Dissolved organic matter (DOM) was detected in MSWI plant: An investigation of DOM and potential toxic elements variation in the bottom ash and fly ash

Quan Liu; Qing Huang; Youcai Zhao; Yin Liu; Qingqing Wang; Muhammad Amjad Khan; Xuyang Che; Xiaohui Li; Yang Bai; Xuesong Su; Linyi Lin; Yang Zhao; Ying Chen; Junfeng Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154339

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) was detected in MSWI plant: An investigation of DOM and potential toxic elements variation in the bottom ash and fly ash

Sci Total Environ. 2022 Jul 1:828:154339. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154339. Epub 2022 Mar 4.

Authors

Quan Liu¹, Qing Huang², Youcai Zhao³, Yin Liu¹, Qingqing Wang¹, Muhammad Amjad Khan¹, Xuyang Che⁴, Xiaohui Li⁵, Yang Bai⁶, Xuesong Su¹, Linyi Lin¹, Yang Zhao¹, Ying Chen¹, Junfeng Wang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China; Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China.
² Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China; Key Laboratory for Environmental Toxicology of Haikou, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China. Electronic address: huangqing@hainanu.edu.cn.
³ The State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China; College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China; Center for Eco-Environmental Restoration Engineering of Hainan Province, Haikou 570228, China; State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China.
⁵ Hainan Inspection and Detection Center for Modern Agriculture, Haikou, Hainan 570100, China.
⁶ College of Ecology and Environment, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan 570228, China; College of Management and Economics, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.

PMID: 35257758
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154339

Abstract

The content of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) were investigated in the bottom ash (BA) and fly ash (FA) of different sections of the municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) plant. BA and FA were collected from the dry (BA1-BA2), burn (BA3-BA4), and burn-out (BA5) sections of the grate incinerator; FA was collected after denitration (DNFA), and from the deacidification tower (FA1) and bag-type dust remover (FA2), respectively. The DOM concentration in BA was higher than that in FA, the highest concentration was in BA3 (556.18 mg/kg), while the lowest concentration was in DNFA (17.53 mg/kg). DOM in BA was mainly composed of protein-like, fulvic-like, tryptophan-like, and humic-like substances, of which humic-like substances accounted for more than 40%. DOM in FA consisted of tryptophan-like and humic-like substances, of which humic-like substances accounted for more than 80%. DOM still existed in BA which may be related to the incomplete combustion, and the influence of microbes, while DOM was increased in FA1, which might be due to the addition of lime slurry. PTEs were analyzed by the Tessier extraction method, Fe-Mn hydroxide-bound fraction of PTEs increased in FA1 in which DOM concentration (137.22 mg/kg) was 7.83 times that in DNFA. The increase of DOM may lead to a higher risk of PTEs in FA. FTIR results indicated that DOM can bond to PTEs in BA and FA. The contents of humus-like substances in DOM were positively correlated with the effective fraction of As, Cu, Pb, Cr, and Cd. This paper investigated the risk of DOM existing in BA and FA in MSWI plant, which can provide a new perspective on how to deal with BA and FA, and reduce their environmental risks.

Keywords: Bottom ash; Dissolved organic matter; Fly ash; Incineration; Potential toxic elements.

MeSH terms

Carbon / chemistry
Coal Ash
Dissolved Organic Matter*
Humic Substances / analysis
Incineration
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Particulate Matter
Refuse Disposal*
Solid Waste / analysis
Tryptophan

Substances

Coal Ash
Dissolved Organic Matter
Humic Substances
Metals, Heavy
Particulate Matter
Solid Waste
Carbon
Tryptophan