MSWI FLY ASH TREATMENT AND ENCAPSULATION IN BOTTOM ASH

Our company has been at the forefront of researching the beneficial uses of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash and Bottom Ash since 2010. With our unique technology, we are able to treat MSWI Fly Ash with acid and nanocomposites, transforming it into a sand-like material and rendering the heavy metals resistant to leaching. We combine the treated Fly Ash with Bottom Ash to create a composite material “concrete-like” material that we’ve named Ashcrete.

Ashcrete is a dense material with an average weight of 1.8092 g/cm3, and it boasts excellent impermeability and a compressive strength of >3000 psi. One of the key benefits of our process is that it generates no residual waste, making it a 100% clean process. Additionally, during the process, metals >0.45mm can be recovered, contributing to the circular economy.

Our unique technology demonstrates that waste can be transformed into a beneficial material that helps to prevent millions of tons of ash from ending up in landfills. We are proud to be leading the way in sustainable waste management practices.

Why is the technology needed?

The technology developed by our team is crucial to addressing the growing problem of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Ash generated from the combustion of MSW. Currently, ash residues from MSW combustion make up between 15-25% (by weight) and 5-15% (by volume) of the MSW processed, with the majority being sent to landfills, contributing to the waste management problem.

Our technology provides a sustainable solution by treating MSWI Fly Ash with acid and nanocomposites, transforming it into a sand-like material and rendering the heavy metals resistant to leaching. By combining the treated Fly Ash with Bottom Ash and a composite material, we create Ashcrete, a versatile “concrete-like” material with high compressive strength and impermeability. The use of Ashcrete prevents millions of tons of ash from ending up in landfills and contributes to a circular economy by recovering metals >0.45mm during the process.

In addition to being a sustainable solution, our technology generates no residual waste, making it a 100% clean process. Therefore, our technology is essential in addressing the growing problem of MSW ash and transforming waste into a beneficial material.

CO2 CAPTURE AND STORAGE

The Thermal Waste to Energy sector is responsible for releasing 41.4 million tons of CO2 yearly into the atmosphere in the U.S. This presents an urgent need to find ways to capture and store this CO2 and transform the sector into a source of green energy. One promising solution is to store the CO2 in the ash byproduct generated by the incineration process. This would make the Waste to Power sector carbon neutral, as all of the CO2 emitted can be absorbed and stored.

In addition, the ash can be transformed into a “Super Green Concrete” that not only prevents it from reaching landfills but also absorbs and stores an additional 7.2% of CO2 from other sources. This transformation would contribute to a circular economy, preventing millions of tons of waste from ending up in landfills.

Moreover, the resulting “Green Concrete” from ash will be a Photocatalytic concrete that can break down air pollutants such as CO2 through a process called photocatalytic oxidation. This reaction is produced by Titanium dioxide (TiO2), which is commonly present in the Bottom Ash.

By capturing and storing CO2 in the ash byproduct and transforming it into a beneficial material, the Waste to Power sector can become a source of green energy and contribute to a sustainable future.

References

1. EPA. EPA gov emissions. [Online] JULY 27, 2021. [Cited: October 7, 2021.] https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases.

2. Michigan, University of. Center for Sustainable Systems. MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE FACTSHEET. [Online] 2017. [Cited: October 7, 2021.] https://css.umich.edu/factsheets/municipal-solid-waste-factsheet.

3. Energy Recovery Council. 2018 Directory of Wasto to Energy Facilities. s.l. : Energy Recovery Council, 2018.

4. zerowasteeurope. Understanding the carbon impacts of Waste to Energy incineration. Zero Waste Europe. [Online] MAR 18, 2020. [Cited: October 7, 2021.] https://zerowasteeurope.eu/2020/03/understanding-the-carbon-impacts-of-waste-to-energy/#:~:text=Each%20tonne%20of%20MSW%20incinerated,wood%2C%20paper%20and%20food)..

