Author: Jean Luc Ontiveros

Publisher:

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13:

Disposal of municipal solid wastes(MSW)is becoming a problem nationwide. Many sanitary landfills are either closing or approaching maximum capacity. With new landfills becoming difficult to site, alternative methods must be used to reduce the volume being disposed in landfills. Incineration, through thermal destruction, reduces the volume of MSW by up to 85%. However, problems do exist with the resulting fly and bottom ashes. Metals are not destroyed by this process, but are concentrated within the ashes. A majority of the ashes fail EPA's Extraction Procedure Toxicity Test by exceeding either cadmium or lead concentration limits. The objectives of this dissertation were threefold: i) examine the physical and chemical properties of ashes; ii) determine ash composition and morphology; and iii) determine extractive behavior of cadmium, chromium and lead in an aqueous environment. Three different incinerators, from Canada, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, burning primarily residential MSW, were chosen to determine equipment and operational effects on ash composition and extractive behavior. Supplemental combustion air provided more complete combustion. Cadmium, potassium and sodium preferentially partitioned to the fly ash with lead partitioning differently between fly and bottom ashes depending on the incinerator. Fly ash morphology and composition did not vary significantly between incinerators. The ash matrices were composed primarily of complex, multi-substituted aluminosilicates, amorphous glass and iron oxides. CaSO4, NaCl and KCl were the predominate species. SEM micrographs showed a variety of shapes throughout the particle ranges with crystals heavily dispersed on the surfaces. (sdw).