Municipal Solid Waste Combustor Bottom Ash Stockpile Runoff and Dust Emissions Evaluation

Residues from municipal waste combustors in the US are currently managed by disposal, usually as combined ash in permitted monofills. In Europe it is a common practice in many locales to separate the bottom ash produced in municipal solid waste combustors from the fly ash. The bottom ash is processed and used as a substitute aggregate material in road construction and the fly ash is disposed of,sometimes with treatment, in secure landfills. If residues are to be recycled in the U.S., it will most likely require the separation of the bottom ash and the fly ash streams. A major precondition for using bottom ash as an aggregate substitute material in the U.S. is the identification of and, if needed, the mitigation of all potential environmental impacts associated with the use of thebottom ash in construction applications.