Release of heavy metals from a municipal solid waste incineration residue stabilized in non traditional matrices

Two binding matrices based on blast furnace slag and fly ash-lime mixture have been used for solidification\stabilization of a residue from municipal solid waste incinerator containing heavy metals. The same matrices have also been used in model systems, each containing the soluble nitrate of one of the metals of the waste. The scope was to get useful information for understanding the interactions between each metal and the two matrices. When the metals are initially present as soluble salts, can respeciate and are leached in variable amounts depending on the nature of metal itself and matrix, as well as on the initial content of soluble metal salt. When the metals are present as stable oxides produced in the incineration process, no respeciation takes place and leachability results to be strongly dependent on the physical properties of the hardened product.