Local Incinerator Research Articles

Accelerated carbonation of incineration fly ash (IFA) and its impact on inhibiting heavy metals leaching and removal of soluble salts

This study analysed the composition and leaching results for 12 IFA samples from a local incineration plant by XRF and leaching tests based on BS EN12457-1:2002. XRF results show that the main elements are Ca, Cl and S in all IFA samples. Leaching test results shows a high leachability of Na, Cl, Br, Pb, Zn and Cu. The accelerated carbonation with (NH4)2CO3 was attempted to inhibit heavy metals leaching and remove soluble salts. The effect of (NH4)2CO3 concentration on carbonation efficiency and inhibition of heavy metal leaching was systematically investigated. TGA and ICP-MS were used to determine carbonation capacity and heavy metal leaching, respectively. TGA results show the maximum carbonation capacity is achieved in one hour with 10 wt% (NH4)2CO3 and 76% carbonation occurs -in the first 10 min. Leaching test results reveal that Cu and Pb are efficiently immobilised when the concentration of (NH4)2CO3 is as low as 2 wt% with a s/l ratio of 1:5 within 1 hr. Increasing the concentration of (NH4)2CO3 to 4 wt%, the leaching rate of Zn is also below NEA RVs (National Environment Agency of Singapore). Carbonation is also effective to immobilise Cd and Ni, but not for Cr since it exists as CrO42- and cannot be carbonated. XRF results from a larger scale reaction confirm the significant removal of soluble salts, and lower leachability (except SO42-) is substantiated by leaching tests. By integrating the processes of CO2 capture with ammonia and accelerated carbonation, our work contributes to CO2 sequestration and IFA detoxification.

Industrieschnee: An overview of some European anthropogenic snowfall events, with a case study from Bern (Switzerland)

AbstractIndustrieschnee or anthropogenic snowfall is a local winter hazard in many European cities and towns under suitable anticyclonic conditions and in the vicinity of persistent local water vapour sources and air pollution. Here, we overview the formation of Industrieschnee and describe a case study event from Bern, Switzerland, comparing the estimated mass of snow deposited with the water vapour emissions from a local incinerator. We speculate that previous European Industrieschnee events may have been considerably under‐reported, or falsely attributed to surface hoar frost (reif) or the accretion of rime (raureif).

Simplified framework for efficient utilization of municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash as construction material via systematic classification and characterization

The incinerator bottom ash (IBA) constitutes approximately 80% of the municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration residues. To minimize the end-waste, one of the sustainable solutions is to utilize IBA. IBA is often utilized directly with or without simple pre-treatment after receiving from the incineration plant. However, the significant heterogeneity in the physicochemical composition of the IBA has hindered its widespread utilization. The given study proposes a simplified framework to improve the utilization efficiency of IBA via a systematic classification and characterization approach. The IBA was classified into ten classes (classified IBA) according to the four particle size ranges and three mineralogical categories. A comprehensive characterization of chemical/mineralogical compositions of classified IBA using state-of-the-art techniques was then conducted to understand the properties of each class, which aid in determining the appropriate applications for each category of classified IBA. The leaching behavior of the classified IBA was also studied to evaluate the environmental safety of the classified IBA classes and suggested avoiding categories with high concentrations of leachable toxic elements. The framework developed in this study for efficiently utilizing IBA is demonstrated for IBA collected from a local incineration plant.

Novel surface-treatment for bottom ash from municipal solid waste incineration to reduce the heavy metals leachability for a sustainable environment

Unconventional treatments can provide a modification to convert ash waste into valuable materials that can be used in various applications. This study focuses on bottom ash (BA) collected from a local incineration plant and characterizes its chemical composition before and after pretreatment by coating with polymers. The toxicity-characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) was used to identify selected heavy metal leaching after treatment with vinyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) of different molecular weights. BA coatings were incorporated in two ratios, 0.5% and 1%, by milling to avoid heavy metal leaching. The results showed that all the coating batches had reduced concentrations of copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn), whereas the concentrations of chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd) showed higher amounts of BAV34 (0.5%) and BAV25 (1%). The treated BA with GP demonstrated percentages of reduction of 70%, 65%, 80%, 75%, 90%, and 80% for Cu, Mn, Ni, Zn, Pb, and Cd, respectively. The milling procedure reduced the particle size of the coated ash. Hydrophobicity was observed in all coating batches compared to untreated BA. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results showed variations between BA and treated BA, which confirmed that PDMS caused surface modification. These features have potential significance for extending the use of coated ash as a sustainable material for construction applications.

