CASE STUDY ON THE UTILIZATION OF WASTE INCINERATION BOTTOM ASH IN CONCRETE PRODUCTS

In some European countries, such as the Netherlands, the utilization of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWI BA) has been common practice for many years. First, MSWI BA is treated in order to recover valuable... [ view full abstract ]

In some European countries, such as the Netherlands, the utilization of municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MSWI BA) has been common practice for many years. First, MSWI BA is treated in order to recover valuable metals, and then the leftover, i.e. the minerals, are utilized in different applications such as in civil engineering structures and concrete products. However, in many other countries such utilization may not be that straightforward due to different types of hindrances such as national legislation, which drags well behind the technical developments in circular economy. In this research, a case study is presented in which the utilization of MSWI BA in concrete products has been promoted in practice in Finland. The study aims to illustrate the difficulties observed throughout the project, which could possibly help other countries to avoid such problems in their own efforts.