Geopolymer technology for the solidification of simulated ion exchange resins with radionuclides.

In this study, geopolymer was applied to convert ion exchange resins contaminated with radionuclides into a solid waste form. Geopolymer has superior properties to enable the encapsulation of spent resins. The allowable limit of resin content in the converted waste form was analyzed to evaluate the solidification capability of geopolymer. The encapsulation of ion exchange resins into solid waste form was conducted using geopolymer prepared with ground granulated blast furnace slag and alkaline solution in an ambient atmosphere, with the addition of wollastonite powder to adjust its mechanical properties. The physical and mechanical properties of the converted solid wastes prepared using different resin content ratios and various SiO2/Na2O molar ratios were tested. The results indicate the wet ion exchange resin (the moisture content in the resin is 51%) content and the compressive strength of the solid resin waste were measured as 45 wt% and 8.5 MPa, respectively. The morphology and mineral phases of the formed solid wastes were characterized using SEM and EDS. The mechanical performance test results proved the formed solid wastes could comply with the fuel cycle and material administration standards ruled by the Atomic Energy Council of Taiwan. These results suggest that this blast furnace slag-based geopolymer is a promising matrix material for the solidification of radioactive wastes.

Groundwater Molybdenum from Emerging Industries in Taiwan.

This study determined the influence of emerging industries development on molybdenum (Mo) groundwater contamination. A total of 537 groundwater samples were collected for Mo determination, including 295 samples from potentially contaminated areas of 3 industrial parks in Taiwan and 242 samples from non-potentially contaminated areas during 2008-2014. Most of the high Mo samples are located downstream from a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panel factory. Mean groundwater Mo concentrations from potentially contaminated areas (0.0058 mg/L) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those from non-potentially contaminated areas (0.0022 mg/L). The highest Mo wastewater concentrations in the effluent from the optoelectronics industry and following wastewater batch treatment were 0.788 and 0.0326 mg/L, respectively. This indicates that wastewater containing Mo is a possible source of both groundwater and surface water contamination. Nine samples of groundwater exceed the World Health Organization's suggested drinking water guideline of 0.07 mg/L. A non-carcinogenic risk assessment for Mo in adults and children using the Mo concentration of 0.07 mg/L yielded risks of 0.546 and 0.215, respectively. These results indicate the importance of the development of a national drinking water quality standard for Mo in Taiwan to ensure safe groundwater for use. According to the human health risk calculation, the groundwater Mo standard is suggested as 0.07 mg/L. Reduction the discharge of Mo-contaminated wastewater from factories in the industrial parks is also the important task in the future.

Rapid reduction of lead leachate from hazardous fly ash using microwave treatment with acid combination.

The novelty of this study is to rapidly reduce hazardous lead leachates from solid waste using microwave digestion treatment, which is an energy-saving and low greenhouse gas emission technology. The article presents the reduction of toxic characteristic leaching procedure-extractable lead concentration in the municipal solid waste incineration fly ash by the microwave digestion treatment in HNO3/H2SO4 combination, and focuses on the effects of treatment time and temperature. The results obtained from this study indicated a significant reduction efficiency of toxic characteristic leaching procedure-extractable lead concentration and showed sufficient reduction in leaching levels to render the treated fly ash safe in lead compound leaching characteristics. The reduction efficiency of toxic characteristic leaching procedure-extractable lead concentration can reach 98% in 15 minutes of treatment time. This is equivalent to the original toxic characteristic leaching procedure-extractable lead concentration of 46.2 mg L(-1) in raw fly ash being reduced down to less than 1.0 mg L(-1). Based on the experimental data obtained in this study, a useful correlation between reduction efficiency and treatment conditions is proposed. For engineering applications, the necessary minimum treatment time is solved using a graphic illustration method, by which the minimum treatment time (t(min)) is obtained if the desired reduction efficiency (η) and treatment temperature (T) are known. The effects of treatment time and temperature are discussed. Some problems caused by the microwave digestion treatment method are also delineated in this article.

Destruction kinetic of PCDDs/Fs in MSWI fly ash using microwave peroxide oxidation.

