Sludge Melting Process with Hazardous Asbestos Wastes

Abstract

Sewage sludge melting has been developed and operated in full-scale plants for sludge processing and utilization of the by-products as construction materials. Hazardous asbestos wastes should be disposed of properly so not to lead to environmental pollution. The co-melting process for sewage sludge and asbestos wastes is discussed based on the basic melting behavior of asbestos and the laboratory plant experiment. Microscopic observation and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that asbestos forms could be changed physically and chemically by the high temperature melting. The disappearance of asbestos fibrous forms and chemical changes of its composition in the melted slag are not always concluded to be non-toxic, but considering that the melted slag is a rock-like material with high strength, the melting is acceptable as a method of hazardous asbestos waste disposal. Laboratory scale experiments have been conducted on co-melting disposal of sprayed-on chrysotile asbestos waste and a mixture of lime-added and polymer-added sewage sludge. It was possible to maintain the temperatures around 1600 °C and to discharge slag smoothly. It is also expected that asbestos cement wastes will contribute to the adjustment materials of basicity (CaO/SiO2) in the polymer-added sludge melting.