Pulsed stirred electrodialytic extraction of heavy metals from municipal solid waste incineration air pollution control residue and fly ash-possible way for energy efficiency improvements

The mass of solid waste can be reduced with energy generated (waste-to-energy) through Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) [1]. However, hazardous solid by-products like air pollution control (APC) residue and fly ash were also produced during the MSWI process. Landfilling or storing underground them could result in the loss of heavy metals resources. Electrodialytic treatment is one possible way for metal extraction from such waste, but the economics of this technology should be improved to achieve a higher technology readiness level [2]. This study aimed to explore 1) the influence of pulsed stirring on ash suspensions; 2) the effect of ash characteristics on heavy metals extraction in different stirring systems through multivariate statistical analysis; 3) the overall assessment of energy consumption in different stirring systems to obtain energy efficiency improvement strategies.