Statistical comparison of leaching behavior of incineration bottom ash using seawater and deionized water: Significant findings based on several leaching methods

Categorization of leaching behaviors of elements from commercially treated incineration bottom ash in Singapore

Leaching of potentially hazardous substances, especially the heavy metals from Incineration Bottom Ash (IBA) is a major problem in its recyclable usage. To address this concern, treatment of IBA is indispensable before it can be reused. IBA subjected to laboratory-scale treatment typically yields clearer conclusions in terms of leaching behaviors, benefiting from the controlled laboratory environment. However, the leaching behaviors of commercially treated IBA appear to be more ambiguous due to the complex and comprehensive nature of industrial-scale treatments, where multiple treatment techniques are involved concurrently. Furthermore, treatment efficiencies vary among different plants. In this study, three types of commercially treated IBA were sampled from leading waste treatment companies in Singapore. Characterization and leaching tests were performed on the treated IBAs in both standardized and modified manners to simulate various scenarios. Besides deionized water, artificial seawater was used as a leachant in leaching tests for simulating seawater intrusion. The results reveal the promoting effect of seawater on the leaching levels of several elements from three types of treated IBA, which may require special attention for IBA application and landfill near the coast. Furthermore, the elements examined in these three types of commercially treated IBA generally comply with the non-hazardous waste acceptance criteria outlined in Council Decision, 2003/33/EC (2003), except Sb. By combining two leaching tests, the elements were categorized into different types of leaching behavior, making it possible to prepare and respond to the concerning leaching scenarios in future engineering applications.

Risk assessment for the long-term stability of fly ash-based cementitious material containing arsenic: Dynamic and semidynamic leaching

Fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWIFA) contains leachable heavy metals (HMs), and the environmental risk of contained HMs is an important concern for its safe treatment and disposal. This paper presents a dynamic leaching test of fly ash-based cementitious materials containing arsenic (FCAC) in three particle sizes based on an innovative simulation of two acid rainfall conditions to investigate the long-term stability of FCAC under acid rain conditions. As well as semi-dynamic leaching test by simulating FCAC in three scenarios. Furthermore, the long-term stability risk of FCAC is evaluated using a sequential extraction procedure (SEP) and the potential risk assessment index. Results showed that the Al3+ in the FCAC dissolved and reacted with the OH- in solution to form Al(OH)3 colloids as the leaching time increased. Moreover, the oxidation of sulfide minerals in the slag produced oxidants, such as H2SO4 and Fe2(SO4)3, which further aggravated the oxidative dissolution of sulfides, thereby resulting in an overall decreasing pH value of the leachate. In addition, due to the varying particle sizes of the FCAC, surface area size, and adsorption site changes, the arsenic leaching process showed three stages of leaching characteristics, namely, initial, rapid, and slow release, with a maximum leaching concentration of 2.42 mg/L, the cumulative release of 133.78 mg/kg, and the cumulative release rate of 2.32%. The SEP test revealed that the reduced state of HMs in the raw slag was lowered substantially, and the acid extractable state and residual state of HMs were increased, which was conducive to lessening the risk of FCAC. Overall, the geological polymerization reaction of MSWIFA is a viable and promising solution to stabilize mining and industrial wastes and repurpose the wastes into construction materials.

Codisposal of landfill leachate concentrate and antimony mine soils using a one-part geopolymer system for cationic and anionic heavy metals immobilization

Geopolymer solidification/stabilization technology has developed rapidly in the remediation field of heavy metal-contaminated soil. However, geopolymers exhibit low anionic heavy metal immobilization efficiency due to their electronegativity and alkali activation characteristics. This study constructed a one-part blast furnace slag-based geopolymer system using landfill leachate concentrate (LLC) as chlorine and humic acid sources and achieved the solidification/stabilization of cations (Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb) and anions (Sb and As) in the antimony mine soils (AMS). The LLC addition increased the Sb and As fixation rates from 92%∼94% and 82∼86%, respectively, to over 99%, reducing the leaching concentration of all heavy metal ions to the ppb level. LLC improved the chemical stability and physical encapsulation of Sb/As in three ways: inducing a Friedel's salt (FS) formation, enhancing humic acid complexation/chelation, and promoting geopolymerization. Wet curing was more conducive to FS formation in the geopolymer than dry curing and increased the 28-day compressive strength by 38.5%. Due to the SiO2 skeleton support effect in AMS, a 30 wt% AMS addition was beneficial for geopolymer strength development. Our study provided a harmless method for the codisposal of LLC and AMS and improved the efficiency of geopolymer fixation of complex heavy metal cations and anions.

