Incineration bottom ash (IBA) as a secondary raw material is a long-term research topic of Department of Environmental Engineering. IBA is the main solid residue from waste incineration. It is possible to recover various metals from IBA, as it contains up to 15 % ferrous and 5 % non-ferrous metals. The mineral residue after metal separation can be used in the construction industry. The total annual production of IBA in Europe is up to 20 million tons. 
Dr. Šyc from our Institute together with an international scientific team from Germany, Denmark and Italy carried out within the COST Action Minea project a critical state-of-the-art review of metal recovery from IBA. The paper was published in the prestigious scientific Journal of Hazardous Materials. The review paper summarizes material and chemical composition of IBA and critically analyzes necessary steps for achieving effective metals recovery. The analysis includes all pre-treatment and separation steps. Moreover, the different concepts of metal recovery treatment trains are presented as well as examples and mass balance data from their operation. Therefore, the article summarizes the best available practice for metals recovery from IBA and guides how to achieve it.
Šyc, M., Simon, F.G., Hykš, J., Braga, D., Biganzoli, L., Costa, G., Funari, V., Grosso, M. Metal recovery from incineration bottom ash: State-of-the-art and recent developments. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2020, 393, 122433. ISSN 0304-3894.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122433