Thermal treatment of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash using DC double arc argon plasma

In this study, glassy slag was produced by melting fly ash samples without any additives in a thermal plasma reactor, the core of which was a DC double anode plasma torch. After vitrification, there was an obvious change in the microstructural and the mineralogical characterization, an excellent resistance against leaching of heavy metal ions and a significant decomposition rate (99.95%) of PCDD/Fs in TEQ in the produced slag. These results indicate that the thermal plasma vitrification is an alternative technology with high efficiency and energy to dispose MSWI fly ash. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.