Trace Metal Leaching from Cookware Locally Fabricated from Scrap Metal: A Case Study of Ntungamo District, Uganda

Heavy metal exposure remains a significant public health problem, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where use of artisanal cookware made from recycled metallic materials is still common. In this study, the effect of cookware composition, cleaning material, heating duration and temperature on metal migration from different cookware, including artisanal pans was investigated. Trace element concentrations were determined with Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Locally fabricated cookware leached the highest levels of metals, where the levels of Pb (9.00 ± 0.80 × 10-2 mg/l), Al (11.40 ± 0.02 × 10-2 mg/l), Cd (5.80 ± 0.30 × 10-2 mg/l), Cr (6.60 ± 0.03 × 10-2 mg/l) and Ni (3.00 ± 0.01 × 10-2 mg/l) were above the WHO permissible limits of heavy metals for drinking water. Steel wire was the most aggressive cleaning material to the cookware surfaces, followed by sand and then ash. For cookware heated at 100°C and above, an exponential relationship between temperature and the migration of Al, Pb and Cd was observed. The findings revealed heavy metal exposure from cookware usage, which poses potential health risks to the population. There is need for policies and civic education to minimize this exposure.

Mechanical and environmental properties of geopolymer-stabilized domestic waste incineration slag in an asphalt pavement base

Domestic waste incineration slag(WIS)includes fly ash and slag.Fly ash is classified as hazardous waste because it contains heavy metals.Most of slag are directly stacked or landfilled due to problems such as large output and low utilization rate.Harmless treatment is imminent.If WIS is used effectively in the road engineering,which can realize the high-quality and high-efficiency recycling of WIS,and it is of great significance to save resources and protect the environment.This study applies a geopolymer prepared from WIS fly ash as a stabilizing agent in WIS blending macadam for use as a pavement base mixture,and reports the mechanical properties(unconfined compressive strength,splitting strength,and resilience modulus)of the geopolymer-stabilized WIS blending macadam(GeoWIS).The leaching concentrations of harmful heavy metals of GeoWIS soaked in water were also investigated.Finally,the strength formation and heavy metal stability mechanisms were explored.The unconfined compressive strength,splitting strength,and compressive resilient modulus of GeoWIS all increased with increasing geopolymer content and decreasing WIS content.The strength of GeoWIS was derived from its geopolymerization and hydration products(C-S-H gel,N-A-S-H gel,and AFt).When the geopolymer content reached 12%–14%,the GeoWIS without natural macadam met the strength criterion of the asphalt pavement base.Through physical adsorption and chemical bonding,the geopolymer significantly reduced the leaching of harmful heavy metals.In GeoWIS with 50%WIS and stabilized with 10%geopolymer,the Cr,Ni,Cd,and Pb concentrations met the grade III groundwater standard.Concentrations of heavy metals leached from GeoWIS are low and exert little impact on environment.

Utilization of Bayer Red Mud Derived from Bauxite for Belite-Ferroaluminate Cement Production

Bayer red mud(BRM)is a kind of industrial solid waste characterized by huge volume and high alkalinity.Its disposal generates serious environmental pollution and occupies a large number of farmland.The utilization and recycling of BRM is currently a crucial issue and needs to be addressed as soon as possible.The chemical composition of BRM is similar to cement clinker.In this study,the feasibility of preparing Belite-ferroaluminate clinker(BFAC)with different BRM was explored.The physical properties,mechanics performance,radioactivity levels and trace harmful metals leaching were measured.XRD,BEI and EDS were used to characterize the mineral formation,and SEM is used to reveal the solidified mechanism of trace harmful metal.The results show that the preparation of BFAC using a certain amount of BRM was feasible.The formed phases in clinkers mainly included C_(4)A_(3)Š,C_(2)S and C_(4)AF.The flexural strength and compressive strength of BFAC at 3 days increased whereas 28 and 90 days decreased with the increase of BRM due to the formation of higher C_(4)AF and lower C_(2)S.The formation of large amounts of Al_(2)O_(3)·3H_(2)O gel and Fe_(2)O_(3)·3H_(2)O gel in hydration products enhanced the adsorption capability to heavy metals and other ions.The trace harmful metal concentration in the leaching solution was much less than the upper limits.The radioactivity level of leaching solution was close to natural radioactive background.BRM is safe as raw material of BFAC.

