Determination of Metal Behavior during the Incineration of a Contaminated Montmorillonite Clay

The goal of this study was to develop an understanding of metals behavior during thermal treatment. Clay samples, contaminated with metals to obtain a surrogate waste, were analyzed prior to and following thermal treatment using nitric acid and/or hydrogen fluoride digestion, followed by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrophotometry analysis. Techniques were used to examine particle surface and metal distribution within cross sections. Lead, cadmium, and chromium results are discussed. With hydrogen fluoride-digested samples, the results indicated that vaporization increased slightly with increasing temperature for cadmium and lead. Chromium did not show increased vaporization. At higher temperatures, the nitric acid digestions did not completely remove the metals. Scanning electron microscope pictures showed that, at higher temperatures, the particle structure became compact and glassy; the electron microprobe results indicated that lead and cadmium were located in regions with high silicon, suggesting reactions with the silicon. Chromium distribution remained uniform, suggesting that chromium was immobilized due to structural changes not reactions.