Investigation of waste alkali-activated cementing material using municipal solid waste incineration fly ash and dravite as precursors: Mechanisms, performance, and on-site application

Jirong Lan; Yiqie Dong; Ming-Feng Kai; Haobo Hou; Jian-Guo Dai

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133416

Investigation of waste alkali-activated cementing material using municipal solid waste incineration fly ash and dravite as precursors: Mechanisms, performance, and on-site application

J Hazard Mater. 2024 Mar 5:465:133416. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133416. Epub 2024 Jan 3.

Authors

Jirong Lan¹, Yiqie Dong², Ming-Feng Kai³, Haobo Hou², Jian-Guo Dai⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
² School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
³ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: mikai@polyu.edu.hk.
⁴ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: jiangdai@cityu.edu.hk.

PMID: 38183939
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.133416

Abstract

The proper treatment of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) is a crucial concern due to its hazardous nature and potential environmental harm. To address this issue, this study innovatively utilized dravite and black liquor to solidify MSWIFA. The semi-dry pressing method was employed, resulting in the production of waste alkali-activated cementing material (WACM). This material demonstrated impressive compressive and flexural strength, reaching 45.89 MPa and 6.55 MPa respectively, and effectively solidified heavy metal ions (Pb, Cr, Cu, Cd, and Zn). The leaching concentrations of these ions decreased from 27.15, 10.36, 8.94, 7.00, and 104.4 mg/L to 0.13, 1.05, 0.29, 0.06, and 12.28 mg/L, respectively. The strength of WACM increased by 3 times compared to conventionally produced materials. Furthermore, WACM exhibited excellent long-term performance, with acceptable heavy metal leaching and minimal mechanical degradation. Experimental and theoretical analyses revealed the heavy metal solidification mechanisms, including chemical binding, ion substitution and physical encapsulation. Finally, the on-site application of WACM confirmed its feasibility in meeting both environmental and strength requirements.

Keywords: Heavy metal solidification; Long-term performance; MSWIFA; On-site application; Semi-dry pressing.