Whilst the vitrification of waste materials is a well established technology, hitherto it has not been economically viable on any substantial scale when applied to non-radioactive wastes. However new UK and European legislation may affect this situation. The present paper briefly reviews published work pertaining to waste vitrification in terms of legislation, waste compositions, energy, emissions and economic assessments. The focus is on vitrification of ashes arising from the incineration of municipal solid waste (MSW) and sewage sludge in terms of their composition, glass melting and reuse potential. The conclusion is that the high compositional variability of these and other wastes tends to preclude their use in many applications. However, the use of modern sorting and separation technology coupled with better control of waste treatment procedures may help to improve the range of potential uses for these wastes.
ColomboP., BrusatinG., BernardoE. and ScarinciG.: Curr. Opin. Solid State Mater. Set, 2003, 7, 225–239.
2.
MarraJ. C. and JantzenC. M.: Am. Ceram. Soc. Bull., 2004, 83, 12–17.
3.
KraussM.: Glastech. Ber., 1997, 70, 375–381.
4.
BueltJ. L.: in ‘Standard handbook of hazardous waste treatment and disposal’, (ed. FreemanH. M.), 8, 121–8, 136; 1989, New York, NY, McGraw-Hill.
5.
PeggI. L. and JosephI.: in ‘Hazardous and radioactive waste treatment technologies handbook’, (ed. OhC. H.), 4.2.1-4, 2.27; 2001, Boca Raton, FL, CRC Press.
6.
DonaldI. W., MetcalfeB. L. and TaylorR. N. J.: J. Mater. Set, 1997, 32, 5851–5887.
7.
MarplesJ. A. C.: Glass Technot, 1988, 29, 230–247.
8.
WicksG. G.: in ‘Treatise on materials science and technology’, Vol. 26: ‘Glass IV’, (ed. M. Tomozawa and R. H. Doremus), 57–118; 1985, New York, NY, Academic Press.
OdenL. L. and O'ConnorW. K.: ‘Report on vitrification of residue (ash) from municipal waste combustion systems, final report’;1994, Washington, DC, ASME.
23.
RomeroM., RinconJ. M., RawlingsR. D. and BoccacciniA. R.: Mater. Res. Bull, 2001, 36, 383–395.
24.
BethanisS., CheesemanC. R. and SollarsC. J.: Ceram. Int., 2002, 28, 881–886.
25.
BoccacciniA. R., KopfM. and StumpfeW.: Ceram. Int., 1995, 21, 231–235.
RabigerW., KeldenichK. and SchefflerJ.: Glastech. Ber., 1995, 68, 84–90.
50.
GutmannR.: Glastech. Ber., 1996, 69, 285–299.
51.
FrancisA. A., RawlingsR. D., SweeneyR. and BoccacciniA. R.: J. Non-Cryst. Solids, 2004, 333, 187–193.
52.
VassilevS. V., MenendezR., AlvarezD., Diaz-SomoanoM. and Martinez-TarazonaM. R.: Fuel, 2003, 82, 1793–1811.
53.
CedzynskaK., KolacinskiZ., IzydorczykM. and SroczynskiW.: Proc. 1999Int. Ash Utilization Symp., Lexington, KY, USA, October 1999, www.flyash.info/1999/posters/cedzyn2.pdf.
54.
LeroyC., FerroM. C., MonteiroR. C. C. and FernandesM. H. V.: J. Eur. Ceram. Soc., 2001, 21, 195–202.
55.
PengF., LiangK. and HuA.: Fuel, 2005, 84, 341–346.
56.
FrancisA. A., RawlingsR. D. and BoccacciniA. R.: J. Mater. Sci. Lett., 2002, 21, 975–980.
57.
BarbieriL., LancelottiI., ManfrediniT., QueraltI., RinconJ. M. and RomeroM.: Fuel, 1999, 78, 271–276.
58.
OzakiM., WatanabeH. and WiebuschB.: Water Sci. Technol., 1997, 36, 267–274.
59.
FerroC., FernandesM. H. V. and MonteiroR. C. C.: Glass Technol., 2005, 46, 151–154.
60.
WiebuschB. and SeyfriedC. F.: Water Sci. Technol., 1997, 36, 251–258.
61.
TakaokaM., TakedaN. and MiuraS.: Water Sci. Technol., 1997, 36, 275–282.
62.
ParkY. J., MoonS. O. and HeoJ.: Ceram. Int., 2003, 29, 223–227.
63.
HuangT. and LiK.: Chemosphere, 2003, 50, 1063–1068.
64.
SuzukiS., TanakaM. and KanekoT.: J. Mater. Set, 1997, 32, 1775–1779.
65.
CheesemanC. R., SollarsC. J. and McEnteeS.: Resour., Conserv. Recycl, 2003, 40, 13–25.
