IJBSTR REVIEW PAPER VOL 1 [ISSUE 8] AUGUST 2013

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Stabilization of Incinerated Hospital Waste Using Different Type of

Binders: A Review
Arshi Hasan Khan and S. M. Ali Jawaid*

ABSTRACT- Disposal of solid and hazardous wastes has become a major issue in all industrialized countries.
Solidification/stabilization is accepted as a well-established disposal technique for hazardous waste. Solidification/stabilization (S/S)
techniques are akin to locking the contaminants in the soil. It is a process that physically encapsulates the contaminant. This technique
can be used alone or combined with other treatment and disposal methods. As a result many different types of hazardous wastes are
treated with different binders .The stabilization/solidification of fly generated from incinerated hospital waste was studied with the
objectives to reduce the leachability of the heavy metals present in the ash so as to permit their disposal in a sanitary landfill requiring
only a lower degree of environmental protection. A treatability test can determine reagents required, percent bulking to be expected,
and leachability of the mass after treatment. Reagents used include the following: Cement (OPC), RBI GRADE-81.
KEY WORDS: Unconfined Compressive Strength, California Bearing Ratio, RBI Grade 81, Ordinary Portland cement.
INTRODUCTION
Hospital waste management by means of incineration
processes one of the inconveniences method that generates
solid residues, such as bottom and fly ash as well as off-gas
cleaning residues with high levels of heavy metals, inorganic
salts and other organic compounds (Anastasiadou et. al.,
2012).According to bibliography, fly ash possesses a high
content of heavy metals, dioxins and furans (Alba et al, 1997
For this reason it requires special management. Bottom ash
was only recently included (2003) on the list of dangerous
waste materials according to the Council of the European
Union, while fly ash and solid waste coming from the fluglas
control system have already found their place on the list of
dangerous waste materials with codes 19.01.13 and 19.01.07,
respectively (94/904/EC).
There is increasing concern about the disposal of hospital
waste, the amounts of which have increased dramatically in
recent years. The quantum of waste that is generated in India
is estimated to be 1-2 kg per bed per day in a hospital and 600
gm per day per bed in a general practioners clinic e.g. a 100
bedded hospital will generate 100 200 kgs of hospital
waste/day. It is estimated that only 5 10% of this comprises
of hazardous/infectious waste (5 10kgs/day). The treatment
and disposal of large volumes of these hazardous wastes,
which have enormous potential to cause irreversible health
damage, calls for an effective stabilization method. Medical
waste incineration (MWI) produces large quantities of ash.

Author: Arshi Hasan Khanis currently pursuing master of

technology program in environmental engineering in
MMM.
Engg.
College,
Gorakhpur,
India
E-mail: arshihasankhn@gmail.com
*Co-Author: S.M. Ali Jawaid is currently Associate
Professor in
MMM. Engg. College, Gorakhpur, India

The nature of the ash in terms of heavy metal content is

complex, and has been the subject of many studies (Derie
1992; Forestier and Libourel 1998; Eighmy et al., 1998;
Eudsen et al., 1999; Piantone et al., 2003). In response to a
growing need for more stringent regulations regarding land
filled hazardous waste, the Hazardous and Solid Waste
Amendments of November 1984, required the U.S. EPA to
promulgate regulations prohibiting the land disposal of
untreated hazardous wastes. The U.S. EPA responded in
November 1986, by proposing procedures for setting
treatment standards, the toxicity characteristic leaching
procedure (TCLP) as a test procedure to verify the
acceptability of treated waste for land disposal and treatment
standards based on the best available demonstrated technology
(BDAT).
Solidification/stabilization (S/S) is a widely used treatment for
the management/disposal of a broad range of contaminated
media and wastes; particularly those contaminated with
substances classified as hazardous. The treatment involves
mixing a binding reagent into the contaminated media or
waste. Solidification and stabilization refer to a group of
cleanup methods that prevent or slow the release of harmful
chemicals from wastes, such as contaminated soil, sediment,
and sludge. These methods usually do not destroy the
contaminants. Instead, they keep them from leaching above
safe levels into the surrounding environment. Leaching occurs
when water from rain or other sources dissolves contaminants
and carries them downward into groundwater or over land into
lakes and streams.
This review is a discussion of the published data relating
to the ways in which the inclusion of hazardous wastes
bearing heavy metals such as sludge, filter cakes, fly ash and
slags affects the properties of cement and other binders.

