Solidification/Stabilization of Heavy Metals by Magnesium Potassium Phosphate Cement
Heavy metals, including Pb, Cr, Cd, Zn, Cu and Ni, were solidified/stabilized by magnesium potassium phosphate cement (MKPC). The unconfined compressive strength test shows that the strengths of the solidified bodies containing 10%-40% MKPC all exceeded 0.5 MPa, which have met the requirements of storage and landfilling. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) test shows that no detectable Pb, Cr and Cd were leached from the solidified body containing 40% MKPC after being cured standardly for 28 days, and the concentrations of heavy metals leached from the solidified body containing 10% MKPC after being cured for only 7 days were still significantly lower than the limits in related Chinese National Standards. The leaching concentrations of heavy metals followed a descending order of Cu>Zn>Ni>Pb>Cd>Cr. In the simulated acid rain eluviation test, heavy metals were eluviated in different patterns, and the sequence of releasing amounts was similar to that of leaching concentrations. The experimental results indicate that heavy metals can be satisfactorily solidified by MKPC.