Abstract
With increasing amounts of municipal solid waste treated by incineration, there is an increasing potential for environmental pollution by heavy metals from incinerator ash. The research team previously investigated and published on the fundamental condition (Temperature, pH, ORP, TOC) of biological sulfate reduction in incinerator ash leachate. In this paper, ash from 8 incinerators was studied to determine the influence of ash characteristics on sulfate reduction in ash leachate neutralized by CO2injection. Also, influence of the inoculum source was studied.
Consequently, the following conclusions were obtained.
1) Considerable sulfate reduction occurred when the TOC in ash leachate was higher than 200 mg/L.
2) When highly active inoculum was used, a quick and large sulfate reduction occurred.
3) The main process of sulfate reduction was incomplete lactate oxidation.
