ABSTRACT
Magnetic fractions (MFs) in fly ashes from eight coal-burning power plants were extracted by magnetic separation procedure. Their mineralogy and potential leachability of heavy metals were analyzed using rock magnetism, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) and leaching procedures (toxicity characteristics leaching procedure by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, TCLP, and gastric juice simulation test, GJST). Results show that the MFs in the fly ashes range between 2.2 and 16.3wt%, and are generally composed of magnetite, hematite, quartz and mullite. Thermomagnetic analysis and SEM/EDX indicate that the main magnetic carrier magnetite is substituted with small amounts of impure ions, and its structures are featured by rough, dendritic and granular iron spherules. The MFs are found to be rich in Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Cd and Pb. Compared with the non-magnetic fractions (NMFs), the MFs have about 5 times higher iron, and 1.6 times higher Mn, Cr, Cu and Cd concentrations. The TCLP test shows that the TCLP-extractable Cr, Cu, and Pb concentrations in the MFs are higher than those in the NMFs, while the TCLP-extractable Cd concentration in the MFs and NMFs is below the detection limit (<0.1mg/L). The GJST-extractable Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb concentrations in the MFs are higher those in the NMFs. No significant difference in the leachability ratio of Cr, Cu and Pb with TCLP and GJST is found in the MFs and NMFs. However, the GJST test showed that Pb has higher leachability in MFs than that in NMFs. The leachability ratio of heavy metals has an order of Cu>Cr>Pb>Cd. The heavy metals of fly ashes have a great potential to be released into the environment under acid environment.
Subject(s)
Carbon/chemistry , Coal , Magnetics , Metals, Heavy/isolation & purification , Minerals/isolation & purification , Particulate Matter/chemistry , Absorption , Aluminum Silicates , China , Coal Ash , Ferric Compounds , Ferrosoferric Oxide , Minerals/chemistry , QuartzABSTRACT
This work studied the effectiveness of fly ash in removing phosphate from aqueous solution and its related removal mechanism. The adsorption and precipitation of phosphate by fly ash were investigated separately in order to evaluate their role in the removal of phosphate. Results showed that the removal of phosphate by fly ash was rapid. The removal percentage of phosphate in the first 5min reached 68-96% of the maximum removal of phosphate by fly ash. The removal processes of phosphate by fly ash included a fast and large removal representing precipitation, then a slower and longer removal due to adsorption. The adsorption of phosphate on fly ash could be described well by Freundlich isotherm equation. The pH and Ca2+ concentration of fly ash suspension were decreased with the addition of phosphate, which suggests that calcium phosphate precipitation is a major mechanism of the phosphate removal. Comparison of the relative contribution of the adsorption and precipitation to the total removal of phosphate by fly ash showed that the adsorption accounted for 30-34% of the total removal of phosphate, depending on the content of CaO in fly ash. XRD patterns of the fly ash before and after phosphate adsorption revealed that phosphate salt (CaHPO4 x 2H2O) was formed in the adsorption process. Therefore, the removal of phosphate by fly ash can be attributed to the formation of phosphate precipitation as a brushite and the adsorption on hydroxylated oxides. The results suggested that the use of fly ash could be a promising solution to the removal of phosphate in the wastewater treatment and pollution control.