated MSW spiked with Cd. The concentration of Cd was meas-ured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry （ICP-AES） after digesting the samples including bottom ash, fly ash and flue gas according to related USEPA methods. The results show that S and Na2S tend to in- crease Cd partitioning in bottom ash, whereas Na2SO3 and Na2SO4 tend to reduce Cd partitioning in bottom ash. The effect of sulfur compounds on Cd partitioning in bottom ash was in the sequence of Na2S〉S〉Na2SO3〉 Na2SO4. chemical equilibrium analysis is also performed to determine the effect of sorbents on Cd adsorption. The calculations show that S presents strong affinity for Cd and restrains Cd adsorption by SiO2, whereas when temperature rises to between 830℃ and 1030℃, Cd adsorption efficiency of SiO2 is over 80% and the efficiency of Al2O3 is up to 85%.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in flue gas emissions from municipal solid waste incinerators in China

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans （PCDD/Fs） emissions in flue gas from two types of municipal solid waste incinerators （MSWIs） most commonly used in China were investigated in this study. The selected incinerators include two grate-type MSWIs： MSWI-A （350 t/d） and MSWI-B 050 t/d）, and two fluidized bed MSWIs： MSWI-C （400 t/d） and MSWI-D （400 t/d）, which are all equipped with semi-dry lime scrubber and bag filter except MSWI-D equipped with cyclone and wet scrubber （WS） as air pollutant control device （APCD）. Results indicated that the emission concentration and the international toxic equivalents （I-TEQs） of the PCDD/Fs from the stacks were in the range of 1.210-10.273 ng/Nm^3 and 0.019-0.201 ng I-TEQ/Nm^3, respectively. They were greatly lower than the emission regulation standard of PCDD/Fs in China （1.0 ng I-TEQ/Nm^3）. However, only the PCDD/Fs emission level from MSWI-C was below 0.1 ng I-TEQ/Nm^3. Although the homologue profiles were distinct, the contributions of the 2,3,7,8-subsituted congeners to the total I-TEQ were similar among all the investigated MSWIs. Two major 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF and 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, account for 47% and 9% （average values） of the total I-TEQ values, respectively. The correlation between PCDD/Fs levels and composition of flue gas was also discussed.

Porous Structure of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Bottom Ash in Initial Stage of Landfill

For quantitative estimation of the intra-layer porous structure in the initial stage of landfill formation with municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash, the water absorption of individual MSWI bottom ash particles was measured under still-water, degassed, and agitated conditions. The ratio of the water absorption rate found for the still-water procedure to the effective absorption capacity which was the one under degassing was 35.2%. In the water flow experiment of a column filled with MSWI bottom ash, the true density of the bottom ash was higher after water flow than before, which indicated that dissolution of the soluble components of the bottom ash particle surfaces resulted in a loss of apparent particle volume that more than offset the accompanying weight loss. The volume-based water absorption rate found for the bottom ash particles following 50 mL/h water flow through the column, as a ratio to the effective absorption capacity was about 51.8% of the effective absorption capacity. In a landfill layer comprised of MSWI bottom ash, it was suggested that some regions of the ash particle interiors underwent almost no contact with water.

Research on municipal solid waste composting with coal ash

Considering the fact that there is much coal ash in the municipal solid waste (MSW) in some cities of China, the feasibility of composting in this situation was studied and the effect of content of the coal ash on the composting process and some basic relative technological parameters were investigated. The values of the moisture, the total organic matter, the content of coal ash, the C/N ratio and the ventilation were suggested to be 50%60%, 40%60%, 40%60%, (25∶1)(35∶1) and 0.050.20 m 3/(min·m 3), respectively.

Volatilization of heavy metals during incineration of municipal solid wastes

Incineration experiments with MSW, which had been impregnated with heavy metals, were presented to obtain information on the volatilization behavior of the elements cadmium(Cd), lead(Pb), and zinc(Zn) under different conditions. Experiments were carried out in a bubbling fluid bed system connected to a customized inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy(ICP-OES) for analyzing metals in the flue gas. The results indicated that the combustion temperature, the gas atmosphere, and the chlorine content in the flue gas could affect the volatilization behavior of heavy metals. In the fluidized bed combustion, a large surface area was provided by the bed sand particles, and they may act as absorbents for the gaseous ash-forming compound. Comparer with the metals Cd and Pb, the vaporization of Zn was low. The formation of stable compounds such as ZnO·Al 2O 3 could greatly decrease the metals volatilization. The presence of chlorine would enhance the volatilization of heavy metals by increasing the formation of metal chlorides. However, when the oxygen content was high, the chlorinating reaction was kinetically hindered, which heavy metals release would be delayed.

Effect of Moisture on Partitioning of Heavy Metals in Incineration of Municipal Solid Waste

The effect of moisture in municipal solid waste (MSW) on partitioning of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) was studied in a laboratory tubular furnace by using simulated MSW. The moisture in MSW influences heavy metals in following ways, to increase the moisture in flue gas and decrease the combustion temperature, to prolong the combustion time, and to prolong the releasing time of volatiles with the furnace temperature decreased by increasing the moisture. The volatilization of Pb, Zn and Cd was enhanced by increasing the moisture in MSW because of the prolonged combustion time. For Pb and Zn, the combustion time was important at higher temperature, while for Cd, it was important at low temperature. The moisture content showed slight effect on Cu partitioning. When extra chlorine was added to MSW, such as 1%PVC + 0.5%NaCl, the volatilization of Pb, Zn and Cu was enhanced by increasing the moisture because water evaporation reduced the temperature and increased devolatilization time. At higher temperature, NaCl tends to decompose and generates more free chlorine, producing more metal chlorides. Since Cd is a strong volatile heavy metal in MSW, the effect of moisture content on its volatilization is less than that of Pb, Zn or Cu during the MSW incineration.

Glass-ceramics made from arc-melting slag of waste incineration fly ash

Grate fly ash and fluidized bed fly ash mixed with glass cullet additive respectively were melted in the electronic arc-furnace. The product, arc-melting slag, was further treated by crushing, pressing and heat treatment in order to make the glass-ceramics. The crystallization behaviors of the produced glass-ceramics were examined by differential thermal analysis （DTA）, X-ray diffractometry （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Results show that main crystalline phase of the glass-ceramics fi＇om grate fly ash is wollastonite （CaSiO3） with small amount of diopside （Ca（Mg,Al）（Si,Al）206）, and that from fluidized bed fly ash is diopside （Ca（Mg,Al）（Si,Al）206）. It is found that the glass-ceramics sintered at 850 ℃and 1 000℃ from grate fly ash and fluidized bed fly ash respectively have the optimal physical, mechanical and chemical characteristics. Glass-ceramics samples, produced from incinerator fly ash with desirable properties and the low leaching concentration of heavy metals, can be the substitute of nature materials such as marble, granite and porcelain tiles.