Solidification Efficiency and Mechanism of Conventional Curing Agents for Sewage Sludge Stabilization and Dewatering

One of the challenges faced by sewage sludge treatment and disposal is its higher water content,and how to efficient dewater those hazardous materials properly is welcome in practice. This study stabilized the sewage sludge via the using of conventional curing agents and calcined aluminum salts,and the corresponding dewatering mechanisms and structural changes of the stabilized sludge were further comparable analyzed.Experimental results showed that wollastonite and kaolin exhibit a relative higher dewatering efficiency as compared to other conventional curing agents; however the releasing rate of heavy metals of Cu,Cr,Ni for kaolin solidification and Zn,Pb for wollastonite solidification is higher than the sludge samples solidified by other curing agents. For comparison,the sludge samples solidified by calcined aluminum salts (AS),calcium ash,Mg-based curing agent,tricalcium aluminate( C_3A) show a lower heavy metals leaching potential and unconfined compressive strength. In addition,the economic characteristics and local availability of AS,calcium ash,C_3A and CaO makes it have a broad prospect in extension and application. These findings are of great significance for stabilization and dewatering of sewage sludge.

The applicability of soil flushing technology in a metallurgical plant

Soil flushing technology is an ＇in situ＇ remediation technique involving the injection of a liquid solution. Applications of the soil flushing technique depend on the leachability of the pollutants and the environmental compatibility and total volumes of the solutions used. Therefore, experiments should consider these aspects by simulating the real phenomenon and using the most suitable reagents for the leachability of the different mineralogical forms present. Thirty- one laboratory tests were carried out （in batch and becker） to the complete exhaustion of the leaching capacity according to pH measurements. The reaction kinetics were studied by producing more than 300 solution samples during which the principal heavy metal concentrations, pH and Eh were measured. Leaching solutions containing various concentrations of hydrochloric, sulphuric, nitric and acetic acids were used. Mercury was leached using potassium iodide and acetic acid （pH 2）. Analytes such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, selenium and zinc proved to be leachable in the investigated soil layer. However, high removal efficiencies could be obtained using different typological solutions, concentrations and volumes. The paper discusses the applicability of the soil flushing technique for different heavy metal contents and pH conditions of the flushing solution.

Environmental risk assessment of industrial byproduct gypsum utilized for flling abandoned mines

In response to the basic policy of green and low-carbon circular development to solve resource,environmental and ecological problems,gypsum is considered to be a flling material for mine backflling.To explore the potential risks of gypsum to the groundwater environment due to the backflling of abandoned mines,a sequential batch leaching experiment was carried out in this paper,which used three types of industrial waste gypsum,namely,phosphorus gypsum(PG),titanium gypsum(TG)and fue gas desulfurization gypsum(FGDG).COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4 software was used to simulate and solve the migration process of the leached metal elements in the mine foor when these three gypsum types were used as flling materials to observe the concentration distributions and difusion distances of the metal elements from these three gypsum types in the mine foor.The results show that(1)during repeated contact of the three types of industrial waste gypsum with the leaching medium,the pH levels changed,and the changes in pH afected the leaching patterns for the heavy metal elements in the gypsum.(2)Based on the concentrations of the metal elements that were leached from the three types of gypsum,it can be determined that these three types of gypsum are not classifed as hazardous solid wastes,but they cannot be ruled out with regard to their risk to the groundwater environment when they are used as mine flling materials.(3)When the three types of gypsum are used as flling materials,the concentration distributions of the metal elements and their migration distances all exhibit signifcant changes over time.The concentration distributions,difusion rates and migration distances of the metal elements from the diferent gypsum types are afected by their initial concentrations in the leachate.The maximum migration distances of Zn in the foor from the PG,FGDG and TG are 8.2,8.1 and 7.5 m,respectively.

A critical review on the recycling of copper and precious metals from waste printed circuit boards using hydrometallurgy

Currently, increasing amounts of end-of-life （EoL） electronic products are being generated due to their reduced life spans and the unavailability of suitable recycling technologies. In particular, waste printed circuit boards （PCBs） have become of global concern with regard to environmental issues because of their high metal and toxic material contents, which are pollutants. There are many environmental threats owed to the disposal of electronic waste; off-gasses, such as dioxins, furans, polybrominated organic pollutants, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, can be generated during thermal treatments. which can cause serious health problems if effective off=gas cleaning systems are not developed and improved. Moreover, heavy metals will dissolve, and release into the ground water from the landfill sites. Such waste PCBs contain precious metals which are of monetary value. Therefore, it is beneficial to recover the metal content and protect the environment from pollution. Hydrometallurgy is a successful technique used worldwide for the recovery of precious metals （especially gold and silver） from ores, concentrates, and waste materials. It is generally preferred over other methods because it can offer high recovery rates at a relatively low cost. This article reviews the recent trends and developments with regard to the recycling of precious metals from waste PCBs through hydrometallurgical techniques, such as leaching and recovery.

