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Solidification/stabilization of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash using uncalcined coal gangue–based alkali-activated cementitious materials

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Abstract

The proper disposal of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI FA) is necessary due to the presence of hazardous metals (Cu2+, Zn2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+). The solidification/stabilization through alkali-activated cementitious materials (having aluminosilicates) is regarded as one of the best methods for its disposal. In this paper, an uncalcined coal gangue–based alkali-activated cementitious material was used to solidify the MSWI FA. The compressive strength of these cementitious materials was evaluated through different contents of alkali activators, SiO2/Na2O molar ratios, liquid/solid ratios and curing temperatures by utilizing a single-factor experiment. The specimens with the highest compressive strength (31.37 MPa) were used for solidification of MSWI FA. The results indicated that compressive strength decreased with the addition of MSWI FA which caused the higher leaching of heavy metals. The solidification efficiencies of Cu2+, Zn2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ were more than 95%. In addition, leaching concentrations had not surpassed the critical limit up to 20% addition of MSWI FA in solidified samples and representing the potential application of these samples for construction and landfill purposes. Heavy metals in MSWI FA were solidified through physical encapsulation and chemical bonding which was verified by speciation analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry analyses.

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Abbreviations

MSWI FA:

municipal solid waste incineration fly ash

AAM:

alkali-activated cementitious material

FTIR:

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

CGS:

MSWI FA-bearing CG-based solidified bodies

XRF:

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

EDS:

energy dispersive spectrometry

CG:

coal gangue

OPC:

ordinary Portland cement

XRD:

X-ray diffraction

L/S:

liquid-to-solid

SEM:

scanning electron microscopy

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Author notes

  1. Shujie Zhao, Faheem Muhammad, Lin Yu and Ming Xia contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for coal mine disaster dynamics and control, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, People’s Republic of China

    Shujie Zhao, Faheem Muhammad, Ming Xia, Xiao Huang, Binquan Jiao & Dongwei Li

  2. College of Resource and Environmental Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Shujie Zhao, Faheem Muhammad, Lin Yu, Ming Xia, Xiao Huang, Binquan Jiao & Dongwei Li

  3. College of Safety Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Ning Lu

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  1. Shujie Zhao
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  2. Faheem Muhammad
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  3. Lin Yu
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  4. Ming Xia
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  5. Xiao Huang
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  6. Binquan Jiao
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  7. Ning Lu
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  8. Dongwei Li
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Correspondence to Xiao Huang, Binquan Jiao, Ning Lu or Dongwei Li.

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Responsible editor: Bingcai Pan

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Highlights

• The coal gangue without calcination is used for the preparation of alkali-activated cementitious materials.

• Uncalcined coal gangue has potential to solidify the MSWI FA.

• Solidified bodies could also be used as construction materials and landfill disposal.

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Zhao, S., Muhammad, F., Yu, L. et al. Solidification/stabilization of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash using uncalcined coal gangue–based alkali-activated cementitious materials. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 25609–25620 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05832-5

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