A method of pretreating incineration ashes containing metallic aluminium using NaOH to mitigate volume expansion under highly alkaline conditions

Globally, millions of tonnes of incineration ashes are produced with a substantial portion remaining underutilized in low-value applications or disposed in landfills. Many types of fly ashes and bottom ashes contain metallic aluminium (Al 0 ), which causes volume expansion when the ashes are used in alkali-activated materials and as a supplementary cementitious material due to the generation of hydrogen gas at high-pH conditions. This phenomenon significantly restricts the potential applications of these ashes. To address this issue, ashes can be pretreated with NaOH to oxidize the metallic aluminium (Al 0 ) before their utilization. This study focuses on investigating the effect of the NaOH pre-treatment duration on fly ashes from the co-combustion of recovered solid fuel, peat, and wood. A pre-treatment process was conducted using 8 mol/L aqueous NaOH solution to treat the fly ash for up to 60 minutes. The formed slurry was subsequently used to prepare alkali-activated material by mixing it with bottom ash and employing either sodium silicate or sodium carbonate as an alkali activator. The NaOH pre-treatment demonstrated a 100 % metallic aluminium conversion into oxidized form resulting enhancement in mechanical performance, microstructure, and water absorption properties. The proposed method offers a highly efficient and rapid solution for eliminating the drawbacks caused by the presence of metallic aluminium and it can be conveniently implemented on construction sites. Concurrently, this study also explores the leaching behaviour of heavy metals during alkali-activation. Significant reductions in the leaching of Ba, Cr, Cu, Mo, and Pb were observed, highlighting the environmental remediation potential of alkali-activation methods. • Pre-treatment of incinerated ash with NaOH for 1 hour removed 100 % of metallic Al. • Sodium silicate accelerates AAM expansion rates, influencing its performance. • Longer NaOH pre-treatment enhances AAM structural integrity. • Alkali treatment duration affects the heavy metal leaching.