Abstract
Almost 500 municipal solid waste incineration plants in the EU, Norway and Switzerland generate about 17.6 Mt/a of incinerator bottom ash (IBA). IBA contains minerals and metals. Metals are mostly separated and sold to the scrap market and minerals are either disposed of in landfills or utilised in the construction sector. Since there is no uniform regulation for IBA utilisation at EU level, countries developed own rules with varying requirements for utilisation. As a result from a cooperation network between European experts an up-to-date overview of documents regulating IBA utilisation is presented. Furthermore, this work highlights the different requirements that have to be considered. Overall, 51 different parameters for the total content and 36 different parameters for the emission by leaching are defined. An analysis of the defined parameter reveals that leaching parameters are significantly more to be considered compared to total content parameters. In order to assess the leaching behaviour nine different leaching tests, including batch tests, up-flow percolation tests and one diffusion test (monolithic materials) are in place. A further discussion of leaching parameters showed that certain countries took over limit values initially defined for landfills for inert waste and adopted them for IBA utilisation. The overall utilisation rate of IBA in construction works is approximately 54 wt%. It is revealed that the rate of utilisation does not necessarily depend on how well regulated IBA utilisation is, but rather seems to be a result of political commitment for IBA recycling and economically interesting circumstances.
Highlights
About 20–25 wt% of the waste input to incineration is transferred to so-called incinerator bottom ash (IBA), which represents the major solid residue from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) (Brunner and Rechberger, 2015; Morf et al, 2000)
The aim of this paper is to provide a holistic view on regulations regarding mineral fraction from incinerator bottom ash (MIBA) utilisation outside of landfills, to aggregate the requirements that have to be met in order to utilise MIBA as secondary construction material and to discuss the similarities and differences of those requirements
The geographic system boundary is the entire European Union (EU) and its neighbouring countries Norway and Switzerland. Based on these aims the following research questions can be raised: (1) How is the utilisation of MIBA regulated in the observed countries and how much is utilised? (2) Which parameters and requirements have to be met for utilising MIBA and how do they differ between the countries? (3) Which future potential barriers and drivers may complicate or facilitate MIBA utilisation?
Summary
About 20–25 wt% of the waste input to incineration is transferred to so-called incinerator bottom ash (IBA), which represents the major solid residue from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) (Brunner and Rechberger, 2015; Morf et al, 2000) This secondary waste is roughly composed of a mineral fraction (80– 85 wt%), metals (ferrous 7–10 wt%; non-ferrous 1–5 wt%) and a minor fraction of unburned material (
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