Investigation of thermal characteristics of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash under various atmospheres: A TG-FTIR study

Abstract

Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash is defined as a hazardous waste due to various leachable heavy metals and organic contaminants, the thermal methods can effectively vitrify fly ash. In this study, the thermal characteristics of fly ash were investigated by using TG-FTIR under different atmospheres. The values of residue mass under N2, air and CO2 at 1150 °C, in turn, were 65.76 wt.%, 69.17 wt.% and 56.24 wt.%, respectively. The results revealed that the mineral phase of residue and the gas evolution were affected by O2, while the product of Chlorellestadite only existed in air atmosphere. The mechanism accounting for the difference at high temperature was that organic matter could contact O2 or CO2 easily, because the changed morphology of fly ash lessened the obstacles caused by ash. This study provides insights for further thermal treatment of fly ash.