Incineration bottom ash (IBA) is a major by-product from incineration plants but has limited recycling methods due to its complex and harmful compositions.
The proposed technology provides a new option for upcycling the IBA into silica aerogel, a novel material with excellent characteristics such as low thermal conductivity, low density, hydrophobicity and high porosity making it heatproof, waterproof, incombustible and highly absorbent. It involves removal of heavy metals from IBA with mild ac...