Period product disposal in India: the tipping point.

The UN projects that India is now the world's most populous nation. However, with this rising population comes a significant need for safer period product disposal systems. Current practices include local incineration or burial of sanitary products, with harmful health and environmental impacts. This Viewpoint proposes a three-sphere model to develop long-term solutions for sanitary waste disposal in India, focussing on education, national organisation, and sustainability. Proposed solutions are developed and criticised with a consideration of why change has been limited thus far. A case study in Kerala is considered where all three spheres are incorporated with the help of a local non-governmental organisation, however, with limitations that could have been alleviated with national organisation. In effect, the Indian government must develop a centralised system for tackling sanitary waste disposal before a tipping point is reached.

Determination of Formaldehyde from Disposal of Formaldehyde Fixed Biological Specimen Buried in Soil

Biomedical waste specifically anatomical specimens and body parts will be incinerated by a local incineration facility. However, the incineration of formaldehyde fixed specimen from hospitals poses hazardous effect to human and environment due to an exposure of highly toxic gases such as dioxins and furans. In addition, this practise is considered as non-shariah compliance by Muslim community. Thus, a safer and shariah-compliance option to dispose anatomical specimens through deep burial has been introduced. The concern has been raised on the side effect of the formaldehyde treated specimen to the environment. Formaldehyde is used widely for preservation of surgical and anatomical specimens. The formaldehyde toxicity specifically on the soil, soil water, soil animals and plants should be considered after the burial of the anotamical specimens. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the side effect of formaldehyde on soil after the burial of formalin fixed specimen on the environment. In this study, the amount of soil elemental distribution and formaldehyde concentration of pre-burial and post-burial of biological specimen were evaluated by using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrophotometer instrument, respectively. For EDXRF analysis at Point C, soil elemental distribution after burial of dead biological specimens has higher concentration compared to before the burial. The concentration of formaldehyde at Point C was higher after the burial of dead biological specimen compared to before burial, which exceeds the tolerable concentration recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Use of eco-admixture made from municipal solid waste incineration residues in concrete

With the phasing-out of coal power plants in many developed countries, a steep shortage in construction-grade fly ash – a widely used mineral admixture in concrete – seems inevitable. In this study, an eco-admixture prepared from a raw blend of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) residues was investigated as a possible cement replacement in concrete. The eco-admixture was synthesized at incineration temperature of 1100 °C from a carefully selected stoichiometric combination of three residues sourced from a local incinerator and minor additions of slaked lime. Paste and concrete specimens were prepared with 15% cement replacements and compared to commercial mineral admixture and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) control. In addition to normal hydration, carbonation was explored as an alternative curing scenario for accelerated early strength activation. The influences of cement substitution on mechanical properties, leaching performance, microstructure, and resistance to freeze-thaw damage were examined. The major reactive mineral components of eco-admixture were found to be belite and chloro-ellestadite. In hydration, paste and concrete specimens containing eco-admixture were comparable in performance to straight OPC control; however, they displayed much improved strength and resilience when activated by carbonation. Leaching tests affirmed the environmental stability and suitability of eco-admixture as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in concrete. For further validation, a pilot production was carried out at a commercial concrete plant to produce a cubic meter of standard 20 cm concrete masonry units (CMUs). The CMUs with eco-admixture displayed comparable strength to the OPC references and satisfied all physical performance required by load-bearing standards.

Mercury isotope compositions in large anthropogenically impacted Pearl River, South China.

