Abstract
The sintering process offers an opportunity to combine detoxification and resource recovery for the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerator fly ash. However, the chromium (Cr) in the sintered fly ash becomes more readily leachable with increasing sintering time and temperature, thus posing severe threats to the environment and human health when the sintered ash is recycled or reused. This study investigated the enhanced leachability of fly ash containing Cr, by heating the chromium (III) oxide (Cr2O3)-spiked fly ash to 800°C in atmospheres containing air, nitrogen gas (N2), and 5% H2+95% N2, respectively. The results indicated that trivalent chromium was converted to its soluble hexavalent form during sintering in the air atmosphere; whereas sintering in a nitrogen atmosphere significantly reduced the leachability of Cr due to lack of oxygen (O2) to oxidize. The effects of the sintering temperature on the total chromium content and the leaching concentration in the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) extract are also discussed.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
