Utilization of incineration waste ash residues in Portland cement clinker

MSWI (municipal solid waste incineration) ash and sewage sludge ash are used in part as raw materials for cement clinker production by taking advantage of the high contents of SiO2, Al2O3 and CaO. It is necessary to establish a material utilization system for the incineration waste ash residues instead of disposing these ashes into landfill. This paper is aimed to study the feasibility of replacing clinker raw materials by waste ash residue for cement clinker production. Sewage sludge ash, MSWI bottom ash and MSWI fly ash are the three main types of ashes being evaluated. The ashes were mixed into raw mixture with different portions to produce cement clinker in a laboratory furnace at approximately 1400 °C. X-ray diffraction and X-ray florescence techniques were used to analyze the phase chemistry and chemical composition of clinkers in order to compare these ash-based clinkers with commercial Portland cement clinker.