LEACHING PROPERTIES OF HOSPITAL WASTE INCINERATION BOTTOM ASH IN RELATION TO DISPOSAL OR REUSE OPTIONS

摘要

In Italy, bottom ash (BA) from hospital waste incineration (HW-I) plants is usually managed as a hazardous waste, as a precautionary measure, given the characteristics of the original waste. Furthermore, the disposal of this type of BA at landfills for hazardous or non hazardous waste still remains the most common management practice in many countries. Anyhow, owing to the increasing employ of incineration as a treatment technology for this special type of waste, an appropriate strategy for the management of the slag generated during the incineration process is becoming an issue of interest. Previous studies on HW-I BA reported the presence of high concentrations of potentially hazardous metals such as Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, Cd and Pb in this material. However, considerable less data are available regarding the leaching behaviour of this type of incineration residues.