Characterization of MSW incineration bottom ash for use as structural fill in reinforced soil structures: Geoenvironmental, geotechnical and economical assessment

The study presents the geoenvironmental and geotechnical characterization of MSW incineration bottom ash (IBA) and examines its reuse as structural fill in reinforced soil structures (RSS).The suitability of reuse has been assessed with regard to international regulatory standards. The prime focus of the work remains on evaluating the pullout response of geosynthetic reinforcements through IBA fill to determine the interaction coefficient, which has never been addressed in the literature. The economic viability of using IBA instead of locally available river sand for a 12 m high MSE wall is also established. The column leaching test results confirm that IBA can be utilized in RSS with suitable design measures. The geotechnical investigation shows that IBA is a well-graded, non-plastic lightweight material with adequate drainage and high shear strength. The pullout test results demonstrate that the interaction coefficient of polymeric strips and geogrid in IBA (0.73-1.53 and 0.79-1.91, respectively) is comparable or higher to materials conventionally used as structural fill in RSS, indicating adequate bondage between IBA and geosynthetic reinforcement. Further, it is estimated that using IBA as a substitute for available river sand in the vicinity can potentially reduce the overall RSS project cost by 15-20%, even if IBA has to be transported 50 km away from the project site.

The importance of time and other determinants in the assessment of heavy metals release during solid waste management

One of the parameters affecting the leachability of heavy metals from waste is their contact time with the leachant. In this paper, the leaching behaviour of Zn, Cu, Pb and Ni was evaluated in relation to the liquid to solid ratio (L/S), which is a reflection of time after which a certain volume of water permeates the material, e.g. in slag heaps or landfills. A leaching study was carried out by different leaching methods with using three test materials, i.e. hazardous zinc slag, lump copper slag and mineral-organic composite. It was found that the highest amount of metals leached in the long term in the maximum availability test, under the following leaching conditions: L/S = 50 dm³/kg, reduced pH of the leachant, fragmentation of the materials to particle size < 0.125 mm. Comparing the results obtained in the batch test and the percolation test, no strict trend was observed in the release of a given metal from different test materials. The analysis using the tank test showed that processes controlling leachability can result in the release of the highest metal loads immediately after contact between the material and the leachant, but can also contribute to the release of metals only after prolonged contact.

An innovative reuse of bottom ash from municipal solid waste incinerators as substrates of constructed wetlands

The incineration of municipal solid waste has been important in waste management, but it raises another environmental issue concerning residue treatment. This study describes an innovative use of naturally aged incineration bottom ash (AIBA) as an alternative substrate for horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) constructed wetlands (CW). Although experimental results from a period lasting for 396 days only revealed slightly higher removal ratios in HSSF with AIBA (HSSF-E) than in HSSF-traditional pebble beds (HSSF-C), increasing from 67% to 76% for BOD, 44%-51% for TKN, 47%-54% for NH₃-N, and 44%-52% for TN. The data indicate that the use of AIBA in HSSF CW can achieves a certain removal efficiency of BOD and nitrogen species. Interestingly, the total phosphorus removal rates also increased significantly from 20% in HSSF-C to 36% in HSSF-E. These observations on the use of AIBA in HSSF CW confirmed that AIBA is a suitable alternative for use as a substrate for HSSF CWs and identified an additional way to reuse incineration bottom ash. Design criteria for a CW using AIBA as a partial substrate is proposed to improve the pollutant removal performance of HSSF CWs.

