ORIGINAL PAPER
Trace elements in solid residues from the thermal treatment of municipal solid waste, sewage sludge and hazardous waste
1
AGH University of Krakow
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management
Department of Environmental Engineering
Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Submission date: 2023-11-20
Final revision date: 2024-02-07
Acceptance date: 2024-02-08
Publication date: 2024-06-24
Corresponding author
Waldemar Kępys
AGH University of Krakow Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management Department of Environmental Engineering Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
AGH University of Krakow Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management Department of Environmental Engineering Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi – Mineral Resources Management 2024;40(2):29-46
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
Optimization of resources and reserves managementWaste management from extractive industriesUtilization of recycled mineral raw materials and substitutes
ABSTRACT
In many countries around the world, the thermal treatment of waste plays an important role in the waste-management system. As a result, electricity and heat are produced. However, solid residues are produced in the form of bottom ash, fly ash (FA) and air pollution control (APC) residues. Alternative raw material resources are currently being sought, one of which may be anthropogenic materials from waste thermal treatment processes. This paper presents the results of a study on the trace element content of FA and APC residues from three different installations: municipal solid waste incineration (grate boiler), sewage sludge (fluidized bed boiler) and hazardous waste (rotary kiln). Research methods such as ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry), ICP-AES (inductively coupled plasma/atomic emission spectroscopy) and XRD (X-ray diffraction) were used. The results obtained indicate that the chemical composition of FA and APC residues depends mainly on the type of waste being converted, the thermal process and the flue gas treatment method. Ash from sewage sludge incineration in particular contains significant amounts of P and Sb – elements classified as critical raw materials (CRM). In addition, they also contain other valuable metals such as Ag and Zn, in amounts far exceeding the average crustal abundance. In addition, residues from the incineration of hazardous waste may pose a potential risk to the environment due to the presence of significant amounts of heavy metals such as Pb, Cd and Hg.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This study was conducted under scientific subsidy of Ministry of Education and Science (AGH No 16.16.100.215).
METADATA IN OTHER LANGUAGES:
Polish
Pierwiastki śladowe w pozostałościach z termicznego przekształcania odpadów komunalnych, osadów ściekowych i odpadów niebezpiecznych
termiczne przekształcanie odpadów, popiół lotny, stałe pozostałości z oczyszczania spalin, pierwiastki śladowe, surowce wtórne
W wielu krajach na świecie termiczne przekształcanie odpadów odgrywa istotną rolę w systemie gospodarki odpadami. W efekcie produkowana jest energia elektryczna oraz cieplna. Z drugiej strony powstają także stałe pozostałości w postaci popiołów dennych, popiołów lotnych oraz produktów oczyszczania spalin z gazowych zanieczyszczeń. Obecnie poszukiwane są alternatywne źródła surowców, jednym z nich mogą być pozostałości z procesów termicznego przekształcania odpadów. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań zawartości pierwiastków śladowych w popiołach lotnych (FA) i produktach oczyszczania spalin z gazowych zanieczyszczeń (APC), pochodzących z trzech różnych instalacji: spalających odpady komunalne (kocioł rusztowy), osady ściekowe (kocioł fluidalny) i odpady niebezpieczne (piec obrotowy). Zastosowano metody badawcze takie jak ICP-MS (spektrometria mas ze wzbudzeniem w plazmie indukcyjnie sprzężonej), ICP-AES (spektrometria plazmy sprzężonej indukcyjnie, atomowa spektroskopia emisyjna) i XRD (dyfrakcja rentgenowska). Uzyskane wyniki wskazują, że skład chemiczny FA i APC jest zależy przede wszystkim od rodzaju przekształcanych odpadów, procesu termicznego oraz sposobu oczyszczania spalin. Popioły, w szczególności ze spalania osadów ściekowych, zawierają znaczne ilości P oraz Sb – pierwiastków zaliczanych do surowców krytycznych (CRM). Ponadto zawierają także inne cenne metale jak Ag czy Zn, w ilości znacznie przewyższającej średnią zasobność skorupy ziemskiej. Z drugiej strony pozostałości ze spalania odpadów niebezpiecznych mogą stanowić potencjalne zagrożenie dla środowiska z powodu obecności w nich znacznych ilości metali ciężkich jak Pb, Cd i Hg.
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