Microwave peroxide oxidation is a less greenhouse gas emission and energy-efficient technology to destroy toxic organic compounds in hazardous waste. The research novelty is to adopt the innovative microwave peroxide oxidation in H2SO4/HNO3 solution to efficiently destroy the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs)/Fs in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash. The major objective of this paper is to study dynamic destruction of PCDDs/Fs using the microwave peroxide oxidation. Almost all PCDDs/Fs in the raw fly ash can be destructed in 120 min at a temperature of 423 K using the microwave peroxide oxidation treatment. It was found that the microwave peroxide oxidation provides the potential to destruct the PCDDs/Fs content in municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash to a low level as a function of treatment time. A useful kinetic correlation between destruction efficiency and treatment conditions is proposed on the basis of the experimental data obtained in this study. The significance of this work in terms of practical engineering applications is that the necessary minimum treatment time can be solved using a proposed graphic illustration method, by which the minimum treatment time is obtained if the desired destruction efficiency and treatment temperature are known. Because of inorganic salt dissolution, the temperature would be a critical factor facilitating the parts of fly ash dissolution. Material loss problem caused by the microwave peroxide oxidation and the effects of treatment time and temperature are also discussed in this paper.

Elucidating the effects of solar panel waste glass substitution on the physical and mechanical characteristics of clay bricks.

This study deals with the effect of solar panel waste glass on fired clay bricks. Brick samples were heated to temperatures which varied from 700-1000 degrees C for 6 h, with a heating rate of 10 degrees C min(-1). The material properties of the resultant material were then determined, including speciation variation, loss on ignition, shrinkage, bulk density, 24-h absorption rate, compressive strength and salt crystallization. The results indicate that increasing the amount of solar panel waste glass resulted in a decrease in the water absorption rate and an increase in the compressive strength of the solar panel waste glass bricks. The 24-h absorption rate and compressive strength of the solar panel waste glass brick made from samples containing 30% solar panel waste glass sintered at 1000 degrees C all met the Chinese National Standard (CNS) building requirements for first-class brick (compressive strengths and water absorption of the bricks were 300 kg cm(-2) and 10% of the brick, respectively). The addition of solar panel waste glass to the mixture reduced the degree of firing shrinkage. The salt crystallization test and wet-dry tests showed that the addition of solar panel waste glass had highly beneficial effects in that it increased the durability of the bricks. This indicates that solar panel waste glass is indeed suitable for the partial replacement of clay in bricks.

Synthesis Metakaolin-Based Geopolymer Incorporated with SiC Sludge Using Design of Experiment Method.

This study uses metakaolin, sodium hydroxide, sodium metasilicate, and water content as the reaction variables in the application of the design of experiment (DOE) method. At the same time, the various component factors and their interactions were analyzed to understand how these factors affect the mechanical properties of a metakaolin-based geopolymer incorporated with SiC sludge (SCSGPs). The results of the statistical analysis showed that the compressive strength of SCSGPs was affected by the Na/Si molar ratio (NSR) (p-level = 0.000 <0.05), the Na/Al molar ratio (NAR) (p-level= 0.000 <0.05), and the interaction between the dissolution rate of Si (DRA). Within the design scope of this study, the maximum compressive strength of SCSGPs and the coefficients of the NSR, the NAR, and the DRA of SCSGPs was evaluated. The multiple regression analysis and the tested coefficient of r2 were also studied. The multiple regression analysis models provide an effective reference for the application of SCSGPs.

Predicting the co-melting temperatures of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash and sewage sludge ash using grey model and neural network.

A grey model (GM) and an artificial neural network (ANN) were employed to predict co-melting temperature of municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash and sewage sludge ash (SSA) during formation of modified slag. The results indicated that in the aspect of model prediction, the mean absolute percentage error (MAPEs) were between 1.69 and 13.20% when adopting seven different GM (1, N) models. The MAPE were 1.59 and 1.31% when GM (1, 1) and rolling grey model (RGM (1, 1)) were adopted. The MAPEs fell within the range of 0.04 and 0.50% using different types of ANN. In GMs, the MAPE of 1.31% was found to be the lowest when using RGM (1, 1) to predict co-melting temperature. This value was higher than those of ANN2-1 to ANN8-1 by 1.27, 1.25, 1.24, 1.18, 1.16, 1.14 and 0.81%, respectively. GM only required a small amount of data (at least four data). Therefore, GM could be applied successfully in predicting the co-melting temperature of MSWI fly ash and SSA when no sufficient information is available. It also indicates that both the composition of MSWI fly ash and SSA could be applied on the prediction of co-melting temperature.

