Determination and quantification of the release of inorganic contaminants from municipal waste incineration ash

Abstract

Abstract Various leaching experiments applied to municipal waste incineration ash were compared in order to find the best available procedure to measure the total mass flow caused by natural leaching (source strength) of the material. The results of various batch experiments and two different laboratory column experiments run under water‐saturated conditions were compared with water‐unsaturated field‐scale column experiments (lysimeter). The results of the batch experiments were not transferable to the column and field experiments. But, very good accordance could be observed between the breakthrough curves of the two column experiments conducted in the laboratory under water‐saturated conditions and the water‐unsaturated field‐scale columns, with few exceptions. The results show that batch experiments are not sufficient to predict the source strength and its changes over time. Instead, column experiments are essential for a realistic risk assessment. For most inorganic parameters, a laboratory column experiment lasting less than 5 days is sufficient for a risk assessment in the foreseeable future.