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Thermodynamic study of the acid-induced decontamination of waste green sand generated in a brass foundry

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Abstract

Waste foundry sand (WFS) from the brass and bronze casting and molding process include various potentially toxic elements (PTEs), such as copper, zinc, tin, and lead. Hence, the utilization of WFS in construction and geotechnical applications evokes environmental concerns due to the rain-induced leaching of PTEs into the groundwater system. The present study investigated the extractive decontamination of WFS using mineral acids, e.g., HCl, H2SO4, or HNO3. Favorable extraction efficiency was achieved with HCl as compared to the other mineral acids, which was further enhanced at high temperatures and increased acid concentrations. The thermodynamic analysis indicated that ≥ 4 mol L−1 of HCl and ≤ 100 °C temperature ensured maximum extraction of PTEs due to the endothermic interactions between the HCl and PTEs. The HCl-treated WFS needed to be rinsed with water to restrict the after treatment elution of PTEs. The hazardous environmental impact of acid-treated WFS was evaluated following the standard leaching test and comparison with legislative recommendations for PTEs, which showed the water-assisted leaching rate of all the PTEs are within the regulatory limits.

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Acknowledgments

This research has partially been supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (13J05863, 17K00622, 18H03399 and 19K20477) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. XAFS investigation was carried out under the kind cooperation from Dr. Tamenori and SPring-8 with the approval of the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (Proposal No. 2015B1677). The authors appreciate the support of Akashi Godo Co., Ltd., and Kanazawa Hodo Co., Ltd. for providing the samples of WFS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College, 866 Nakane, Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki, 312-8508, Japan

    Hikaru Sawai

  2. Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima City, Fukushima, 960-1296, Japan

    Hikaru Sawai & Ismail M. M. Rahman

  3. Technical Research Institute, Nishimatsu Construction Co., Ltd., 6-17-21 Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0004, Japan

    Naoyuki Jii

  4. Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan

    Yuji Egawa

  5. Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University, Sugimoto 3-3-138, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan

    Satoshi Mizutani

  6. Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa, 920-1192, Japan

    Hiroshi Hasegawa

Authors
  1. Hikaru Sawai
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  2. Ismail M. M. Rahman
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  3. Naoyuki Jii
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  4. Yuji Egawa
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  5. Satoshi Mizutani
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  6. Hiroshi Hasegawa
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Correspondence to Hikaru Sawai or Ismail M. M. Rahman.

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Sawai, H., Rahman, I.M.M., Jii, N. et al. Thermodynamic study of the acid-induced decontamination of waste green sand generated in a brass foundry. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 20149–20159 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08512-x

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