Recycling of Silicon Carbide Sludge on the Preparation and Characterization of Lightweight Foamed Geopolymer Materials.

This study used silicon carbide sludge (SCS) to prepare lightweight foaming geopolymer materials (FGPs) by the direct foaming method. Results showed that when the SCS replacement level was 10%, the bulk density of the lightweight FGPs with added foaming agent amounts of 0.5% and 2.0% was 0.59 and 0.49 g/cm3, respectively; at a curing time of 28 days, the lightweight FGPs with amounts of added foaming agent of 0.5% and 2.0% had bulk densities that were 0.65 and 0.58 g/cm3, respectively. When the SCS replacement level was 10%, and the amount of added foaming agent was 2.0%, the porosity ratio of the lightweight FGP increased from 31.88% to 40.03%. The mechanical strength of the lightweight FGPs with SCS replacement levels of 10% and 20% was 0.88 and 0.31 MPa, respectively. Additionally, when the amount of foaming agent increased to 2.0%, the thermal conductivity of the lightweight FGPs with SCS replacement levels of 10% and 20% were 0.370 and 0.456 W/m⋅K, respectively. When the curing time was 1 day, and the amount of added foaming agent was 0.5%, the reverse-side temperature of the lightweight FGPs with SCS replacement levels of 10% and 20% were 286 and 311 °C, respectively. The k value of the O2 reaction decreased from 2.94 × 10-4 to 1.76 × 10-4 because the reaction system was affected by the presence of SiC sludge, which was caused the reaction to consume O2 to form CO2. The results have been proposed to explain that the manufactured lightweight FGPs had a low thermal conductivity (0.370-0.456 W/m⋅K). Therefore, recycling of silicon carbide sludge in lightweight foaming geopolymer materials has potential as fire resistance material for the construction industry.

Waste brick's potential for use as a pozzolan in blended Portland cement.

This study investigated the pozzolanic reactions and engineering properties of waste brick-blended cements in relation to various replacement ratios (0-50%). The waste brick consisted of SiO(2) (63.21%), Al(2)O(3) (16.41%), Fe(2)O(3) (6.05%), Na(2)O (1.19%), K(2)O (2.83%) and MgO (1.11%), and had a pozzolanic activity index of 107%. The toxic characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) results demonstrate that the heavy-metal content in waste bricks met the Environmental Protection Agency regulatory limits. Experimental results indicate that 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% of cement can be replaced by waste brick, which causes the initial and final setting times to increase. Compressive strength development was slower in waste brick-blended cement (WBBC) pastes in the early ages; however, strength at the later ages increased significantly. Species analyses demonstrate that the hydrates in WBBC pastes primarily consisted of Ca(OH)(2) and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel, like those found in ordinary Portland cement (OPC) paste. Pozzolanic reaction products formed in the WBBC pastes, in particular, various reaction products, including hydrates of calcium silicates (CSH), aluminates (CAH) and aluminosilicates (CASH), formed as expected, resulting in consumption of Ca(OH)(2) during the late ages of curing. The changes in the properties of WBBC pastes were significant as blend ratio increased, due to the pores of C-S-H gels and CAH filling via pozzolanic reactions. This filling of gel pores resulted in densification and subsequently enhanced the gel/space ratio and degree of hydration. Experimental results demonstrate waste brick can be supplementary cementitious material.

Recycling waste brick from construction and demolition of buildings as pozzolanic materials.

