Bottom Ash Usage
Bottom ash can either be landfilled or utilized. The legislation and boundary conditions regarding the utilization of bottom ash appear to be different in the countries of the European Union, the USA and Canada. Since a large quantity of solid waste incineration bottom ash is generated, the impact of byproduct utilization is great (both financially and environmentally, and as concerns public acceptance).
In many countries there is an increasing shortage of suitable natural aggregate and lack of available landfill space and at the same time, an increase in the amounts of bottom ash. This is the principal motivation for the utilization of bottom ash. In all countries, however, a portion of the bottom ash is landfilled.
If bottom ash is not managed properly it constitutes a potential environmental hazard. Proper legislation for reuse is therefore essential to ensure that the environmental impact of contemplated land uses is restricted to an acceptable level. In Western Europe, the legislation is mainly based upon leachate limit values according to EC decision 2003/33 (in USA TCLP tests).