Abstract
The main aim of the present study is to contribute to the field of environmental research by providing new data on bottom ash samples derived from an oil power plant located in Southern Italy. To achieve this purpose, the mineralogical and chemical properties of representative bottom ash samples were investigated through the integrated employment of different analytical techniques, i.e., X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence and atomic absorption spectrometry. The obtained experimental results show that quartz, alunogen, rhomboclase and potassium hydrogen silicate are the major crystalline phases of all the analyzed samples. Furthermore, the revealed main ash constituents are SiO2 and SO3, with low contents of Fe2O3 and Al2O3, and little amounts of CaO, Na2O, K2O, MgO, P2O5 and TiO2. Among the trace elements, very high amounts of heavy metals, i.e., V, Cr, Ni, La, Pb and Mo, were detected. The comparison of the obtained heavy metal abundance data with those reported in the literature highlights significant differences. Leaching test evidenced V, Ni and Cr values that make these ashes a potential contamination source for groundwater quality and for soil, nearby the ash disposal landfills area. All the obtained findings show that these materials are highly harmful for the human health, with a greater extent for the heavy metal concentrations.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Degs Y, Ghrir A, Khoury H, Walker GM, Sunjuk M, Al-Ghouti MA (2014) Characterization and utilization of fly ash of heavy fuel oil generated in power stations. Fuel Process Technol 123:41–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2014.01.040
Alonso-Hernández CM, Bernal-Castillo J, Bolaños-Alvarez Y, Gómez-Batista M, Diaz-Asencio M (2011) Heavy metal content of bottom ashes from a fuel oil power plant and oil refinery in Cuba. Fuel 90:2820–2823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2011.03.014
Anderson MA, Bertsch PM, Zelazny LW (1993) Multi component transport through soil subjected to coal pile runoff under steady saturated flow. In: Keefer RF, Sajwan K (eds) Trace element in coal and coal combustion residues. Advances in trace substances research. Lewis Publishers, CRC Press, Boca Rato
Barwise AJG (1990) Role of nickel and vanadium in petroleum classification. Energy Fuels 4:647–652. https://doi.org/10.1021/ef00024a005
Bruker (2015) Product overview: advanced analytical solutions. XRF lab report - S8 TIGER plus GEO-QUANT M
Carlson CL, Adriano DC (1993) Environmental impacts of coal combustion residues. JEQ 22(2):227–247. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1993.00472425002200020002x
Cevik U, Damla N, Koz B, Kaya S (2008) Radiological characterization around the Afsin-Elbistan coal- fired power plants in Turkey. Energy Fuels 22:428–432. https://doi.org/10.1021/ef700374u
COUNCIL DECISION of 19 December (2002) establishing criteria and procedures for the acceptance of waste at landfills pursuant to Article 16 of and Annex II to Directive 1999/31/EC. Official Journal of the European Communities, (2003/33/EC)
Dahl O, Nurmesniem H, Pöykiö R, Watkins G (2009) Comparison of the characteristics of bottom ash and fly ash from a medium-size (32 MW) municipal district heating plant incinerating forest residues and peat in a fluidized-bed boiler. Fuel Process Technol 90:871–878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2009.04.013
Decreto ministeriale del 3 agosto 2005 Gazzetta Ufficiale del 30 agosto (2005), n. 201 Definizione dei criteri di ammissibilità dei rifiuti in discarica
Desmond JM, Mitchell J, Wild SR, Jones KC (1992) Arrested municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash as a source of heavy metals to the UK environment. Environ Pollut 76:79–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/0269-7491(92)90119-U
Fytianos K, Tsaniklidi B (1998) Leachability of heavy metals in Greek fly ash from coal combustion. Environ Int 24:477–486. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-4120(98)00027-0
Hower JC, Thomas GA, Mardon SM, Trimble AS (2005) Impact of co-combustion of petroleum coke and coal on fly ash quality: case study of a Western Kentucky power plant. Appl Geochem 20(7):1309–1319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2005.02.010
