Simulation of heavy metals behaviour during Co-processing of fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration with cement raw meal in a rotary kiln

Fly ash produced from incineration of municipal solid wastes (MSW) contains heavy metals, such as Cd and Pb, that make this material difficult to manage and dispose of safely. Because the composition of fly ash is similar to cement raw meal, partial replacement of raw meal with fly ash may be a feasible way to reduce the health and environmental hazards of the ash, provided that the heavy metals can be effectively stabilized in the solid phase. This research employs proprietary thermochemical software to simulate the thermodynamic behavior and single-step fixation of Cd and Pb in industrial cement kilns. The effect of Cd, Pb and Cl loadings on the fixation and/or evaporation of Cd and Pb during the sintering process is analyzed using data from industrial cement kilns. A simplified model is created based on elemental mass balance to evaluate multi-step fixation of Cd and Pb with cement kiln dust recycle.The results indicate that Cd forms Cd(OH)2(g) in a highly alkaline environment, while nearly 90% Pb is volatilized as PbCl2(g). In the clinker, increased Cl-1 decreased the proportion of Pb and Cd, moreover, Pb and Cd increased in kiln dust with Cl-1 increased; Calculations using a kiln dust recycle model showed that, the concentrations of Pb and Cd in both kiln dust and clinker increased sharply after recycling of kiln dust in steady state. Under unstable conditions, the concentrations of Pb and Cd in kiln dust increased, as well as the heavy metals re-entering the cement kiln.