Bioleaching research considers both the bio- and anthroposphere in the search for novel ways to recover resources and elements, which is important to the concept of sustainable development. Since the efficient, cost-effective and simple recovery of resources is of increasing importance in the circular economy model, the bioleaching of metals is a method currently gaining interest. The process is also of importance considering the need for the neutralization of waste materials/resources that allow for their safe storage and use. In this study, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans bacteria, which is commonly found and widely utilized in the bioleaching process due to its high tolerance to heavy metals, was used in a twenty-eight-day experiment. The manner in which bacteria inhabit incineration residues was observed using fluorescence optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The concentration of elements in incineration residues and in the post-reaction solutions was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and the efficiency of element recovery was calculated based on the results. Municipal waste incineration bottom ash and sewage sludge incineration fly ash were considered in the experiment. The extraction rates were far from satisfactory, with the average 20 and 50% for bottom ash and sewage sludge ash, respectively. The obtained results were consistent with microscopic observations where the relative number of bacteria increased only slightly over time in the sewage-sludge fly ash and was barely observed in the bottom ash of municipal- -waste incineration.

For a very long period of time, Polish waste management was based mainly on landfilling at landfills, which had a negative impact on the surrounding environment. The EU requirements for the Member States have led to a revolution in Polish legislation on waste management and local governments have become responsible for creating local waste management systems that will affect the achievement of EU targets. One of the solutions undertaken by several municipalities is the construction and operation of a municipal waste thermal treatment installation, which not only reduced the amount of waste deposited, but also supported the local power industry by generating electricity and heat. The emission standards for installations producing energy from waste, as in the case of conventional power plants and combined heat and power plants, are very strict, therefore, the continuous monitoring of emitted pollutants is carried out, and waste gas treatment systems are developed based on the best available techniques (BAT). The article presents emission standards applicable to waste incineration plants, including duties in the field of the environment, as well as issues related to the installation as a source of energy. In addition, the currently functioning waste incineration plants in Poland have been briefly characterized, and development plans in this area in the country have been described.

This study focused on the reclamation of ash from incineration process and development of new artificial lightweight aggregate (LWA) that have comparable properties with existing natural coarse aggregate. The main objective of this study is to examine potential use of recycled municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) ash as raw material in LWA production with a method of cold-bonded pelletization. Two types of incineration ash which is bottom ash (BA) and fly ash (FA) were collected from Cameron Highland Incineration Plant, Malaysia. The properties of BA and FA are studied by means of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and microstructure of these ashes were inspected using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The properties of BALA and FALA produced in this study is examined including loose bulk density, water absorption and aggregate impact value (AIV). From the results of both types of artificial LWA, the lowest loose bulk density of BALA is BALA50 with 564.14 kg/m3 and highest is at 831.19 kg/m3. For FALA50, lowest loose bulk density is 573.64 kg/m3 and highest is 703.35 kg/m3. Water absorption of BALA and FALA is quite similar with one another in with the value of 23.8% and 22.6%, respectively. Generally, FALA have better qualities of LWA comparing with BALA with lower bulk density and water absorption and can be categorized as strong aggregate. In summary, reclamation and reutilization of incinerator ash has generated acceptable qualities for artificial LWA. Both types of BA and FA shown a great potential to be recycled as additional materials in artificial aggregate production.

Municipal waste is a global issue and they are generated in all countries around the world. Both in the European Union and the United States, a common method of non-recyclable waste utilization is thermal incineration with energy recovery. As a result of this treatment, residual waste like bottom ash, air pollution control residues and fly ashes are generated. This research shows that residues from waste incineration can be a potential source of critical raw materials. The analysis of the available literature prove that the residues of municipal waste incinerators contain most of the elements important for the US and EU economies. Material flow analysis has shown that each year, the content of elemental copper in residues may be 29,000 Mg (USA) and 51,000 Mg (EU), and the amount of rare earth elements in residues exceeds their mining in the EU. In the case of other elements, their content may exceed their extraction by even over 300%. The recovery of elements is difficult due to their encapsulation in the aggregate matrix. The heterogeneous nature of residues and the many interactions between different components and incineration techniques can make the process of recovery complicated. Recovery plants should process as much of the residues as possible to make their recovery profitable. However, policy makers from the EU and the US are introducing new legal regulations to increase the availability of critical raw materials. In the EU, new regulations are planned that will require at least 15% of the annual consumption of critical raw materials to come from recycling. Therefore, innovative technologies for recovering critical raw materials from waste have a chance to receive subsidies for research and development.