ACIDIC WASTES ARE PARTICULARLY HAZARDOUS AND GENERALLY REQUIRE CAREFUL AND EXPENSIVE NEUTRALISATION PRIOR TO DISPOSAL. INEFFECTIVE TREATMENT CAN CAUSE EVOLUTION OF TOXIC GASES AND THIS HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR FATALITIES AT DISPOSAL SITES.

LABORATORY TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AT THE WASTE RESEARCH UNIT TO ASSESS THE BUFFERING AND NEUTRALISING CAPACITY OF HOUSEHOLD REFUSE AND PFA. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WOULD ALLOW APPLICATION OF THESE TECHNIQUES TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL OF BOTH THESE WIDELY AVAILABLE SUBSTRATES TO RECEIVE AND RENDER INNOCUOUS A VARIETY OF ACID WASTES. THIS WILL PROVIDE A PARTICULARLY SAFE AND ROBUST METHOD OF TREATMENT FOR ACIDIC WASTES.

THE POTENTIAL OF PFA TO BUFFER ACID WASTES HAS NOT PREVIOUSLY BEEN INVESTIGATED OR REALISED.

LABORATORY SHAKER, LEACHING AND COLUMM TESTS WILL BE USED TO ASSESS THE APPLICATION OF A VARIETY OF NEUTRALISATION METHODS TO ACIDIC WASTE ARISINGS USING LOCALLY AVAILABLE BUFFERING AGENTS. AN EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMME USING MATURE REFUSE EXCAVATED FROM A LANDFILL WILL BE VALIDATED USING A SERIES OF 5 LYSIMETERS. DESTRUCTIVE SAMPLING OF THESE LYSIMETERS AFTER 6 MONTHS WILL ALLOW MORE ACCURATE APPLICATION OF THE RESULTS TO THE FIELD. AS WELL AS PROVIDING INFORMATION ON THE LOADING RATES REQUIRED TO ACHIEVE A PRE-SET VALUE OF PH, THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL INDICATE LEVELS OF HEAVY METALS IN SOLUTION WHICH ARE EXPECTED TO BE DRAMATICALLY LOWER THAN IN THE WASTES.

THE RESULTS WILL PROVIDE FUNDAMENTAL DATA FOR GUIDELINES ON SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF ACIDIC WASTES TO SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGE.