Serial Batch Tests Performed On Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Bottom Ash and Electric Arc Furnace Slag, in Combination With Computer Modelling

Abstract

To predict long-term behaviour of wastes, knowledge is needed about the mechanisms controlling the leaching. The serial batch leaching test, developed in this study, is a version of an ordinary column test that allows sampling at different places in the column. In this study the results from the experiment are compared with computer simulations made with the coupled geochemical and transport program CHEMFRONTS. The experiments showed that some elements, for example potassium, are easily leached, while the leaching of others, for example iron, is slower. The leaching of some elements is solubility controlled whereas others are controlled by dissolution kinetics. The comparison between the experiments and the computer simulations shows good agreement for most elements. A flow through system has been simulated for the steel slag based on the results from the experiments and the computer simulation thereof. The latter simulation gives an idea of the long-term leaching behaviour of the steel slag. The conclusion of the work is that a combination of serial batch leaching test and computer simulation with a geochemical transport program can give good information about the long-term leaching of waste materials. © 1997 ISWA