LANDFILLED FINE GRAINED MIXED INDUSTRIAL WASTE: METAL RECOVERY

Abstract

This study describes the recovery and removal of heavy metals through washing from fine grained materials, recovered from mixed industrial waste (IW) from a landfill site. During this first screening, solutions of different concentrations of three inorganic acids (H2SO4, HCl and HNO3) were tested as possible lixiviants. It has been shown that the extraction of most heavy metals should take place at a well defined pH range in order to avoid dissolution of the matrix material (consisting mainly of Si, Fe, Al, Ca). Furthermore, the buffering effect of the studied material was shown to be stronger for smaller particle sizes, due to larger specific contact surfaces with the lixiviants and differences in composition.