High temperature slagging gasification of municipal solid waste with biomass charcoal as a greener auxiliary fuel

During high temperature slagging gasification of municipal solid waste (MSW), coal coke is typically used as an auxiliary fuel to maintain the high temperature in the gasifier and convert ashes into slag. Herein, biomass charcoal was utilized as a greener and more sustainable auxiliary fuel to replace the coal coke during stable and continuous gasification of MSW. Several monitoring characteristics were assessed, like operating conditions of the gasifier, influence of local MSW properties generated in Singapore, environmental impacts, and main by-products (slag, fly ash and metals). The performance data revealed that the replacement of coal coke with biomass charcoal provided significant environmental benefits. The use of biomass charcoal resulted in 78% less SO₂ emissions, and 22% less generated fly ash because the lower sulfur content in biomass charcoal resulted in a 32% reduced use of sorbent for flue gas treatment. Furthermore, there was clear evidence of a 22% carbon footprint reduction due to replacing fossil fuel as auxiliary fuel. In addition, the slag characteristics demonstrated lower heavy metals leaching as compared to the incineration bottom ash generated from the conventional MSW incineration plant suggesting its great potential in the application as clean and green waste-derived material in the construction industry.

Ceramisation of hazardous elements: Benefits and pitfalls of the inertisation through silicate ceramics

The addition of wastes to silicate ceramics can considerably expand the compositional spectrum of raw materials with a possible inclusion of hazardous components. The present work quantitatively examines relevant literature to determine whether the benefits of incorporating hazardous elements (HEs) into silicate ceramics outweigh the pitfalls. The mobility of various HEs (Ba, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mo, As, Pb, Ni, and Cd) has been parameterised by three descriptors (immobilisation efficiency, mobilised fraction, and hazard quotient) using leaching data. HEs can be incorporated into both crystalline and glassy phases, depending on the ceramic body type. Moreover, silicate ceramics exhibit a remarkably high immobilisation efficiency (often exceeding 99.9%), as accomplished for Ba, Cd, Ni, and Zn elements. The pitfalls of the inertization process include an insufficient stabilisation of incorporated HEs, as indicated by the high hazard quotients (beyond the permissible limits established for inert materials) obtained in some cases for Mo, As, Cr, Pb, and Cu elements. Such behaviour is related to oxy-anionic complexes (Mo, As, Cr) that can form their own phases or are not linked to the tetrahedral framework of aluminosilicate glass. Pb and Cu elements are preferentially partitioned to glass with a low coordination number, while As and especially Mo are not always stabilised in silicate ceramics. These drawbacks necessitate conducting additional studies to develop appropriate inertisation strategies for these elements.

Leaching characteristics of heavy metals in MSW and bottom ash co-disposal landfills

Bottom ash (BA) management is often implemented through its co-disposal with municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills. However, BA co-disposal may lead to heavy metal leaching in landfills. In this study, the effect of BA co-disposal on heavy metal leaching behavior under different scenarios, specifically, MSW, low BA co-disposal (BA_L), high BA co-disposal (BA_H), and BA monofill were investigated. The heavy metal concentrations in the leachate decreased in landfills over time. The leached metals primarily included Zn, Cu, Mn, Pb, Cr, and Cd. The discharge concentration ratio of heavy metals in the leachates exhibited the following decreasing order: MSW, BA_L, BA_H, and BA. In particular, the discharge concentration ratio of Cu in the MSW, BA_L, BA_H, and BA cases ranged from 7.1 × 10^-3 to 8.8 × 10^-1 (mean = 3.0 ×10^-1), 2.8 × 10^-4 to 2.0 × 10^-1 (mean = 5.4 ×10^-2), 9.1 × 10^-5 to 3.0 × 10^-2 (mean = 5.9 ×10^-3), and 4.4 × 10^-4 to 7.9 × 10^-3 (mean = 1.8 ×10^-3), respectively. Moreover, the leaching of the heavy metals could be attributed to waste contents, properties of the heavy metals, and leachate characteristics, such as the pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), alkalinity, and Cl^- content. The presented findings can help clarify the leaching characteristics of heavy metals in BA co-disposal landfills, thereby facilitating the optimization of practical landfills.

