[Bioleaching of fly ash from municipal solid waste incinerator using sewage sludge and pig manure as culture media]

A mixed culture of Acidihiobacillus ferrooaidans and Acidihiobacillus thiooxidans was used to leach heavy metals from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI fly ash). This study explored the possibility of using sewage sludge or pig manure as nutrients for supporting the growth of the leaching bacteria and allowing metal solubilization like a synthetic mineral medium. In contrast to pig manure, there is a high ability for acidification of the fly ash and solubilization of toxic metals using sewage sludge at the same content. After 15 d of bioleaching, the following removal efficiencies were obtained for the treatment with the addition of 1% sewage sludge: Cd 88.1%; Zn 78.7%; Cu 69.6%, whereas their removal efficiencies for the treatment with the addition of 1% pig manure were 82.4%, 73.5% and 60.0%, respectively. Results demonstrate that the inhibition by sewage sludge DOM is much more significant than by pig manure DOM at the same concentration level. The dissolved organic carbon in excess of 400 and 150 mg/L was inhibitory to the bacterial growth using sludge DOM and manure DOM, respectively. Compared with sewage sludge, pig manure contained a higher fraction of DOM with molecular size <1000, which led to its higher toxicity.