Solidification/stabilization and leaching behavior of PbCl₂ in fly-ash hydrated silicate matrix and fly-ash geopolymer matrix.

Fly ash (FA) for reuse as a construction material is activated using two methods, to produce hydrated silicate and geopolymer gels. We investigated the solidification/stabilization and leaching behavior of PbCl2 in a geopolymer matrix (GM) and hydrated silicate matrix (HSM), based on FA as the source material, to evaluate the environmental and health risks. The GM and HSM synthetic conditions were 60 °C, 20 % relative humidity (RH), and 12 wt% (6 mol/L) NaOH, and 20 ± 2 °C, ≥ 90 % RH, and 30 wt.%, respectively, based on their compressive strength performances. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that Pb participated in hydration and geopolymerization, and was incorporated in the structural components of the hydrated silicate and geopolymer. In leaching experiments, the solidification/stabilization effects of Pb and Cl in the HSM and GM improved with increasing curing time. After long-term curing (28 days), the immobility of Pb in the GM was better than that in the HSM. Sodalite improved the Cl-stabilizing ability of the GM compared with that of the HSM. In static monolithic leaching experiments, HSM and GM had the same Pb-leaching behaviors. Based on the changes in the location of the neutral sphere layer with decreasing acid-neutralizing capacity, Pb release was divided into alkaline-release, stagnation, and acid-release stages. The neutral sphere layer contained the highest Pb concentration during permeation toward the block center from the block edge. This behavior regulation could also apply to other amphoteric metals immobilized by GMs and HSMs.