Rivers integrate natural and anthropogenic mercury (Hg), and are important vectors of terrestrial Hg to the oceans. Here, we report the total Hg concentration and Hg isotope compositions of dissolved load in the Pearl River, the second largest river in China, in order to understand the processes and sources affecting Hg systematics in large anthropogenically-impacted river water. The dissolved Hg showed a concentration varying from 0.45 to 2.44ng/L, within the range reported for natural background lake and river waters. All river water samples showed significantly negative δ202Hg (-2.89‰ to -0.57‰), slightly positive Δ200Hg (-0.05‰ to 0.52‰), and mostly positive Δ199Hg (0.10‰ to 0.57‰), except for three extremely negative values (-2.25‰ to -0.76‰). Combined with other geochemical parameters, we suggest that the influence of in-river processes, such as sorption and reduction, on the Hg isotope compositions is very limited, and the dissolved Hg in the Pearl River mainly comes from atmospheric precipitation and surface soil weathering. Although the whole river basin is largely affected by urban, industrial and mining activities, unlike other heavy metals, their direct contributions to dissolved Hg seem limited. It is worth noting that the three samples with very negative Δ199Hg values (down to -2.25‰) are derived from special source which attribute to the input of Hg released from the local incineration of electronic wastes. This study demonstrates that isotope approach is a powerful tool for tracing sources and pathways of Hg in large complex river systems.

Feasibility of Singapore IBA waste for land reclamation

Bottom ash from municipal solid waste incineration plants represents an untapped resource in many countries. This paper examines both heavy metal leaching and undrained shear strength of using Singapore’s local incineration bottom ash (IBA) as land reclamation material. The IBA was mixed in various proportions (0–30%) with Singapore marine clay (MC) and an additive binder. The resultant materials were named MC-IBA matrices and were tested for shear strength and leached with seawater and ethanoic acid in separate tests to simulate possible scenarios in the environment. Shear strength tests showed that higher amounts of IBA resulted in higher strength values. Seawater percolation tests showed that heavy metals were not exchanged and mobile, except for cadmium, and only when the material contained a high proportion of IBA of at least 30%. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure tests showed that the matrices could be considered non-hazardous material.

HCl removal characteristics of calcium hydroxide at the dry-type sorbent reaction accelerator using municipal waste incinerator flue gas at a real site

A dry-type reactor was used to reduce the HCl emitted from a municipal waste incinerator. A real-scale reactor was installed downstream of the existing semi-dry reactor (SDR) as part of D local incineration plant, whose HCl removal efficiency was investigated by applying calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2). A test dry-type sorbent reaction accelerator (SRx) was designed, and the stoichiometric ratio (SR) of the sorbent and the secondary reaction characteristics of unreacted Ca(OH)2 in a baghouse were analyzed. For the results, the SRx showed higher HCl removal efficiency and more economic benefits than the other existing flue gas treatment facilities of the incinerator plant. Furthermore, the highest reduction efficiency of HCl was obtained when the differential pressure in the baghouse was maintained at 150mmH2O. This is because as the unreacted sorbent attached to the filter surface layer became thicker and the secondary reaction of the HCl removal increased.

Particulate Matter Concentrations in the Vicinity of an Incinerator

Incineration is an effective way of health care waste management, but it is also a source of air pollution. Thermal decomposition of organic and inorganic waste during incineration releases a large concentration of air pollutants such as CO, SO2, NOx, CO2 and particulate matter (PM). A cross sectional-descriptive study was conducted to determine the short-term variations in PM concentrations across various areas in the vicinity of a local incinerator in Windhoek, Namibia. XRF Qualitative analysis method was used to determine the elemental composition of fallout dust concentration from six study areas/stations in the vicinity of a local incinerator. Single bucket fallout monitors were deployed following the American Society for Testing and Materials standard method for collection and analysis of dust fallout to determine the elemental composition of fallout dust. Real-time PM concentration trends were also recorded using a portable Micro dust Pro Real-time Dust Monitor for PM10 at a height of 2.2 m above the ground. High PM concentration peaks were observed in the morning and afternoon hours at varying points. The fallout dust rate ranged between highest 1839.3 mg/m2/day at sampling Point 4 and lowest 711 mg/m2/day at sampling Point 2. The XRF analysis revealed the presence of toxic elements and crustal elements in order of decreasing abundance: Mn > Zn > Cr > V > Zr > Sr > Pb > Ni and SI > K > Fe > Ti > Ca > Al > P respectively. Highest elemental composition concentrations were found at sampling location in the vicinity of the incinerator and in industrial area.

