Pilot trial of upcycling of MSWI fly ash into mineral wool: Effects of fluxing agents on vitrification, viscosity and heavy metal immobilization
Upcycling municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI-FA) into mineral wool offers a sustainable solution for both safe disposal and resource recovery of hazardous waste. Given the high calcium and low silica, alumina and magnesia content of MSWI-FA, the addition of fluxing agents (SiO2, Al2O3,...
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Elsevier
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Construction Materials |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525009222 |
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| author | Yike Zhang Zengyi Ma Mengxia Xu Jingqi Sun Bingyi Zhang Jiadong Zhang Penglin Ma Jianhua Yan |
| author_facet | Yike Zhang Zengyi Ma Mengxia Xu Jingqi Sun Bingyi Zhang Jiadong Zhang Penglin Ma Jianhua Yan |
| author_sort | Yike Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Upcycling municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI-FA) into mineral wool offers a sustainable solution for both safe disposal and resource recovery of hazardous waste. Given the high calcium and low silica, alumina and magnesia content of MSWI-FA, the addition of fluxing agents (SiO2, Al2O3, and MgO) is essential for optimizing vitrification and material properties. This study employs a four-factor, three-level orthogonal experimental design to systematically examine how these fluxing agents influence vitrification, melt viscosity, and heavy metal immobilization. Results indicate that SiO2 content above 30 wt% and Al2O3 content between 10 and 15 wt% act as effective network formers, promoting the formation of Q2 and Q3 silica tetrahedra, and enhancing heavy metal retention, albeit with higher melt viscosity and production temperatures. Conversely, MgO and MSWI-FA function as network modifiers, disrupting Si-O-Si and Si-O-Al bonds, thereby reducing viscosity, lowering fiberization temperature, and broadening the operation window for mineral wool formation. Pilot trials using four-roller centrifugal spinning confirm that the optimized MSWI-FA-derived mineral wool exhibits excellent thermal and fire-resistant properties, and economic assessment confirms its positive economic benefits, underscoring its potential for large-scale application. Collectively, these findings provide new insights into the structural influence of fluxing agents and substantiate the feasibility of producing high-quality mineral wool from MSWI-FA through controlled vitrification. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-68a37d20fec2412cb54984dbd89e3b24 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2214-5095 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Construction Materials |
| spelling | doaj-art-68a37d20fec2412cb54984dbd89e3b242025-08-20T02:49:55ZengElsevierCase Studies in Construction Materials2214-50952025-12-0123e0512410.1016/j.cscm.2025.e05124Pilot trial of upcycling of MSWI fly ash into mineral wool: Effects of fluxing agents on vitrification, viscosity and heavy metal immobilizationYike Zhang0Zengyi Ma1Mengxia Xu2Jingqi Sun3Bingyi Zhang4Jiadong Zhang5Penglin Ma6Jianhua Yan7Ningbo Global Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo 315100, China; State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaNingbo Global Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo 315100, China; State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; Corresponding author at: Ningbo Global Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo 315100, China.Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo 315100, China; Corresponding author.State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaNingbo Global Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo 315100, China; State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaUpcycling municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI-FA) into mineral wool offers a sustainable solution for both safe disposal and resource recovery of hazardous waste. Given the high calcium and low silica, alumina and magnesia content of MSWI-FA, the addition of fluxing agents (SiO2, Al2O3, and MgO) is essential for optimizing vitrification and material properties. This study employs a four-factor, three-level orthogonal experimental design to systematically examine how these fluxing agents influence vitrification, melt viscosity, and heavy metal immobilization. Results indicate that SiO2 content above 30 wt% and Al2O3 content between 10 and 15 wt% act as effective network formers, promoting the formation of Q2 and Q3 silica tetrahedra, and enhancing heavy metal retention, albeit with higher melt viscosity and production temperatures. Conversely, MgO and MSWI-FA function as network modifiers, disrupting Si-O-Si and Si-O-Al bonds, thereby reducing viscosity, lowering fiberization temperature, and broadening the operation window for mineral wool formation. Pilot trials using four-roller centrifugal spinning confirm that the optimized MSWI-FA-derived mineral wool exhibits excellent thermal and fire-resistant properties, and economic assessment confirms its positive economic benefits, underscoring its potential for large-scale application. Collectively, these findings provide new insights into the structural influence of fluxing agents and substantiate the feasibility of producing high-quality mineral wool from MSWI-FA through controlled vitrification.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525009222Municipal solid waste incineration fly ashMineral woolViscosityVitrificationHeavy metal |
| spellingShingle | Yike Zhang Zengyi Ma Mengxia Xu Jingqi Sun Bingyi Zhang Jiadong Zhang Penglin Ma Jianhua Yan Pilot trial of upcycling of MSWI fly ash into mineral wool: Effects of fluxing agents on vitrification, viscosity and heavy metal immobilization Case Studies in Construction Materials Municipal solid waste incineration fly ash Mineral wool Viscosity Vitrification Heavy metal |
| title | Pilot trial of upcycling of MSWI fly ash into mineral wool: Effects of fluxing agents on vitrification, viscosity and heavy metal immobilization |
| title_full | Pilot trial of upcycling of MSWI fly ash into mineral wool: Effects of fluxing agents on vitrification, viscosity and heavy metal immobilization |
| title_fullStr | Pilot trial of upcycling of MSWI fly ash into mineral wool: Effects of fluxing agents on vitrification, viscosity and heavy metal immobilization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pilot trial of upcycling of MSWI fly ash into mineral wool: Effects of fluxing agents on vitrification, viscosity and heavy metal immobilization |
| title_short | Pilot trial of upcycling of MSWI fly ash into mineral wool: Effects of fluxing agents on vitrification, viscosity and heavy metal immobilization |
| title_sort | pilot trial of upcycling of mswi fly ash into mineral wool effects of fluxing agents on vitrification viscosity and heavy metal immobilization |
| topic | Municipal solid waste incineration fly ash Mineral wool Viscosity Vitrification Heavy metal |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214509525009222 |
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