5. Baoguo , Han, Liqing , Zhang and Jinping, Ou. Photocatalytic Concrete. Springer. [Online] Springer, June 13, 2017. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-10-4349-9_17#:~:text=Photocatalytic%20concrete%20is%20a%20type,the%20involvement%20of%20light%20illumination..

ZERO ASH IN LANDFILLS INITIATIVE

The Zero Ash in Landfills Initiative aims to address the significant environmental impact of Waste Incineration Ash (WIA) disposal. Every day, millions of tons of WIA are deposited in landfills, creating a potential hazard to ground and surface water, air, and soil. WIA comes from a variety of sources, such as Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Incineration, Hazardous Waste Incineration, Medical Waste Incineration, Industrial Waste Incineration, Water Treatment Plant Sludge Incineration, Biomass Incineration, among others.

At Ashcrete Technologies, we have developed a unique technology that can transform and upcycle WIA into a beneficial composite material, which we call “Ashcrete”. This material can be used instead of concrete and is a true Ecological or Green concrete since it uses WIA instead of traditional aggregate (sand and gravel).

Our initiative aims to transform the WIA waste streams generated daily and upcycle the Ash that has been disposed of in landfills into useful structures, such as roads, bridges, barriers, extreme weather condition structures, marine environments, and more.

We have already tested our technology worldwide with input from governments, professors, and scientists. In New York State, we have applied for a MSWI Combined Ash Beneficial Use Determination, (Status: Pending BUD Petition No. 1395-0-00).

At present, we are engaged in discussions with Metro-Vancouver and the BC Ministry of Environment in Canada to develop an effective strategy for recycling and transforming their MSWI Fly Ash and MSWI Bottom Ash waste streams. Our goal is to convert these materials into a useful resource, creating a positive impact on the environment and promoting sustainability.

Our project proposal for ash and other waste characterization at Semakau landfill in Singapore has been submitted to the National Environmental Agency, which holds responsibility for ash beneficial use permits. We are eagerly awaiting their response and hope to obtain the necessary permits to proceed with our project. Our goal is to gather valuable data on the waste materials present at the landfill and explore innovative ways to transform them into useful resources, thus promoting sustainable waste management practices.

This video will give you an idea of what needs to be done, this case example is the Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Ash Monofill located in Babylon, Long Island – New York, USA, which is about to reach full capacity.

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Incineration Bottom Ash and Combined Ash transformation.

Ashcrete Technologies has developed a revolutionary technology that can transform Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Incineration Bottom Ash and Combined Ash (MSW Bottom Ash + MSW Fly Ash) into a concrete-like composite material that is suitable for use in a variety of applications such as roads, bridges, barriers, and marine structures. This innovative process has the potential to transform waste streams into a sustainable resource, contributing to a circular economy.

The transformation of ash into Ashcrete takes place at the atomic level, where the ash ions are stimulated by nanocomposites, allowing their absorption by the products generated during the hydration reaction. This absorption can be categorized into physical and chemical absorption, with the former being caused by van der Waals forces between particles and the latter being the result of chemical bond formation.

Ashcrete is a true green concrete, made using 100% waste materials (MSW Incineration Ash), with a dense matrix that prevents harmful solutions from penetrating the material. This eliminates the mechanisms that can cause conventional concrete to deteriorate, resulting in significantly improved durability properties. Tests including permeability, freeze-thaw, scaling, abrasion, resistance to ASR, and carbonation have shown that Ashcrete outperforms conventional concrete in these areas.”

Ashcrete Appearance

Ash Ion Migration

The below table shows the migration of elements, in yellow raw ash elements, in green XRF elemental analysis of Ashcrete (Composite concrete-like material made with MSW I. Ash).

X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer

Ashcrete Strength

At 28 days Ashcrete surpasses the 30 Mpa (>4000 psi) mark.

ENVIRONMENTAL TESTS

SW-846 Test Method 1311: Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure

RoHS