This investigation elucidates the pozzolic characteristics of pastes that contain waste brick from building construction and demolition wastes. The TCLP leaching concentrations of waste brick for the target cations or heavy metals were all lower than the current regulatory thresholds of the Taiwan EPA. Waste brick had a pozzolanic strength activity index of 107% after 28 days. It can be regarded as a strong pozzolanic material. The compressive strengths of waste brick blended cement (WBBC) that contain 10% waste brick increased from 71.2 MPa at 28 days to 75.1 MPa at 60 days, an increase of approximately 5% over that period. At 28 days, the pozzolanic reaction began, reducing the amount of Ca(OH)(2) and increasing the densification. The intensity of the peak at 3640 cm(- 1) associated with Ca(OH)(2) is approximately the same for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) pastes. The hydration products of all the samples yield characteristics peaks at 978 cm(-1) associated with C-S-H, and at ~3011 cm(-1) and 1640 cm(-1) associated with water. The samples yield peaks at 1112 cm(-1), revealing the formation of ettringite. In WBBC pastes, the ratio Q(2)/Q(1) increases with curing time. These results demonstrate that increasing the curing time increases the number of linear polysilicate anions in C-S-H. Experimental results reveal that waste brick has potential as a pozzolanic material in the partial replacement of cement.

Composite Properties of Non-Cement Blended Fiber Composites without Alkali Activator.

The vigorous promotion of reuse and recycling activities in Taiwan has solved a number of problems associated with the treatment of industrial waste. Considerable advances have been made in the conversion of waste materials into usable resources, thereby reducing the space required for waste storage and helping to conserve natural resources. This study examined the use of non-alkali activators to create bonded materials. Our aims were to evaluate the feasibility of using ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (S) and circulating fluidized bed co-fired fly ash (F) as non-cement binding materials and determine the optimal mix proportions (including embedded fibers) with the aim of achieving high dimensional stability and good mechanical properties. Under a fixed water/binder ratio of 0.55, we combined S and F to replace 100% of the cement at S:F ratios of 4:6, 5:5, 6:4. Polypropylene fibers (L/d = 375) were also included in the mix at 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.5% of the volume of all bonded materials. Samples were characterized in terms of flowability, compressive strength, tensile strength, water absorption, shrinkage, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Specimens made with an S:F ratio of 6:4 achieved compressive strength of roughly 30 MPa (at 28 days), which is the 80% the strength of conventional cement-based materials (control specimens). The inclusion of 0.2% fibers in the mix further increased compressive strength to 35 MPa and enhanced composite properties.

Influence of SiC Sludge on the Microstructure of Geopolymers.

There are considerable resource reuse and environmental concerns regarding SiC sludge (SiCS) that results from cutting silicon ingots into wafers. In the current study, the effect of the Na2SiO3 solution/sodium hydroxide solution (NS/SS) mass ratio and SiCS amount on metakaolin geopolymers was found during geopolymerization system performance. The results indicate that while NS/SS ratio was relatively low, increasing the NaOH content resulted in a sufficient amount of OH- in the system to increase the solubility and hinder polycondensation, as indicated by the bulk density and setting-time results; since the polycondensation was inhibited, the mechanical strength was reduced. This study demonstrated that a geopolymer can be formed from a substitution of 10% SiCS and with an NS/SS ratio of 1.6, and that this geopolymer is a feasible material.

Sustainable Development and Performance Evaluation of Marble-Waste-Based Geopolymer Concrete.

The key objective of this study was to develop marble-based geopolymer concrete and examine the viability of its application as a sustainable structural material for the construction industry. The results of the research demonstrated that marble-based geopolymer concrete can be developed, and its physical/mechanical properties were shown to have a very good performance. According to various experimental tests and a large-scale ready-mixed plant test, it was found that the marble-based geopolymer concrete displayed a good workability and was not easily influenced by temperature changes. The results showed that marble-based geopolymer concrete has an excellent potential for further engineering development in the future.

Melting of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash by waste-derived thermite reaction.

