One of the important directions of our institute is waste and the development of effective procedures for their processing. As part of this complex issue, we deal, among other things, with the use of solid residues from the energy recovery of waste, in the Department of Environmental Engineering under the leadership of Michal Šyc. We briefly presented our activities in this area in the popularization article Treasures from the Ashes (Poklady z popela) in the journal A / Science and Research of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
The aim of our research is the efficient recovery of non-ferrous metals from slag as the main solid residue from the energy recovery of waste. One tonne of waste produces 200-250 kg of slag, which contains up to 10% ferrous and 4% non-ferrous metals (especially aluminum, which forms up to ¾ these metals). Iron can be obtained relatively easily by magnetic separation. Efficient recovery of non-ferrous metals is a much more demanding and complicated process, and the slag must first be treated in a few steps before final separation on an eddy current separator. Fine slag particles then contain a higher proportion of heavy non-ferrous metals, including rare metals, the acquisition of which is one of the challenges for current research. In addition to economic benefits, the separation of these metals also has significant environmental benefits, as, for example, primary aluminum production is a process with a significant carbon footprint.
The second solid waste from energy recovery is fly ash. It has the character of hazardous waste because it contains a high proportion of soluble salts, heavy metals, or organic substances. However, fly ash can also serve as a source for recovering metals (especially zinc) or salts. Obtaining valuable components from fly ash is a much more complex problem than separating from slag, and chemical methods such as leaching must be used. The development of these methods is one of the goals of our research.
You can also learn more about the topic here:
- Korotenko E., Šyc M., Jadrný, J. Moderní postupy zpracování popílku ze ZEVO v kontextu cirkulární ekonomiky. Odpadové fórum. 2019, 20(6), 16-157. ISSN 1212-7779.
- Baloch T., Šyc M. Moderní přístupy ke škvárovému hospodářství v ZEVO. Odpadové fórum. 2019, 20(6), 14-15. ISSN 1212-7779.
- Šyc M., Hykš J. Využití škváry ze ZEVO v kontextu cirkulární ekonomiky. Odpady, 2019, 1, 22-23, ISSN 1210-4922