Pilot Scale Study on Plasma Vitrification of Municipal Waste Incinerator Fly Ash

The plasma vitrification is one method of detoxification and disposal of municipal waste incinerator (MSWI) fly ash. To obtain key data for engineering application, MSWI fly ash was melted with a pilot scale plasma furnace at the conditions of continuous feeding and discharging. The properties of slag, secondary fly ash and off-gas were analyzed, and the energy consumption calculated. According to the test, the densities of slag quenched by water and air are 3.01 and 2.90 g/cm³, respectively. The leaching test results of heavy metals from the two kinds of slags were all below the limits in Identification standards for hazardous wastes-Identification for extraction toxicity (GB 5085.3-2007). During the pilot scale test, about 280 kg fly ash was melted, and energy consumption of fly ash melting was 1.12 kW·h/kg. The production ratio of secondary fly ash was 7.1%, with NaCl and KCl as its major components.