Distribution of heavy metals from iron bath-melting separation process applied to municipal solid waste incineration fly ash.

Fly ash generated from municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration is frequently classified as hazardous material and requires special disposal. The management of the large amount of fly ash has caused increasing problems in China. This work describes a novel approach for melting MSW incineration fly ash, and the distribution of heavy metals was characterized during the iron bath-melting separation process. Four hundred grams of pelletized fly ash was fed into the furnace in molten iron bath atmosphere. After the melting separation process, the distribution of heavy metals in samples and the leaching characteristics of the slag were investigated. The results indicated that iron bath-melting promoted the transfer of Cr, Mn and Cu from the slag phase to the iron phase, which also improved Zn and Pb volatilization. The leaching concentrations, determined by the Chinese Standard Method (rollover leaching procedure) of the target metals of the slag from leaching tests were lower than the Chinese regulatory thresholds. Therefore, this method was proposed as an environmentally friendly technology to achieve a satisfactory solution for MSW incineration fly ash management.