Heavy metals and PCDD/Fs in solid waste incinerator fly ash in Zhejiang province, China: chemical and bio-analytical characterization

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2012-06, Vol.184 (6), p.3711-3720
• Main Authors: Yao, Jun, Li, WenBing, Xia, FangFang, Zheng, YuanGe, Fang, ChengRan, Shen, DongSheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollutants - toxicity; Air pollution; Air pollution control; Analytical chemistry; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Benzofurans - analysis; Benzofurans - toxicity; Bioassays; Cadmium; China; Chlorella; Chlorella pyrenoidosa; Civil engineering; Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental engineering; Environmental impact; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Fly ash; Heavy metals; Incineration; Incinerators; Investigations; Leachates; Leaching; Medical wastes; Metals; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Metals, Heavy - toxicity; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Particulate Matter - analysis; Particulate Matter - toxicity; Pollutants; Pollution control; Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analogs & derivatives; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analysis; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - toxicity; Solid wastes; Solids; Studies; Toxicity; Waste disposal
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-011-2218-0

Fly ash samples were taken from solid waste incinerators with different feeding waste, furnace type, and air pollution control device in six cities of Zhejiang province. The solid waste incinerators there constitute one fifth of incinerators in China. Heavy metals and polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were analyzed in the fly ash. Moreover, the fly ash samples were extracted by toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). The biotoxicity of the leachate was evaluated by Chlorella pyrenoidosa. High variation and contents were found for both the heavy metals and PCDD/Fs. The contents of Zn, Cu, As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Hg in the fly ash samples varied from 300 to 32,100, 62.1–1175, 1.1–57, 61.6–620, 0.4–223, 16.6–4380, 1.2–94.7, and 0.03–1.4 μg g −1  dw, respectively. The total contents of 17 PCDD/Fs varied from 0.1128 to 127.7939 μg g −1  dw, and the 2,3,7,8-TeCDD toxic equivalents (TEQ) of PCDD/Fs ranged from 0.009 to 6.177 μg g −1  dw. PCDF congeners were the main contributor to the TEQ. The leachate of the fly ash showed biotoxicity to C . pyrenoidosa . A significant correlation was found between the Cd and EC 50 values. Further research is required to investigate the environmental impact of the various pollutants in the fly ash.