Ecotoxicity assessment of stabilized/solidified foundry sludge

The aim of this study is to evaluate the toxicity of the leachates from a foundry sludge and the derived products based on the stabilization/solidification (S/S) processes. Foundry sludge is an industrial hazardous waste containing inorganic and organic pollutants. The immobilization of the foundry waste has been performed using different S/S procedures based on cement or lime as binder agents and foundry sand fines, calcium-magnesium lignosulfonate, silica fume, activated carbon and black carbon as additives. The waste and stabilized/solidified derived products have been evaluated according to environmental considerations. The relation between the chemical composition and the ecotoxicity of the leachates has been studied in this paper. The ecotoxicity of the leachates has been related to the heavy metals and the organic pollutants by an empirical logarithmic linear expression. Different parameters of the logarithmic fitting have been obtained for the studied binder agents and additives allowing the establishment of a relationship between the S/S process and the ecotoxicity of the derived products. Results of this study have wide-ranging implications for immediate management strategies of waste with organic and inorganic pollutants in addition to application in long-term remediation efforts.