Metal leaching analysis from a core-shell WEEE plastic synthetic aggregate

Abstract

Plastic wastes from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEEP) contain an important amount of metals and brominated flame retardants. These contaminants are hazardous for human and environment, therefore the WEEE are considered dangerous wastes by the law. In order to revalue this waste, we developed a cement based stabilization strategy for these contaminants. The WEEEP was covered with a mixture of cement and a very fine aggregate. This strategy takes a core-shell concept to obtain a synthetic aggregate with potential use in the construction industry. To evaluate the concentration of metals in the waste, extractions with hot water followed by acid digestion were carried out in samples of WEEEP, and then we compared these values with the leached of metals from the synthetic aggregate. The quantification was made by atomic absorption technique. The most of the studied metals did not leached in hot water, except for the antimony, which leached in hot water from WEEEP but showed an important decrease in its concentration in the leached of the synthetic arid.