SkerrattG. and AndersonM.: Proc. Int. Symp. on Recycling and Reuse of Waste Materials, University of Dundee, UK, 2002, 67–78.
68.
EndoH., NagayoshiY. and SuzukiK.: Water Sci. Technol., 1997, 36, 235–241.
69.
GrayD. H. and PenessisC.: J. Water Pollut. Control Fed, 1972, 44, 847–858.
70.
BruceA. M. and EvansT. D.: ‘Sewage sludge disposal: operational and environmental issues. A review of current knowledge’, Foundation for Water Research, Marlow, UK, 2002, www.fwr.org/sludge.pdf.
GorokhovskyA. V., GorokhovskyV. A., MescheryakovD. V., Mendez-NonellJ., Escalante-GarciaJ. I., Pech-CanulM. I. and Vargas-GutierrezG.: Mater. Lett., 2001, 51, 281–284.
73.
BinghamP. A. and HandR. J.: J. Hazard. Mater., 2005, 119, 125–133.
74.
BinghamP. A., HandR. J., ForderS. D. and LavaysierreA.: J. Hazard. Mater., 2005, 122, 129–138.
75.
RamachandranK. and KikukawaN.: Vacuum, 2000,59, 244–251.
OjovanM. I. and LeeW. E.: Glass Technol., 2003, 44, 218–224.
94.
StochL.: Glass Technol., 2004, 45, 71–73.
95.
TrierW.: ‘Glass furnaces, design construction and operation’, (trans. K. L. Loewenstein);1987, Sheffield, Society of Glass Technology.
96.
EdlingerA.: PatentUS245123, June 2001.
97.
PfluglK. H., KietheN., HugentoblerE., RueggH., FreyR., MayerA., ReyT. and EdlingerA.: PatentUS925165, July 1999.
98.
‘Energy efficient environmental control in the glass industry, revised. Energy efficiency best practice programme, 2000’, Good Practice Guide 127, Carbon Trust, UK, available electronically to registered users atwww.thecarbontrust.org.uk.
99.
LindigM.: Glass Technol., 2005, 46, 109–112.
100.
WallenbergerF. T., WatsonJ. C. and LiH.: in ‘ASM handbook’, Vol. 21: ‘Composites’, 27–34; 2001, Materials Park, OH, ASM International.
101.
WallenbergerF. T., HicksR. J. and BierhalsA. T.: J. Non-Cryst. Solids, 2004, 349, 377–387.
102.
LakatosT., JohanssonL.-G. and SimmingskoldB.: Glass Technol., 1972, 13, 88–95.
103.
LakatosT., JohanssonL.-G. and SimmingskoldB.: Glast. Tidskr., 1972, 27, 25–28.
104.
LakatosT.: Glast. Tidskr., 1976, 31, 51–54.
105.
LyonK.: J. Res. Natl Bur. Stand. A, 1974, 78, 497–504.
106.
VolfM. B.: ‘Mathematical approach to glass’;1988, Amsterdam, Elsevier.
107.
KarlssonK. H. and RrinnlöfM.: Glasteck Ber., 1998, 71, 141–145.
DoremusR. H.: in ‘Treatise on materials science and technology’, Vol. 17: ‘Glass II’, (ed. M. Tomozawa and R. H. Doremus), 41–69; 1979, New York, NY, Academic Press.
116.
GinS., RibetI. and CouillardM.: J. Nucl. Mater., 2001, 298, 1–10.
117.
GrambowB.: MRS Symp. Proc., 1985,44, 15–27.
118.
GrambowB. and MullerR.: J. Nucl. Mater., 2001, 298, 112–124.
119.
OjovanM. I., HandR. J., OjovanN. V. and LeeW. E.: J. Nucl. Mater., 2005, 340, 12–24.
120.
FrugierP., GodonN., VernazE. and LarchéF.: Waste Manage., 2002, 22, 137–142.
121.
KremerH., MayF. and WirtzS.: Energ. Conyers. Manage., 2001, 42, 1937–1952.
122.
MadivateC., MuellerF. and WilsmannW.: Glastech. Ber., 1996, 69, 167–178.
123.
TangY. and FrischatH. G.: Glastech. Ber., 1995, 68, 213–221.
124.
BinghamP. A.: Glass Technol., 2004, 45, 255–258.
125.
BinghamP. A. and MarshallM.: Glass Technol., 2005, 46, 11–19.
‘Vitrification of hazardous waste streams using natural gas as an energy source’, US Joint Service Pollution Prevention Opportunity Handbook, January 2004, p2library.nfesc.navy.mill P2_Opportunity_Handbook/11_5.html.
128.
BrissonI. E.: ‘Assessing the waste hierarchy — a social cost-benefit analysis of municipal solid waste management in the European Union’, Institute of Local Government Studies, Copenhagen, Denmark, April1997, www.akf.dk/eng/wastel.htm.
