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Assessment of contaminant leaching from municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration bottom ash (IBA) is crucial in determining its fate. Investigating the role of pH to examine the fluctuations in contaminant leaching would enhance understanding of the leaching behavior of IBA due to the changes in surrounding environment. However, leaching from IBA has chiefly been studied at its intrinsic pH. Present study examines the influence of pH on leaching of contaminants from IBA collected from two incineration plants of Delhi using CEN/TS 14429 (2015). The test results revealed the amphoteric nature of Pb and Zn, exhibiting high leaching at low and high pH, whereas low leaching at neutral to moderately high pH. The leaching concentration of Cd, Cr, Cu, and Ni increased under acidic pH conditions but was much lower at neutral to alkaline pH. The leaching pattern of Sb resembled Mo, with their concentrations decreasing under acidic pH, increasing until moderately high pH, and decreasing again under very high pH. The variation in the leaching of chlorides and sulfates with pH is insignificant in comparison to trace metal(loid)s. The test results further demonstrated that fresh IBA, having alkaline pH between 10-12, is suitable for disposal in non-hazardous waste landfills however, IBA having pH between 8-10, may have to be disposed in hazardous waste landfills due to aggravated leaching of antimony. Moreover, caution is indispensable when co-disposing IBA with MSW as degradation of MSW can cause pH to shift towards the acidic range which exacerbate the contaminant leaching from IBA.
9th International Congress on Environmental Geotechnics (ICEG2023)
Contaminant Fate and Transport