Effects of extraction methods and factors on leaching of metals from recycled concrete aggregates

Leaching of metals (calcium (Ca), chromium (Cr), copper, (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn)) of recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) were investigated with four different leachate extraction methods (batch water leach tests (WLTs), toxicity leaching procedure test (TCLP), synthetic precipitation leaching procedure test (SPLP), and pH-dependent leach tests). WLTs were also used to perform a parametric study to evaluate factors including (i) effects of reaction time, (ii) atmosphere, (iii) liquid-to-solid (L/S) ratio, and (iv) particle size of RCA. The results from WLTs showed that reaction time and exposure to atmosphere had impact on leaching behavior of metals. An increase in L/S ratio decreased the effluent pH and all metal concentrations. Particle size of the RCA had impact on some metals but not all. Comparison of the leached concentrations of metals from select RCA samples with WLT method to leached concentrations from TCLP and SPLP methods revealed significant differences. For the same RCA samples, the highest metal concentrations were obtained with TCLP method, followed by WLT and SPLP methods. However, in all tests, the concentrations of all four (Cr, Cu, Fe, and Zn) metals were below the regulatory limits determined by EPA MCLs in all tests with few exceptions. pH-dependent batch water leach tests revealed that leaching pattern for Ca is more cationic whereas for other metals showed more amphoteric. The results obtained from the pH-dependent tests were evaluated with geochemical modeling (MINTEQA2) to estimate the governing leaching mechanisms for different metals. The results indicated that the releases of the elements were solubility-controlled except Cr.