Municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash as alkali-activated cement precursor depending on particle size

Abstract

Bottom Ash (BA) is the main by-product of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI). It is stabilised outdoors to obtain weathered bottom ash (WBA) whose main application is in the construction sector as a secondary aggregate for road sub-base. Here, the aim of this work is to advance the study of the potential use of WBA as a precursor in the synthesis of new alkali-activated cements (AACs). An exhaustive physicochemical characterisation (X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy, and Inductively coupled plasma - mass spectroscopy) of WBA was provided depending on its particle size (<30, 30-16, 16-8, 8-4, 4-2 and 2-0 mm). The study reveals that WBA is composed mainly of the essential reactive phases to form AACs, which are SiO2, Al2O3, and CaO. It is demonstrated the larger the particle size, the higher the content of SiO2; and the smaller the particle size, the higher the heavy metal(loid) content. The availability of reactive phases was analysed through chemical attacks with HF and NaOH solutions of different concentrations (2M, 4M, and 8M). The results demonstrate the availability of reactive phases (including 150-250 g kg−1 of SiO2 and 50-65 g kg−1 of Al2O3) in all the particle size fractions studied. WBA potential will be of considerable use to formulate AACs, depending on the particle size fraction and the Si/Al ratio, both as the sole precursor and mixed with others.