Accelerated Carbonation of Waste Incineration Residues: Reactor Design and Process Layout from Laboratory to Field Scales—A Review

Quentin Wehrung, Davide Bernasconi, Fabien Michel, Enrico Destefanis, Caterina Caviglia, Nadia Curetti, Meissem Mezni, Alessandro Pavese and Linda Pastero ()
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Quentin Wehrung: Alkaline Technologies SAS, 44700 Nantes, France
Davide Bernasconi: Earth Sciences Department, University of Turin, 10125 Torino, Italy
Fabien Michel: Alkaline Technologies SAS, 44700 Nantes, France
Enrico Destefanis: Earth Sciences Department, University of Turin, 10125 Torino, Italy
Caterina Caviglia: Earth Sciences Department, University of Turin, 10125 Torino, Italy
Nadia Curetti: Earth Sciences Department, University of Turin, 10125 Torino, Italy
Meissem Mezni: Alkaline Technologies SAS, 44700 Nantes, France
Alessandro Pavese: Earth Sciences Department, University of Turin, 10125 Torino, Italy
Linda Pastero: Earth Sciences Department, University of Turin, 10125 Torino, Italy

Clean Technol., 2025, vol. 7, issue 3, 1-48

Abstract: Municipal solid waste (MSW) and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) incineration generate over 20 million tons of residues annually in the EU. These include bottom ash (IBA), fly ash (FA), and air pollution control residues (APCr), which pose significant environmental challenges due to their leaching potential and hazardous properties. While these residues contain valuable metals and reactive mineral phases suitable for carbonation or alkaline activation, chemical, techno-economic, and policy barriers have hindered the implementation of sustainable, full-scale management solutions. Accelerated carbonation technology (ACT) offers a promising approach to simultaneously sequester CO 2 and enhance residue stability. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of waste incineration residue carbonation, covering 227 documents ranging from laboratory studies to field applications. The analysis examines reactor designs and process layouts, with a detailed classification based on material characteristics, operating conditions, investigated parameters, and the resulting pollutant stabilization, CO 2 uptake, or product performance. In conclusion, carbonation-based approaches must be seamlessly integrated into broader waste management strategies, including metal recovery and material repurposing. Carbonation should be recognized not only as a CO 2 sequestration process, but also as a binding and stabilization strategy. The most critical barrier remains chemical: the persistent leaching of sulfates, chromium(VI), and antimony(V). We highlight what we refer to as the antimony problem , as this element can become mobilized by up to three orders of magnitude in leachate concentrations. The most pressing research gap hindering industrial deployment is the need to design stabilization approaches specifically tailored to critical anionic species, particularly Sb(V), Cr(VI), and SO 4 2− .

Keywords: waste incineration; bottom ash; fly ash; air pollution control residues; accelerated carbonation; valorization; scale-up; industrial deployment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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