Acid washing of incineration bottom ash of municipal solid waste: Effects of pH on removal and leaching of heavy metals

This study systematically investigated the acid washing of incineration bottom ash (IBA) of municipal solid waste, focusing on the removal and leaching of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, Cu, and Ni), as well as their pH-dependent behavior. A series of small-scale laboratory acid washing tests with different nitric acid concentrations and washing periods were conducted. The concentrations of metals in the washing water were measured to evaluate the metal removal efficiency. Then, one stage batch leaching test was conducted for washed IBA to evaluate the leaching reduction efficiency of washing. The results showed that the maximum metal removal efficiencies for Zn, Cu, and Ni (62-76%) were higher than those for Pb, Cr, and Cd (17-25%), which were reached at the highest acid addition for most of the metals. Increasing the washing period did not always increase the metal removal efficiency. The maximum leaching reduction efficiencies were higher for Zn, Cr, and Cu (93-98%) than those for Pb, Ni, and Cd (73-79%). Both washing and leaching processes showed a similar metal concentration-pH profile for each metal. For Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cd, the metal concentration-pH profile generally followed the metal hydroxide solubility versus pH curves. For Cu and Ni, the concentration of metal decreased with the increasing pH first and then kept at a stable concentration higher than the solubility of the hydroxide, indicating that Cu and Ni in the IBA washing water and leachates did not exist dominantly as their hydroxides.

Comparative study on inorganic Cl removal of municipal solid waste fly ash using different types and concentrations of organic acids

In this study, different organic acids-such as citric, acetic, lactic, propionic, and butyric acid-were evaluated to ascertain the optimum leaching solvent for dechlorinating fly ash. Results suggest that the acid type, concentration, and interactions between both parameters contributed significantly to the variations in the efficiency of fly ash dechlorination. Simple main-effect analysis suggested that a higher acid concentration yields better dechlorination efficiency. However, improvements in dechlorination efficiency did not necessarily yield a low chlorine content leaching residue because in a specific acid concentration region, the increased acid concentration may also accelerate the mass reduction rate of the leaching residue. Experimental results also demonstrate that citric and acetic acid yield the highest dechlorination efficiency, followed by propionic and butyric acid. The least dechlorination efficiency of lactic acid could be attributed to the formation of precipitate (i.e. calcium lactate) which might cover the chlorides and reduce the contact area of intimal chlorides with the leaching solvent. Therefore, a specific concentration of organic matter fermentation broth rich in citric and acetic radicals may present itself as an ideal water substitute for fly ash dechlorination.

The use of fly ashes from waste-to-energy processes as mineral CO2 sequesters and supplementary cementitious materials

This study explores the simultaneous application of fly ash (FA) generated from the thermal treatment of municipal solid waste as a CO₂ sequester through aqueous mineral carbonation and as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for the development of green construction materials. Two types of FAs are tested, namely an incineration fly ash (IFA) collected from electrostatic precipitator of an incineration plant and a gasification fly ash (GFA) collected from air pollution control unit of a high temperature slagging gasification waste-to-energy (WTE) plant. Ground waste glass (GWG) is used as a tertiary SCM. GFA demonstrates favorable sequestration capacity (87.5 mg/g) and high carbonation degree (74.1 %) while the IFA is found to be inactive during carbonation (3.1 mg/g, 4.6 %). Mortars blended with the wastes have shown delay in the cement hydration but eventually achieve compressive strength comparable to the control specimen. The mixing of GWG and GFA synergistically improves the performance of mortars which highlights the importance of strategic coupling of different waste streams. Most of the hazardous heavy metals, chloride and sulfate in FAs were stabilized in the mortars suggesting the potential for safe re-utilization of carbonated FAs as sustainable SCMs to concurrently close the waste loop and combat climate change.

Trace element release from combustion ash co-disposed with municipal solid waste

Ash products from coal and municipal solid waste combustion constitute a waste stream with characteristics that, unless recycled, require specific disposal practices. Although traditional disposal involves ash placement in a cell dedicated solely for the ash (monofill), new regulations for the management of coal combustion residues in the US might lead to more co-disposal of these residues with unburned municipal solid waste (MSW) that has not been combusted or otherwise processed. Both monofill and co-disposal practices are currently utilized for MSW incineration ash in the US. Column tests were performed using landfill leachate as a leaching solution to simulate co-disposal conditions of ash with MSW, while DI water was used to simulate monofilling. Mobility of As, B and V from coal fly ash was enhanced in the presence of landfill leachate in both batch and column tests, and a similar trend was observed for Cd and Mo release from MSW incineration ash. For several elements, release was greater with the column procedure relative to the batch procedure. The results suggest that long-term implications of co-disposal should be factored into decisions regarding which disposal scenario to pursue.

