Shanghai's quest to become a zero-waste city has taken a major step forward with the launch of a groundbreaking fly ash treatment technology developed by a local team.

The technology, which is the first of its kind in the world, entered large-scale promotion on April 7, offering a solution to a long-standing problem in the waste incineration industry.

Fly ash is a major source of secondary pollution generated from waste incineration and is also the largest single component of hazardous waste landfilled in China.

Shanghai, for instance, landfilled about 300,000 tons of hazardous waste in 2023, with fly ash accounting for over two-thirds at 230,000 tons.

After more than two years of joint research, Shanghai Environment Group and Tongji University developed the fly ash salt separation and thermal treatment (FAST) technology.

The process, which draws inspiration from the principle of salt extraction from seawater, effectively reduces dioxins and controls heavy metal pollution by decomposing pollutants in fly ash.

Furthermore, it facilitates the recovery of industrial salt resources like sodium chloride and potassium chloride, while achieving zero wastewater and emissions.

The technology reduces the volume of fly ash requiring landfill by a whopping 95 percent.

According to the Shanghai Environment Group, the FAST technology marks the first time fly ash from municipal solid waste incinerators has been treated in-situ to reduce its volume and render it harmless.

It represents a new pathway for expanding existing hazardous waste co-treatment channels and holds promise for providing a replicable and scalable solution for achieving near-zero landfill of solid waste globally.

Source: Jiefang Daily