Feasibility and Economics Study of the Treatment, Recycling and Disposal of Spent Abrasives

摘要

Spent blast media represents a major volume component of shipbuilding and ship repair wastes sent to landfill disposal. As landfill disposal of solid waste becomes increasingly expensive and restrictive it is in the best interest of shipyards to investigate alternative methods of abrasive waste management. The primary objective of this project was to study the technical feasibility and economic impacts of alternative methods of managing the waste stream produced through shipyard abrasive blasting operations. Tasks conducted as part of the project research included: A survey of shipyards to determine current practices in handling and disposal of used abrasive; Evaluation of treatment technologies for used mineral slag abrasive; Laboratory and pilot scale performance testing of selected technologies and Detailed economic analyses of the identified technologies to determine relative cost effectiveness.