Open AccessMineralogy, chemical composition and leachability of ash from biomass combustion and biomass–coal co-combustion
Author(s) -
Wanda Wilczyńska-Michalik,
Renata Gasek,
Marek Michalík,
Janusz Dańko,
Tadeusz Plaskota
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
mineralogia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.152
H-Index - 9
eISSN - 1899-8291
pISSN - 1899-8526
DOI - 10.2478/mipo-2018-0008
Subject(s) - combustion , fly ash , bottom ash , chemical composition , leachate , coal , coal combustion products , biomass (ecology) , wood ash , environmental chemistry , mineralogy , chemistry , environmental science , geology , oceanography , organic chemistry
Ash samples from biomass combustion or co-combustion with coal were analysed. The aim of this study of ash was to determine its mineral and chemical composition, and the chemical composition of solutions obtained during one-step water extraction. Besides the chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) were applied. The mineral and chemical composition of ash samples differ strongly. The content of heavy metals in the ash is generally low, but in some samples the limits of the content of some elements determined for fertilizers or soil amendments are exceeded. The relatively poor correlation between the concentration in leachate and bulk content in ash indicates that numerous elements are present in different forms in the studied samples. The results indicate that the potential use of biomass ash, or ash from biomass–coal co-combustion, requires complex studies that explore ash and leachates.