Experimental method for the assessment and characterization of hazardous waste for long-term storage

Long-term landfilling of hazardous waste should be a careful choice for any producer or generator of waste, as the behavior of the waste is different due to the physical-chemical conditions or following contact with other hazardous waste. In this study, the research undertaken was aimed at developing an experimental method for the assessment and characterization of hazardous waste for long-term storage. The method consists in the assessment of the behavior of heavy metals from waste, under different leaching conditions. To study various hazardous wastes, fly ash from the incineration of medical waste and slag from aluminum casting were chosen. Contact time, pH and redox potential are important parameters in the leaching process. The solubility of metals increases at pH values between 2 - 5 pH units and decreases at pH values between 6-12 pH units. The highest solubility of metals (As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the tested waste was obtained after 48 hours at pH values between 2 - 5 pH units. Also, the values of the redox potential decrease almost linearly as the pH value increases. The developed method is a useful tool to assess the behavior of hazardous waste for long-term storage in landfills for this category of wastes.