Abstract
Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash is considered hazardous waste due to heavy metals. Their improper management/disposal is lethal for both humans and animals. This paper aims to explore the gelling properties of fly ash, activated by adding different alkali activators, i.e., Na2SiO3, NaOH, KOH, Na2SiO3:NaOH (1:1, g/g), and Na2SiO3:KOH(1:1, g/g). The optimum result was achieved using a composite alkali-activator of Na2SiO3-NaOH, based on a single-factor experiment. Therefore, the influence of alkali-activators/fly ashes (A/M), Na2SiO3/NaOH, and liquid/solid (L/S) ratios on the fixation of heavy metals and compressive strength has been investigated by an orthogonal procedure. The optimal combination of these factors is achieved at the following ratios; 14.2% of A/M, 7/3 (g/g) of Na2SiO3/NaOH, and 0.43 (mL/g) of L/S. Solidification mechanism and heavy metals fixation in the solidified body containing C-S–H and C-A-S–H gels are determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Dongwei Li, upon reasonable request.
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I have received the grant supporting research work and funds to cover publishing costs in open access. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant NO.51274262.
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Lin Yu conceived and designed the experiments; Lin Yu performed the experiments; Lin Yu analyzed the data; Lin Yu contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools; Lin Yu wrote the paper. Dongwei Li supervised the project.
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Yu, L., Li, D. Study on Self-cementation Solidification of Heavy Metals in Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash by Alkali-activation. Water Air Soil Pollut 235, 116 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-024-06921-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-024-06921-z