Method development for the quality assessment of sewage sludge ashes (QM-KSA) - Phase I: Preliminary study on the applicability of portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy for the rapid determination of nutrients and pollutants in sewage sludge ashes
Abstract
In Vienna, various incineration residues are generated. Sewage sludge ashes are a part of these solid residues, which are generated during the incineration of organic residues from wastewater treatment. However, these sewage sludges contain significant amounts of macronutrients, such as phosphorus, calcium, potassium or magnesium, which accumulate in the solid residues or sewage sludge ashes after waste incineration. In addition to the macronutrients, sewage sludge ashes also contain micronutrients as well as inorganic pollutants such as heavy metals. Currently these ashes are landfilled. In the future, in terms of the circular economy, efforts should be made to utilise waste streams like sewage sludge ashes as recycling materials. In order to be allowed to use such wastes as recycling products, the waste composition must be determined in a first step. According to the current state of the art, the determination of the material composition is carried out by analytical methods such as AAS, ICP-OES or ICP-MS, for which a sample digestion is required. In the present project, the applicability of the (portable) X-ray fluorescence analysis as an alternative analysis method is investigated, which allows a timely and non-destructive determination of the ash composition.
keywords X-ray fluorescence analysis sewage sludge ashes environmental impact assessment waste characterisation Method development for quality assessment
Publikationen
Project staff
Florian Part
Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Florian Part
florian.part@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-81344
Project Leader
01.05.2018 - 30.11.2018