Samples of active coke, fresh and spent after cleaning flue gases from communal waste incinerators, were studied. The outer layers of both coke particles were separately removed by comminution mechanism in a spouted bed. Analyses included density, mercury porosimetry and adsorption. The remaining cores were examined to determine the degree of consumption of coke by adsorption of hazardous emissions (SO2, HCl, heavy metals) through its bed. The differences in contamination levels within the porous structure of the particles were estimated. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of active coke in the cleaning of flue gases.

Przez bardzo długi okres czasu polska gospodarka odpadami opierała się głównie na składowaniu odpadów na składowiskach, co negatywnie wpływało na otaczające środowisko. Wymagania unijne wobec państw członkowskich sprawiły, że w polskim prawodawstwie dotyczącym gospodarki odpadami nastąpiła rewolucja, a samorządy stały się odpowiedzialne za stworzenie lokalnych systemów gospodarki odpadami komunalnymi, które wpłyną na osiągnięcie unijnych celów. Jednym z rozwiązań, którego podjęło się kilka gmin, jest wybudowanie i eksploatacja instalacji termicznego przekształcania odpadów komunalnych, które nie tylko wpłynęły na zmniejszenie ilości odpadów składowanych, ale wsparły lokalną energetykę poprzez wytworzenie energii elektrycznej i ciepła. Standardy emisyjne wobec instalacji produkujących energię z odpadów, podobnie jak w przypadku konwencjonalnych elektrowni i elektrociepłowni są bardzo rygorystyczne, w związku z czym prowadzony jest ciągły monitoring emitowanych zanieczyszczeń, a systemy oczyszczania gazów odlotowych opracowane są w oparciu o najlepsze dostępne techniki (BAT). W artykule przedstawiono standardy emisyjne obowiązujące spalarnie odpadów, wraz z obowiązkami w zakresie środowiska, a także kwestie związane z instalacją jako źródłem energii. Ponadto krótko scharakteryzowane zostały aktualnie funkcjonujące spalarnie odpadów komunalnych w Polsce, jak również opisano plany rozwojowe w tym zakresie w kraju.

Bioleaching research considers both the bio- and anthroposphere in the search for novel ways to recover resources and elements, which is important to the concept of sustainable development. Since the efficient, cost-effective and simple recovery of resources is of increasing importance in the circular economy model, the bioleaching of metals is a method currently gaining interest. The process is also of importance considering the need for the neutralization of waste materials/resources that allow for their safe storage and use. In this study, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans bacteria, which is commonly found and widely utilized in the bioleaching process due to its high tolerance to heavy metals, was used in a twenty-eight-day experiment. The manner in which bacteria inhabit incineration residues was observed using fluorescence optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The concentration of elements in incineration residues and in the post-reaction solutions was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and the efficiency of element recovery was calculated based on the results. Municipal waste incineration bottom ash and sewage sludge incineration fly ash were considered in the experiment. The extraction rates were far from satisfactory, with the average 20 and 50% for bottom ash and sewage sludge ash, respectively. The obtained results were consistent with microscopic observations where the relative number of bacteria increased only slightly over time in the sewage-sludge fly ash and was barely observed in the bottom ash of municipal- -waste incineration.

Municipal waste is a global issue and they are generated in all countries around the world. Both in the European Union and the United States, a common method of non-recyclable waste utilization is thermal incineration with energy recovery. As a result of this treatment, residual waste like bottom ash, air pollution control residues and fly ashes are generated. This research shows that residues from waste incineration can be a potential source of critical raw materials. The analysis of the available literature prove that the residues of municipal waste incinerators contain most of the elements important for the US and EU economies. Material flow analysis has shown that each year, the content of elemental copper in residues may be 29,000 Mg (USA) and 51,000 Mg (EU), and the amount of rare earth elements in residues exceeds their mining in the EU. In the case of other elements, their content may exceed their extraction by even over 300%. The recovery of elements is difficult due to their encapsulation in the aggregate matrix. The heterogeneous nature of residues and the many interactions between different components and incineration techniques can make the process of recovery complicated. Recovery plants should process as much of the residues as possible to make their recovery profitable. However, policy makers from the EU and the US are introducing new legal regulations to increase the availability of critical raw materials. In the EU, new regulations are planned that will require at least 15% of the annual consumption of critical raw materials to come from recycling. Therefore, innovative technologies for recovering critical raw materials from waste have a chance to receive subsidies for research and development.