Incinerator waste as secondary raw material: examples of applications in glasses, glass-ceramics and ceramics

Actually, the recovery and valorisation of the solid residues (bottom and fly ash) coming from municipal solid wastes incineration represent very important goals from the environmental and economical point of view. Some technologies capable not only to reduce the volume of incinerator waste, but also to obtain products with an added value are vitrification, devitrification and ceramic process. Bottom ash is preferable with respect to fly ash in order to be used as secondary raw material. The first, mixed together with glass cullet, can be easily transformed into homogeneous and inert glasses, workable in the shape of fibres or bulk and sintered glass-ceramics after controlled thermal treatments. Another possibility presented in this review is the obtainment of tiles (in particular glazed tiles containing vitrified bottom ash into the ceramic body) and a feasibility study to obtain bricks.The results presented in this review are promising and in accordance with the wastes minimization policy as well as resources conservation.