Developing specifications for waste glass, municipal waste combustor ash and waste tires as highway fill materials (continuation): volume 1 of 3 (municipal waste combustor ash)

A two year study was conducted as a continuation project for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to evaluate Municipal Waste Combustor (MWC) ash, Waste Glass, and Waste Tires for use as general highway fill. Initial studies conducted at Florida Tech concluded that MWC ash and waste glass possess engineering properties required for highway applications and the environmental characteristics were satisfactory for field deployment. The results of these studies are presented in three volumes. This volume, Volume 1, summarizes the findings for MWC ash. During this continuation study field demonstration projects using MWC ash and waste glass indicated that conventional construction methods and techniques were applicable. For the field demonstration project involving the MWC ash, a 82 ft (25 m) long, 32 ft (9.8 m) wide, 4 ft (1.2 m) high embankment was constructed using treated MWC ash. A runoff and leachate collection system was installed for environmental monitoring. The geotechnical properties showed that MWC ash exhibits high strength while being relatively free draining. An environmental analysis of 8 metals (arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, and silver) indicated that the leachate and runoff concentrations were below surface water standards and below drinking water standards for all elements except an initial peak of selenium. Laboratory studies conducted on MWC ash from all 12 Florida waste-to-energy facilities indicated it would classify as either a well graded or poorly graded sand. The MWC ash meets engineering criteria established by FDOT for use as a highway subgrade material.