This work describes a novel approach for melting municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash, based on self-propagating reactions, by using energy-efficient simulated waste-derived thermite. The self-propagating characteristics, the properties of the recycled alloy and slag and the partitioning of heavy metals during the process are also studied. Experimental results demonstrate that the mix ratio of fly ash to the starting mixture of less than 30% supports the development of the self-propagating reaction with a melting temperature of 1350-2200 degrees C. Furthermore, metallic iron (or alloy) and the slag were retrieved after activation of the thermite reactions among the starting mixtures. It was noted that more than 91wt.% of iron was retrieved as alloy and the rest of non-reductive oxides as slag. During the thermite reactions, the partition of heavy metals to the SFA and flue gas varied with the characteristics of the target metals: Cd was mainly partitioned to flue gas (75-82%), and partition slightly increased with the increasing fly ash ratio; Pb and Zn, were mainly partitioned to the SFA, and the partition increased with increasing fly ash ratio; Cu was partitioned to the SFA (18-31%) and was not found in the flue gas; and moreover stable Cr and Ni were not identified in both the SFA and flue gas. On the other hand, the determined TCLP leaching concentrations were all well within the current regulatory thresholds, despite the various FA ratios. This suggests that the vitrified fly ash samples were environmental safe in heavy metal leaching. The results of this study suggested that melting of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash by waste-derived thermite reactions was a feasible approach not only energy-beneficial but also environmental-safe.

Behaviour of heavy metals immobilized by co-melting treatment of sewage sludge ash and municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash.

This study elucidates the behaviour of heavy metals in slag produced from four different sewage sludge ashes mixed with municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash and then co-melted. Experimental results indicate that sewage sludge ashes consisted of SiO(2), CaO, and Al(2)O(3). Fly ash consisted of CaO, Na(2)O and SO(3). The speciation of sewage sludge ashes indicates that the ashes contained quartz and AlPO(4). The speciation in fly ash consisted of anhydrite, microcline, calcium chloride, sylvite and halite. The leaching behaviours of sewage sludge ashes met the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration's regulatory standards. The fly ash had high concentrations of Zn and Pb; however, the leaching of these metals was low. The major components of synthetic slags were SiO(2) (33.5-54.0%), CaO (21.4-36.7%), and Al(2)O(3) (8.1-15.7%). The X-ray diffraction patterns of co-melted slags demonstrate that the slags contained significant amounts of glass. Most heavy metals can be fixed in a net-like structure; thus, they can not be extracted easily. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) leaching concentrations for target metals in all slags met the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration's regulatory standards.

Circulation Fluidized Bed Combustion Fly Ash as Partial Replacement of Fine Aggregates in Roller Compacted Concrete.

Recently, many people around the world have been concerned with environmental protection and sustainability. The goal of various countries' research has been focused on how to regenerate existing resources. Circulation fluidized bed combustion (CFBC) technology is one of the emerging combustion technologies for electricity generation and produces more than 800,000 tons of CFBC fly ash (CFA) per year for combustion. CFA has been widely applied in cement additive, new building materials and cement-based materials. The goal of this study was to discuss the engineering properties of roller-compacted concrete containing CFA. Test subjects included compressive strength, flexural strength, absorption, setting time, unit weight, sulfate resistance, SEM microscopic observations and XRD ingredient analysis. Test results indicate the following: (1) using CFA as a substitute of fine aggregates up to 10 wt.% would improve the development of later flexural strength; (2) the increases in pre-pressure would increase the compressive strength and unit weight and decrease absorption; (3) using CFA would reduce the initial setting time by 30%-60% and reduce the final setting time by 16%-20%; (4) using CFA would reduce the absorption; (5) using CFA would reduce the unit weight by 0.5%-2.8%, and the increases in pre-pressure would increase the unit weight by about 0.9%-2.1%; (6) CaO in CFA helps to improve sulfate resistance; (7) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation shows that the increases in pre-pressure would reduce the pores; and (8) X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that the inclusion of CFA would increase the content of Ca(OH)2 in concrete.

The effects of calcium hydroxide on hydrogen chloride emission characteristics during a simulated densified refuse-derived fuel combustion process.

