Leaching of heavy metals from MSWI fly ash : experiments vs. simulation

In this work, pH-dependence experiments and leaching modeling using Visual MINTEQ were performed to evaluate the stability and simulate the leaching characteristics of heavy metals in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash. Modeling the equilibrium concentration of Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn in raw and treated fly ash was the main target and was conducted over a pH range of 0.5–14. In addition, simulation of the leaching behavior of MSWI fly ash with different additives was also conducted. The treated fly ash was solidified by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal process with added phosphate. The initial elemental concentrations of MSWI fly ash, including raw and treated fly ash, were detected by a microwave apparatus and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The ICP-AES analysis showed that most leaching concentrations of treated fly ash decreased considerably compared to the raw fly ash. The simulation results indicated that the dissolution/precipitation simulation models of Zn, Cu and Pb were broadly consistent with the experimental results, while the leaching behaviors of Ni, Cr and Cd were determined by both dissolution/precipitation and surface complexation mechanisms. In addition, the models of reagent solidification revealed that the stabilization effect of Na2S was better than that of Na2CO3. This model will be useful in the evaluation of the leaching concentrations of heavy metals in fly ash