Blending as a Strategy for Reusing Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator Ash in Road-Base Construction
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 9
Abstract
Bottom and combined ash samples from municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) facilities in Florida were compared with industry aggregate standards to determine suitability for use as a road base. Although MSWI ashes tested in this work generally conformed to these standards for bearing strength (i.e., limerock bearing ratios above 100%), blending with commercially available aggregates is proposed as a strategy for improving overall material homogeneity and quantity. This work presents that MSWI ash can exhibit acceptable parameters defined in existing specifications for road-base materials on their own or by blending with commercially available aggregates, bolstering existing supplies of base materials while contributing to landfill diversion. The overall trend for bearing strength decreases with increasing MSWI bottom ash replacement (except for recycled asphalt pavement), but there appears to be a positive correlation between blend coefficients of uniformity () and bearing strength (). This suggests that gradation and material types may be parameters for identifying potential blends for advanced testing and developing quality control and assurance standards for material production and construction.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County as well as the Hinkley Center for Solid and Hazardous Waste Management at the University of Florida. Special thanks to the operations and engineering staff that supported this project. Logistical support was provided by Babcock & Wilcox during the sampling for this experiment, as well as the landfill staff at the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County. Recognition of graduate and undergraduate support for this project is as follows: Justin Roessler, Matthew Schafer, Kyle Clavier, Fernando Daniel Oliveira, Edward Galvan, and Ron Cahlon.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 9 • September 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 6, 2020
Accepted: May 11, 2020
Published online: Jul 10, 2020
Published in print: Sep 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Dec 10, 2020
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