Ecological Risk Assessment Related to the Presence and Toxicity of Potentially Toxic Elements in Ashes from Household Furnaces

Alicja Kicińska, Grzegorz Caba and Hubert Serwatka
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Alicja Kicińska: Department of Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Grzegorz Caba: Department of Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30 Av., 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Hubert Serwatka: I.J. Mączka Invest s.c., 35-231 Rzeszów, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: The study material was comprised of 23 samples of ashes generated after the combustion of conventional and alternative fuels combined with selected fractions of municipal waste. The analyses performed involved determining the total concentration of As, Al, Cr, Fe, Ni, and their bioaccessible, ion-exchange, and carbonate-bound fractions. It was found that all of the samples analysed may display an elevated level of susceptibility to the reduction processes, which undoubtedly increases the mobility of trace elements, including the toxic ones. The predominant elements were Al and Fe, whereas considerably lower concentrations were observed for Ni, Cr, and As. The percentage share of the ion-exchange and carbonate-bound fraction ranged from 49% of the total concentration for As to as much as 0.35% in the case of Fe. The calculated Risk Assessment Code index points to a high risk related to the presence of As, medium to low risk related to the presence of Ni and Cr, and low to no risk related to the presence of Fe and Al. The calculated values of the Ecological Risk Index, associated with the combustion of selected municipal waste fractions and low-quality hard coals, combusted individually or in combination with different types of wood, point to a very high ecological risk. This is mainly related to the high concentrations and toxicity of As.

Keywords: conventional and alternative fuels; municipal waste; trace metals and metalloids; chemical indicators; Risk Assessment Code (RAC; mRAC) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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