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- Accelerated aging (1)
- Bottom ash (1)
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- Geotextiles (1)
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Organisationseinheit der BAM
Wet-mechanical treatment: Processing of bituminous road construction waste in a jigging machine
(2023)
Jigging machines are used in processing technology in many areas. Examples are the processing of coal, ores, and primary and secondary raw and waste materials. Even small differences in density are offen sufficient for successful sorting. In the work presented here, milled material from road construction waste contaminated with bitumen is to be separated from uncontaminated material. In this way, scarce landfill space could be saved and mineral material be returned to the material cycle.
The use of ashes from municipal solid waste incineration as secondary building materials is an important pillar for the circular economy in Germany. However, leaching of potential toxic elements from these materials must be at environmentally acceptable levels. Normally, a three-month ageing period immobilizes most hazardous heavy metals, but antimony (Sb) and vanadium (V) showed previously unusual leaching. In order to clarify the mechanisms, we analyzed the Sb and V species in various bottom and fly ashes from municipal waste incineration by XANES spectroscopy. Antimony oxidizes from Sb(+ III) species used as flame retardants in plastics to Sb(+ V) compounds during waste incineration. However, owing to the similarity of different Sb(+ V) compound in the Sb K- and L-edge XANES spectra, it was not possible to accurately identify an exact Sb(+ V) species. Moreover, V is mainly present as oxidation state + V compound in the analyzed ashes. However, the coarse and magnetic fraction of the bottom ashes contain larger amounts of V(+ III) and V(+ IV) compounds which might enter the waste incineration from vanadium carbide containing steel tools. Thus, Sb and V could be critical potential toxic elements in secondary building materials and long-term monitoring of the release should be taken into account in the future.
Direct and indirect effects (DIERec) of the recovery of secondary resources are in the range of 500 million tons per year in Germany; energy savings are 1.4 million TJ. These savings are between 10 and 20% of the total. The effects of materials recovery exceed those of energy recovery by far except for secondary plastic material, where DIERec from energy recovery is higher by factor of 2.7. Untapped potential for the recovery of secondary resources exists in the fine fraction of bottom ash from municipal solid waste incineration, mainly Cu and precious metals, and in urban mining.
Investigation on the Durability of a Polypropylene Geotextile under Artificial Aging Scenarios
(2024)
Geosynthetics are widely used in various civil engineering applications, such as geotextiles in coastal protection, and display a sustainable alternative to natural mineral materials. However, the full benefits of using geosynthetics can only be gained with a long service lifetime of the products. With the use of added stabilizers to the polymers, service lifetimes can be achieved in the range of 100 years. Therefore, accelerated aging methods are needed for the assessment of the long-term performance of geotextiles. In the present study, the behavior of geosynthetic materials made of polypropylene was investigated under artificial aging conditions involving elevated temperatures ranging from 30 to 80 °C, increased oxygen pressures ranging from 10 to 50 bar in water-filled autoclaves, and UV irradiation under atmospheric conditions. ATR-IR spectroscopy was employed to detect the increase in the carbonyl index over various aging durations, indicating the oxidative degradation of the geotextile. The most pronounced increase was observed in the case of aging through UV irradiation, followed by thermal aging. Elevated pressure, on the other hand, had a lower impact on oxidation. High-temperature size exclusion chromatography was utilized to follow the reduction in molar mass under different degradation conditions, and the results were consistent with those obtained from ATR-IR spectroscopy. In polyolefins such as polypropylene, Hindered Amine Stabilizers (HAS) are used to suppress oxidation caused by UV radiation. The quantitative analysis of HAS was carried out using a UV/Vis method and HPLC. The degradation of UV stabilizers during the aging of geotextiles is responsible for the oxidation and the reduction in the molar mass of polypropylene. From the results, it can be concluded that applications of PP geotextile without soil or sand cover might cause the risk of the formation of microplastic particles. Material selection, design, and maintenance of the construction must follow best practices, including the system’s removal or replacement at end-of-life. Otherwise, a sustainable use of geotextiles in civil engineering is not possible.
Due to its large mineral fraction, incineration bottom ash (IBA) from municipal solid waste incineration is an interesting raw material that can be used for road construction or to produce secondary building materials. However, leaching chloride, sulfate, and potentially harmful heavy metals may cause problems in using IBA in civil engineering. Investigating leaching behavior is crucial for the assessment of the environmental compatibility of IBA applications. Various test procedures are available for that purpose. In the present study, a long-term leaching test of a wet-mechanically treated IBA was performed in a lysimeter for almost six years.
While concentrations of chloride, sulfate and the majority of the heavy metals started to decrease rapidly with progressive liquid-to-solid ratio (L/S), antimony (Sb) and vanadium (V) behaved differently. At the beginning of the lysimeter test, the Sb and V concentrations were low, but after approximately one year of operation at an L/S ratio of around 0.8 L/kg, a steady increase was observed. It was shown that this increase is the result of low Ca concentrations due to the formation of CaCO3.
With the data, the solubility products from Ca-antimonate and Ca-vanadate were calculated. The unusual leaching behavior of Sb and V should be kept in mind when considering field scenarios and evaluating the impact on the environment.