This study investigated the effects of different calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)(2)) addition methods on the potential for hydrogen chloride (HCl) formation in a simulated densified refuse-derived fuel (RDF-5) with single metal combustion system. These experiments were conducted at 850 degrees C with the Ca(OH)(2) spiked in the RDF-5 production or injection in the flue gas treatment system. The results indicated that the potential for HCl formation was decreased significantly by Ca(OH)(2) spiked in the RDF-5 production or injection in the flue gas treatment system. However, the Ca(OH)(2) injection method in the flue gas for HCl emission reduction was better than other method. According to the relationship between the HCl emission and amount of Ca(OH)(2) injected or spiked, it is interesting to find that when the Ca(OH)(2) injected or spiked ranged from 0% to 5%, the potential for HCl formation in the single metal combustion system decreases significantly with increasing Ca(OH)(2) injected or spiked ratio. A corresponding increase in the amount of CaCl(2) partitioned to the fly ash was observed. However, with the ratio of Ca(OH)(2) higher than 5%, the amount of HCl formation showed that no further significant variation occurred with increasing Ca(OH)(2) spiked ratio.

Elucidating the hydration properties of paste containing thin film transistor liquid crystal display waste glass.

This study discusses the thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) waste glass-blended cement (WGBC) pastes. It presents their compressive strength, their products of hydration and solid silicates changes. The samples were subjected to Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal and thermo-gravimetric analysis and (29)Si magnetic angle spinning/nuclear magnetic resonance. The experimental XRD results demonstrated the speciation of the TFT-LCD waste glass, and that the major component was SiO(2). At 40% substitution of TFT-LCD waste glass, at 28 days and 56 days, the compressive strength was 35% and 30% lower, respectively, than that of the Portland cement paste. The intensity of the Ca(OH)(2) band at 3,710 cm(-1) in the 56-day hydrated products of the WGBC pastes that contain TFT-LCD waste glass exhibit comparatively weak peaks suggesting that much Ca(OH)(2) during hydration was consumed. Later, the CSH contents of the WGBC pastes increased, revealing that liberated Ca(OH)(2) was consumed in pozzolanic reactions.

Use of thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) waste glass in the production of ceramic tiles.

In this study, we employ the following operating conditions: varied pressure (25 kgf/cm(2)), sintering temperature (900-1200 degrees C), sintering time (6h), percentage of thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) waste glass by weight (0-50%) and temperature rising at a rate of 5 degrees C/min, to fabricate clay tiles. The sintering characteristics of the clay blended with TFT-LCD waste glass tiles are examined to evaluate the feasibility of the reuse of TFT-LCD waste glass. TFT-LCD waste glass contains large amounts of glass. The TCLP leaching concentrations all met the ROC EPAs current regulatory thresholds. The addition of TFT-LCD waste glass to the mixture, increased the apparent weight loss. The incorporation of 50% TFT-LCD waste glass resulted in a significant increase in the porosity ratio of the specimens compared to the porosity ratio of the ceramic tile containing TFT-LCD waste glass. The main constituent in both the clay tile and the clay with TFT-LCD waste glass samples is quartz. Increasing the temperature resulted in an increase in the flexural strength and resistance to abrasion in the tiles. The porosity ratio decreases as shrinkage increases. The relation between the porosity ratio and the hardness of the tiles used in the study is also shown.

Dose-mortality assessment on municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) ash.

This study provides a novel attempt to put forward, in general toxicological terms, quantitative series of toxicity of various ashes of municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) for reusability in various applications. Previous study disclosed that growth inhibition of Escherichia coli DH5alpha occurred at concentrations above 0.156, 0.625 and 0.0195 gL(-1) for bottom ash (BA), cyclone ash (CA), scrubber ash (SA), respectively, suggesting the toxicity series of SA>BA>CA. However, the severity of such a toxicity series was not clearly revealed, thus whether ashes were still feasible for reuse in further applications was still remained uncertain. Compared to NaNO3, CrCl2 and CdCl2, the existing toxicities of ashes were apparently significant even these ashes were all satisfied by the TCLP guidelines for EPA regulations. Dose-response analysis based upon loss of cell viability (e.g., EC50) stated a toxicity series of SA>CrCl2>BA>CdCl2>CA>NaNO3. The ranking of Hill slope B in BA>SA>CA>NaNO3>CrCl2>CdCl2 clearly suggested the smallest tolerance (e.g., ranges from EC20 to EC50) for ashes very likely due to synergistic toxicity of multiple species present in ashes. The findings showed that toxicity attenuation of ashes should be the first-ranking task prior to practical reuse and recycle in applications.