Kinetics and modeling of trace metal leaching from bottom ashes dominated by diffusion or advection

Leaching kinetics of trace metals from incineration bottom ashes (IBA) under diffusion and advection were investigated through leaching tests of compacted granulars of IBAs and their packed columns with seawater eluent for 64 days and 26 days, respectively. Metal fluxes were distinct among species while linearily decreased at log-log scales as a function of time. Short-term environmental risks for Cu, Ni and Pb were identified under advection. The metal leaching behavior generally followed the pseudo-second order under diffusion, while the pseudo-first order kinetics under advection. Investigated metals may be further identified as diffusion- (As, Cd, Cr, Sb) and advection-dominant species (Ba, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) according to their fluxes, which interestingly corresponded to the low- (5.19-147.90 mg·kg^-1) and high-value (116.46-2398.44 mg·kg^-1) of their metal distribution from IBAs, respectively. Considering the general higher metal release, decay models were employed to simulate the column leaching results. Particularly, Type-II model based on two-site assumptions fit much better to the experimental data, unveiling significant yet retarded release (in 1-2 pore volumes) of certain metals from the slow-reaction sites. Further investigation on the release of bulk parameters unveiled that, there existed rebounded leaching rates primarily ascribed to the IBA heterogeneity.

Preparation of road base material by utilizing electrolytic manganese residue based on Si-Al structure: Mechanical properties and Mn2+ stabilization/solidification characterization

Electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) is a potentially harmful industrial solid waste that should be addressed. In the study, the red mud, carbide slag and blast furnace slag were used as stabilization/solidification (S/S) agents to S/S Mn²⁺, and simultaneous reused it as raw material to prepare road base material. The S/S behavior of manganese, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of road base material with different Al/Si ratios, leaching test and the S/S mechanisms were investigated. The results showed that the Mn²⁺ can be well solidified when the S/S agents reach up to 20 %. The 7-day UCS of the road base material was 6.1 MPa with the Al/Si ratio of 0.48, which meets the highway standards. When Al/Si = 0.48, the formation amount of CaAl₂Si₂O₈·4H₂O and ettringite increased, which promoted the adsorption and wrap of Mn²⁺. The content of active Al^Ⅳ and Al^Ⅵ increased after S/S. Mn₂SiO₄ and Ca₄Mn₄Si₈O₂₄ were produced by the charge balance effect, and the new chemical bond was formed. Meanwhile, the Mn²⁺ is oxidized to more stable MnO₂ to achieve the S/S of Mn²⁺. This research provides an effective way to solidify Mn²⁺ and solves the problem of large-scale utilization of EMR and other solid waste.

Human exposure and risk assessment of recycling incineration bottom ash for land reclamation: A showcase coupling studies of leachability, transport modeling and bioaccumulation

Incineration bottom ash (IBA) faces challenges for its sustainable recycling due to the absence of scenario-specific risk assessment. Environmental risk assessment was carried out via a case study incorporating key factors to dominate human exposures during IBA utilization in land reclamation. Three research components echoing respective IBA leaching, exposures, and consequences were performed under a supportive framework to elaborate these interlinked key factors and unveil the potential environmental risks. IBA leachability was firstly investigated using various laboratory standard leaching methods while conducted a large-scale field trial experiment for mutual confirmation, suggesting that maximum leached amounts may be achieved when liquid to solid (L/S) ratio increases to 10. Dilution and transportation models were both developed to discriminate the mitigation of IBA leachate between two periods i.e. during and after land reclamation, suggesting that dilution rather than transportation may dominate the environmental impact for metal exposures. Metal bioaccumulation from a typical mollusk species was performed coupling the calculated dietary safety limits based on Singaporean diet intake for development of the threshold of toxicology concerns on human exposures. With such, IBA benign usage in land reclamation was also conferred in the form of distance and dilution factor.

pH evolution during water washing of incineration bottom ash and its effect on removal of heavy metals

Incineration bottom ash (IBA) of municipal solid waste is a potential construction material for civil engineering. However, the possible leaching of trace heavy metals from IBA is a concern. Water washing is a simple and economic method to remove heavy metals from IBA. In order to optimize the water washing process of IBA, this study investigated the pH evolution during washing and its effect on the removal of several heavy metals, including lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and chromium (Cr), through a small-scale laboratory experiment. The results show that the pH of washing water increases quickly in the first 1-3 h mainly due to the dissolution of quicklime and portlandite, and then decreases with the increasing of washing time might be due to consumption of OH^- by precipitation of metal hydroxides. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Ni in the washing water show a similar trend as that of the pH with time, whilst the concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Cr increase with the increase of washing time. Hence, the optimum washing time should be determined accordingly based on the most concerned metal(s), as well as the pH evaluation during washing.