Evaluating localism in the management of post-consumer plastic bottles in Honolulu, Hawai'i: Perspectives from industrial ecology and political ecology

Localism or regionalization has become a popular topic in urban design, but recent critics raise the question of whether the local or regional scale is most desirable for industrial ecosystems. As a way to explore the claim that localized metabolism is more sustainable, this study examines the costs and benefits of two differentially scaled strategies for the management of post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles originating in the city of Honolulu, Hawai'i: local incineration and trans-continental recycling. We first estimate total environmental impacts of two options using life cycle assessment, and then disaggregate them into local versus non-local impacts to examine the spatial distribution of costs and benefits. We further assess the environmental justification for localized waste management in relation to the broader socio-economic motivations that underlie the way that plastics are managed in Honolulu. In doing so we assess the scale at which waste management is optimized from an environmental standpoint as well as the non-environmental considerations such as security and safety that influence the politics of scale involved in urban metabolic design. By illustrating the trade-offs between a local versus global metabolic pathway for plastic waste, the results from our Honolulu case study are globally relevant for communities interested in sustainable urban design and in particular urban waste management.

Incinerator Pollution and Child Development in the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study

This study aimed to investigate the direct and indirect effects of environmental pollutants on child development and parental concerns. It focused on the pathway relationships among the following factors: living within three kilometers of an incinerator, breastfeeding, place of residence, parental concerns about development, and parent-perceived child development. The Taiwan Birth Cohort Study (TBCS) dataset includes randomized community data on 21,248 children at six, 18, and 36 months of age. The Parental Concern Checklist and the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study-Developmental Instrument were used to measure parental concern and parent-perceived child development. Living within three kilometers of an incinerator increased the risk of children showing delayed development in the gross motor domain at six and 36 months. Although breastfeeding is a protective factor against uneven/delayed developmental disability (U/DDD), children living near an incinerator who were breastfed had an increased risk of U/DDD compared with those who did not live near incinerators. The presence of a local incinerator affected parent-perceived child development directly and indirectly through the mediating factor of breastfeeding. Further follow-up of these children to investigate the long-term effects of specific toxins on their development and later diagnostic categorization is necessary.

Environmental Assessment of Two Waste Incineration Strategies for Central Norway (10 pp)

Background, Aims and Scope A strategy of local incineration with 17 small incinerators (Scenario L) is compared to a strategy of 3 centralized waste incinerators (Scenario C) for the region of Central Norway, in order to assess differences in environmental performance. Rough calculations of costs are also included. The functional unit is the treatment of municipal, commercial and special waste not recycled, plus the heating of a specific number of households, for the period of 2002 to 2020.

Characterization of bottom ash in municipal solid waste incinerators for its use in road base

Incineration of municipal solid wastes (MSWs) produces by-products which can be broadly classified as bottom and fly ashes. Since MSW incineration started, possibilities other than landfilling the incineration residues have been sought; most initiatives in this sense tend to use these residues as aggregate substitute in pavements and other road construction elements. The main goal of the present work is the physical and chemical characterization of the local incineration bottom ash towards its eventual re-utilization. The study includes not only the specific aspects regarding its role as pavement element, but also the assessment of the environmental effects. Therefore, together with the determination of physical (moisture content, apparent and bulk densities, crystallinity, etc.) and engineering properties (particle size distribution, abrasion and impact resistance, etc.), full chemical characterization of the bottom ash and the study of leaching as a function of aging time have been undertaken. The results obtained indicate that the metal content of both the raw bottom ash and its leachates fulfill the environmental regulations provided that the bottom ash is stored for at least one month. Engineering properties of the bottom ash are close to those of natural aggregates and, thus, road-construction use of these residues seems to be feasible.

Factors affecting household-level environmental decision making: A three-country comparison of the determinants of household recycling

As urban scales and income-driven levels of consumption rise with “development,” waste generation expands, and urban ecosystems become ever more sensitive to local patterns of waste disposal. Local incineration and landfilling generate more urban ecosystem stresses than does recycling activity. Arguably, household-level decisions about materials demand and recycling effort levels are central to any society's private environmental decision making.

Foraging fram animals as biomonitors for dioxin contamination

Studies carried out in California, following a fire which involved a pentachlorophenol wood treatment plant have indicated that low concentrations of dioxins and furans in soil can lead to bioaccumulation in chickens and cattle which are in contact with the soil. These compounds were found to distribute into various tissues of the animals and into the eggs of the chickens. A significant change in congener profile and isomer pattern was seen when comparing soils to tissues. Source tests of local incinerators showed quite different congener profile than was seen in soils. Concentrations found in animal products used as food suggest the possibility of excessive human exposure based on modest consumption assumptions.