Distribution and leaching characteristics of trace elements in ashes as a function of different waste fuels and incineration technologies

Impact of waste fuels（virgin/waste wood, mixed biofuel（peat, bark, wood chips） industrial,household, mixed waste fuel） and incineration technologies on partitioning and leaching behavior of trace elements has been investigated. Study included 4 grate fired and 9 fluidized boilers. Results showed that mixed waste incineration mostly caused increased transfer of trace elements to fly ash; particularly Pb/Zn. Waste wood incineration showed higher transfer of Cr,As and Zn to fly ash as compared to virgin wood. The possible reasons could be high input of trace element in waste fuel/change in volatilization behavior due to addition of certain waste fractions. The concentration of Cd and Zn increased in fly ash with incineration temperature.Total concentration in ashes decreased in order of Zn 〉 Cu 〉 Pb 〉 Cr 〉 Sb 〉 As 〉 Mo. The concentration levels of trace elements were mostly higher in fluidized boilers fly ashes as compared to grate boilers（especially for biofuel incineration）. It might be attributed to high combustion efficiency due to pre-treatment of waste in fluidized boilers. Leaching results indicated that water soluble forms of elements in ashes were low with few exceptions.Concentration levels in ash and ash matrix properties（association of elements on ash particles）are crucial parameters affecting leaching. Leached amounts of Pb, Zn and Cr in 〉50% of fly ashes exceeded regulatory limit for disposal. 87% of chlorine in fly ashes washed out with water at the liquid to solid ratio 10 indicating excessive presence of alkali metal chlorides/alkaline earths.

Environmental investigation of bio-modification of steel slag through microbially induced carbonate precipitation

Steel slag(SS)is one of byproduct of steel manufacture industry.The environmental concerns of SS may limit their re-use in different applications.The goal of this study was to investigate the leaching behavior of metals from SS before and after treated by microbially induced carbonate precipitation(MICP).Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure,synthetic precipitation leaching procedure and water leaching tests were performed to evaluate the leaching behavior of major elements(Fe,Mg and Ca)and trace elements(Ba,Cu and Mn)in three scenarios.The concentrations of leaching metals increased with the content of SS.After it reached the peak concentration,the leaching concentration decreased with the content of SS.The leachability of all elements concerned in this study was below 0.5%.The carbonate generated from the MICP process contributed to the low leachability of metals.After bio-modified by MICP process,the leaching concentrations of Ba from TCLP,SPLP and WLT tests were below 2.0 mg/L,which was the limit in drinking water regulated by U.S.EPA.The concentrations of Cu leached out from MICP-treated SS-sand samples were below 1.3 mg/L which is the limit regulated by national secondary drinking water.Compared with the regulations of U.S.EPA and Mississippi Department of Environment Quality(MDEQ),MICP-treated samples were classified as non-hazardous materials with respects to the leaching of metals.Meanwhile,maximum contaminant limits regulated by U.S.EPA states that MICP-treated SS are eco-friendly materials that can be reused as construction materials.

A magnetic-void-porous MnFe_(2)O_(4)/carbon microspheres nano-catalyst for catalytic ozonation:Preparation,performance and mechanism

Wastewater treatment is essential to guarantee human health and ecological security.Catalytic ozonation with nanocatalysts is a widely studied and efficient treatment technology.However,this method has always been limited by nanocatalysts disadvantages such as easily loss,difficult to separate and reuse,and catalytic ability decay caused by aggregation,which could cause severe resources waste and potential risk to human health and ecosystem.To remedy these challenges,a magnetic-void-porous MnFe_(2)O_(4)/carbon microsphere shell nanocatalyst(CMS-MnFe_(2)O_(4))was successfully synthesized using renewable natural microalgae.The separation test showed CMS-MnFe_(2)O_(4) was rapidly separated within 2 min under an external magnetic field.In catalytic ozonation of oxalic acid(OA),CMS-MnFe_(2)O_(4) showed efficient and stable catalytic efficiency,reaching a maximum total organic carbon removal efficiency of 96.59% and maintained a 93.88% efficiency after 4 cycles.The stable catalytic efficiency was due to the supporting effects of the carbon microsphere shell,which significantly enhanced CMS-MnFe_(2)O_(4) chemical stability and reduced the metal ions leaching to 10-20% of MnFe_(2)O_(4) through electron transfer.To explore the catalytic mechanism,radical experiments were conducted and a new degradation pathway of OA involving superoxide anions rather than hydroxyl radicals was proposed.Consequently,this study suggests that an efficient,recyclable,stable,and durable catalyst for catalytic ozonation could be prepared.

Mechanically Strong Heterogeneous Catalysts via Immobilization of Powderous Catalysts to Porous Plastic Tablets

Main observation and conclusion We describe a practical and general protocol for immobilization of heterogeneous catalysts to mechanically robust porous ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene tablets using inter-facial Lifshitz-van der Waals Interactions.Diverse types of powderous catalysts,including Cu,Pd/C,Pd/Al2O3,Pt/C,and Rh/C have been immobilized successfully.The immobilized catalysts are mechanistically robust towards stirring in solutions,and they worked well in diverse synthetic reactions.The immobilized catalyst tablets are easy to handle and reused.Moreover,the metal leaching of immobilized catalysts was reduced significantly.