Kulkarni PV, Manchellam S, Fraser MP (2007) Tracking petroleum refinery emission events using lanthanum and lanthanides as elemental markers for PM2.5. Environ Sci Technol 41:6748–6754. https://doi.org/10.1021/es062888i
Llorens JF, Fernandez-Turiel JL, Querol X (2001) The fate of trace elements in a large coal-fired power plant. Environ Geol 40:409–416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002540000191
Lu SG, Chen YY, Shan HD, Bai SQ (2009) Mineralogy and heavy metal leachability of magnetic fractions separated from some Chinese coal fly ashes. J Hazard Mater 169:246–255
Meawad A, Bojinova D, Pelovski Y (2010) Study on elements leaching from bottom ash of enel maritsa east 3 thermal power plant in bulgaria. J Univ Chem Tech Metall 45:275–282
Piantone P, Chatelet-Snidaro L (2004) Mineralogical study of secondary mineral phases from weathered MSWI bottom ash: implications for the modelling and trapping of heavy metals. Appl Geochem 19:1891–1904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2004.05.006
Pouchou JL, Pichoir R (1985) “PAP” (phi-rho-z) procedure for improved quantitative microanalysis. In: Armstrong JT (ed) Microbeam analysis. San Francisco Press, San Francisco, pp 104–106
Sadasivan S, Negi BS (1991) Chemical characterization of fly ash from coal-fired thermal power plants in India. Sci Total Environ 103:1–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-9697(91)90141-Z
Saeedi M, Bazkiaei R (2008) Characterization of thermal power plant fuel oil combustion residue. Res J Environ Sci 2:116–123. https://doi.org/10.3923/rjes.2008.116.123
Sandhu SS, Mills GL, Sajwan KS (1992) Leachability of Ni, Cd, Cr, and As from coal ash impoundments of different ages on the Savnath river site. In: Keefer RF, Sajwan K (eds) Trace element in coal and coal combustion residues. Advances in trace substances research. Lewis Publishers, CRC Press, Boca Rato
Sushil S, Batra VS (2006) Analysis of fly ash heavy metal content and disposal in three thermal power plants in India. Fuel 85:2676–2679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2006.04.031
Vassilev SV, Vassileva CG (2005) Methods for characterization of composition of fly ashes from coal-fired power stations: a critical overview. Energy Fuels 19:1084–1098. https://doi.org/10.1021/ef049694d
Vassilev SV, Vassileva CG (2007) A new approach for the classification of coal fly ashes based on their origin, composition, properties, and behaviour. Fuel 86:1490–1512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2006.11.020
Vassilev SV, Baxter D, Andersen LK, Vasileva CG (2013) An overview of the composition and application of biomass ash. Part 1. Phase–mineral and chemical composition and classification. Fuel 105:40–76
Vouk VB, Piver WT (1983) Metallic elements in fossil fuel combustion products: amounts and form of emissions and evaluation of carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. Environ Health Perspect 47:201–225 PMC1569408
Wadge A, Hutton M, Peterson PJ (1986) The concentrations and particle size relationships of selected trace elements in fly ashes from U.K. coal-fired power plants and a refuse incinerator. Sci Total Environ 54:13–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/0048-9697(86)90253-6
Yao J, Bing-Li W, Yong-Wu Y, Na-Kong QH, Ruo-Shen SD (2010) Content, mobility and transfer behavior of heavy metals in MSWI bottom ash in Zhejiang province, China. Fuel 89:616–622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2009.06.016
Yuksel I, Bilir T, Özkan Ö (2007) Durability of concrete incorporating non-ground blast furnace slag and bottom ash as fine aggregate. Building Environ 42:2651–2659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2006.07.003
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Di Bella, M., Italiano, F., Magazù, S. et al. Risk assessment of bottom ash from fuel oil power plant of Italy: mineralogical, chemical and leaching characterization. Environ Earth Sci 77, 217 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7388-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7388-4