E-mail: smaj@rediffmail.com

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Table 2: Chemical properties of ordinary Portland cement

Binders
Ordinary Portland cement
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is the most widely used
binder due to its cost effectiveness, availability and
compatibility with a variety of wastes. (Spence et. al., 2004).
The
stabilization of fly and bottom ash generated from
incinerated hospital waste was studied. The objectives of the
solidification/stabilization treatment were therefore to reduce
the leachability of the heavy metals present in these materials
so as to permit their disposal in a sanitary landfill requiring
only a lower degree of environmental protection. In this case
the bottom ash must be exanimate for its toxicity and all the
necessary measures must be taken in order to minimize
leaching of its hazardous components into the environment
(Woolley et al, 2001). The degree of effectiveness of S/S
product was established by strength and leaching tests. The
experimental result shows the marked decrease in the toxicity
with an increase in the strength of S/S product. In this review
paper, the incinerated hospital wastes have achieved low
compressive strength, in particular, wastes not containing
lime, pozzolanic materials or high pollution level waste. In
this study, in addition to S/S treatment, a compressive strength
achievement for the final matrix was considered so that it
could be used as a construction material. Then, for this
purpose, solidification of the cement mortar is set as a
constraint at the specimen preparation. Lombardi et al., (1998)
has studied the mechanical properties of cement solidified,
hospital solid waste incinerator fly ash. Fly ash and Portland
cement mixtures in ratios varying between 0.25 and 1.5 were
tested. The use of high volume fly ash in concrete has recently
gained popularity as a resource-efficient, durable, costeffective, sustainable option for ordinary Portland cement
(OPC) concrete applications (Crouch, E. K et.al.2007).
Shaswata Mukherjee et. al. (2012) showed the physical and
chemical properties of ordinary Portland cement.

Comparing the present results with previous studies (Sukandar

et al, 2006; Genazzini et al,2003; Aubert et al, 2006),
regarding the content of fly ash produced the content of CaO
is very high because of the pre-treatment with lime. Beside the
CaO content, the results regarding the percentages of the other
main oxides present in fly ash are in close agreement with the
previous studies. The percentage of SiO2 and Al2O3 was
substantially less.
Table 3: Chemical composition of fly and bottom ash and
OPC

Table 1: Physical properties of ordinary Portland cement

Comparing the present results with previous studies, regarding

the content of bottom ash produced at another HMWI in
Greece (Gidarakos et al, 2009) and several other countries,
such as Italy (Filipponi et al, 2003), Malaysia (Idris et al,
2002) and China (Zhao et al, 2003), a complete agreement was
observed concerning the type of oxides that were present in
the bottom ash of HMWI. Moreover, the results regarding the

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percentages of various oxides present in bottom ash are in
close agreement with the previous studies. The percentage of
Na2O was higher in the bottom ash of this research, while the
percentage of SiO2 and Al2O3 was again substantially less.

Compressive strength
From previous studied cement-based solidification exhibited a
compressive strength of 0-14.7 MPa (Figure 1). The strength
decreased as the percentage of cement loading was reduced, the
compressive strength being 0.22-9.96 MPa for 60%cement mixed
with 40% bottom ash. The compressive strength reduced to 0-1.3
MPa when 30% cement was mixed with 70%bottom ash.

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environmental world, this has become an extremely important
issues and the problem of how to prevent leaching of
contaminated soil occupies the mind of many governments.
RBI GRADE 81 would be extremely effective in the binding
of this contaminated soil, which can result in saving which
cannot be estimated.
Solidification of soil using with RBI GRADE-1
Different percentage at which RHA was mixed with soil and
12% IHW and its OMC is given in table 4 and fig 2. From the
table and graph it is clear that strength of the mixture is
maximum when 12% IHW is added to the soil.
Table 4: Variation of OMC, MDD, CBR with 9% IHW.

Fig.1: Variation of density and moisture content with 12%

IHW and 6%, 9%, 15%cement.
In Fig.1present the variation of moisture content and dry density
with varying percentage of cement mixed with soil + 9% IHW
mixture. The optimum moisture content decrease as the
percentage of additive (cement) in soil + 9% IHW increase. Upto
afterward the optimum moisture content was increased. After the
optimum percentage of cement is 9% cement, the dry density
decreases
RBI Grade-81
RBI Grade-81 is a unique, cost-effective, environment friendly
technological breakthrough in soil stabilization, waste binding
and pavement layer design for the road and highway building
world. RBI Grade-81 is a unique and highly effective natural
inorganic soil stabilizer for infrastructure development and
repair.
RBI Grade-81 was originally developed by RBI for South
African Army Road Building International for the in the
beginning of 1990's for pavement engineering applications
RBI Grade-81 is a natural inorganic soil-stabilizer which reengineers & modifies the properties of soil to strengthen it for
roads, paving and roads and pavement. Today growing

Fig.2: Variation of density and moisture content with 12%

IHW and 4%, 8% RBI GRADE-1
The optimum moisture content decreases as the percentage of
additive (RBI GRADE-81) in soil +12%IHW increase. Upto
12% afterward the optimum moisture content increases. After
the optimum percentage of cement is 12% content, the dry
density decrease.
Concluding Remark
The comparison between two binders the optimum moisture
content decreases as the percentage of additive (cement) in the

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soil + 9% IHW increases. Up to 9% afterward the optimum
moisture content increases. After the optimum percentage of
cement is 9% content, the dry density decreases where RBI
GRADE -81 is natural stabilizer the optimum moisture
increases as the percentage of additive (RBI GRADE-81) in
the soil +12% IHW.

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