Comparison and modeling of leachate transportation dominated by the field permeability with an anisotropic characteristic based on a large-scale field trial study

Permeability significantly affects leachate transportation. Yet, there often exists a gap for its measurements between laboratory and the field. To predict the fate and transport of heavy metals from IBA leaching, a large-scale field trial study was performed using a big column (d × h = 3 m × 5.5 m) packed with 1-m thickness of IBA (approx. 10.6 tons) overlaid by 4-m sand layer. The determined field permeability (k_F) was compared with that achieved from the laboratory, demonstrating a large disparity as much as 4 orders of magnitude likely due to IBA self-compaction. Indeed, back calculation using Blake-Kozeny's equation unveiled that, the "effective" diameters were significantly reduced by 21-46%. k_F also demonstrated an anisotropic characteristic associated with fingered flows, trapped bubbles and heterogeneous consolidation/cementation efficiencies. To quantify the effects by k_F, we ran a mechanistic model to simulate the transport of 11 heavy metals under advection (d_h/d_x  = 0.05 m/m), indicating dramatically prolonged breakthrough time from days to centuries. Interestingly, breakthrough time was comparable among various metal ions (0-16.6% of RSD), suggesting their synchronous movements. Metal flux under k_F was predicted in the end to address its toxicity potential, demonstrating limited environmental impacts in presence of the USEPA criterion.

Chemical composition and leachability of differently sized material fractions of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash

The chemical composition and leachability of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash are important parameters determining its suitability for utilisation. The objective of the present study is to investigate the chemical composition of individual size and material fractions and their contribution to the total elemental contents of bottom ash. Nine bottom ash samples with a mass of 3000 kg each were sieved to eight size fractions and sorted into different materials. The materials (mineral material, glass, batteries) were separately analysed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after acid digestion. Additionally, x-ray fluorescence measurements and leaching tests were performed. Metals were further analysed by sorting analysis. The chemical analysis revealed that large particles have higher contents of Fe and Si, but lower contents of Ca and S compared to smaller particles. All mineral fractions exceed the legal limit values for utilisation in Austria mainly because of the total contents of Pb and Tl and the leachate contents of Cr and Sb. Glass from bottom ash is enriched in As, Na, Si and Tl compared to the mineral material. Although battery contents contribute only 0.2% to the total mass of bottom ash, they contribute at least 30% to the total content of Cd. Most previous studies neglected large metallic pieces and batteries, which contain most of the Cd, Cr, Cu and Ni present in bottom ash. This practice can result in an underestimation of the total contents of these elements by up to about 70%.

Review of leaching behavior of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) ash

Incineration is widely adopted in modern waste management because it provides an effective way to minimize municipal solid waste that needs to be disposed of in landfills. The ash residue is often disposed by landfilling. Alternatively, the incineration ash may be recycled and reused for various applications. The crucial issues, however, are the leaching of harmful elements during the use and the end-of-life phases. This review summarizes extensive studies on leaching behavior of municipal solid waste incineration ash. Specifically, pollutants generated through leaching, factors governing leaching, methodologies to study leaching, leaching mechanisms, and treatments to reduce leaching. Many types of pollutants are generated through leaching from municipal solid waste incineration ash, in which heavy metals and organic contaminants are the most toxic and concerned. Ash properties, pH and liquid to solid ratio are the main factors governing municipal solid waste incineration ash leaching. Leaching behavior of municipal solid waste incineration ash is complicated and existing methods to evaluate leaching may not be able to represent the field conditions. Solubility and sorption are the two major leaching mechanisms. Many treatment methods have been proposed. However, not all methods are effective and some approaches are associated with high energy and high cost, which makes them less economically feasible and attractive.

Vertical distribution of heavy metals in seawater column during IBA construction in land reclamation - Re-exploration of a large-scale field trial experiment

Data from large-scale field trial experiments simulating the application of incineration bottom ash (IBA) for land reclamation were re-explored, to understand the spot-specific leaching characteristics and re-adsorption of heavy metals associated with various reclamation scenarios. Data showed that IBA leaching changed significantly as a function of seawater depth rather than time. The application of a chute had a minor effect on the total metal leached amounts; however, it would magnify the gradient of leaching concentrations across depths. Metal re-adsorption occurred within half an hour after IBA dumping, which however was significantly alleviated when a chute was applied. It may be ascribed to various degrees of contact with seawater of IBA, seawater movements and particle resuspension. Batch leaching tests from the laboratory under different L/S ratios were conducted as the references to "effective" leaching behaviors in the large-scale experiments, suggesting that the batch leaching test with the liquid to solid ratio = 10 provide a closer estimation of IBA leaching concentrations during land reclamation. As the current study took account of major field factors during land reclamation, including seawater depth (m), IBA loading (ton), IBA dropping method, particle dispersive area (m²), and settling time (min), these findings are valuable for the risk assessment of IBA utilization in land reclamation.

A large-scale field trial experiment to derive effective release of heavy metals from incineration bottom ashes during construction in land reclamation

Recycling of incineration bottom ashes (IBA) is attracting great interest as it is considered as a vital aspect for closing the waste loop to achieve sustainable development at the growing cities around the world. Various laboratory-testing methods are developed to assess the release potential of heavy metals - one of the most important concerns of using IBA, by reflecting the release conditions of heavy metals from IBA based on the targeted land reclamation application scenarios and corresponding environmental conditions. However, realistic release of the concerned elements in actual application with the presence of complex environment could possibly deviate from the outcomes produced by leaching tests carried out in the laboratory. Hence, a set of large-scale column trial experiments was performed to experimentally determine the effective release of heavy metals, when IBA is used as a filling material in land reclamation. 20 tons of IBA and 320 m³ of seawater were used in six column trial experiments. The release of 13 heavy metal elements was analyzed through multiple aspects which included kinetics of release, distribution of elements in seawater and the impacts of two different dumping methods, with and without application of a chute. After dumping of IBA into the seawater, almost instantaneous release of heavy metals with uniform horizontal dispersion was observed. Higher concentration of these elements was observed near the bottom of the column, especially when a chute was applied. Comparative analysis was then carried out to establish relationships between the results obtained from the column trial with batch leaching test carried out in the laboratory. Distinctive relationships were observed for different heavy metals which suggests the need of pursuance of further understanding on leaching of IBA in real application scenario and complex environment.

Cr, Cu, Hg and Ni release from incineration bottom ash during utilization in land reclamation - based on lab-scale batch and column leaching experiments and a modeling study

Incineration bottom ash (IBA) as potential material for land reclamation was investigated, based on leaching tests, sorption studies and simulation models. Based on batch and column leaching tests, Cr, Cu, Hg and Ni in the IBA leachates were measured as high as 510 μg/L, 20330 μg/L, 5.1 μg/L and 627 μg/L, respectively, presenting potential environmental risks. Sorption study was then performed with various concentrations of IBA leachates on sands and excavated materials. Partitioning coefficients of targeting metals were determined to be 6.5 (Cr), 18.4 (Cu), 16.6 (Hg), and 1.8 (Ni) for sands, while 17.4 (Cr), 13.6 (Cu), 67.1 (Hg), and 0.9 (Ni) for excavated materials, much lower than literature in favor of their transportation. Deterministic and Monte Carlo simulation was further performed under designated boundaries, combined with measured geotechnical parameters: density, porosity, permeability, partitioning coefficient, observed diffusivity, hydraulic gradient, etc., to quantitatively predict metals' fate during IBA land reclamation. Environmental risks were quantitatively unveiled in terms of predicted time of breakthrough for the targeting metals (comparing to US EPA criterion for maximum or continuous concentration). Sands were of little effects for all metals' breakthrough (1 month or less) under advection, while excavated materials sufficiently retained metals from thousands up to millions of years, under diffusion or advection. Permeability next to the IBA layer as the major risk-limiting factor, dominated transport of IBA leachates into the field. The current study provides discrimination of environmental risks associated with metals and a quantitative guidance of project design for IBA utilization in land reclamation.