Abstract:
With the deepening advancement of China's new urbanization and the widespread adoption of waste incineration technology, the annual production of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash has exceeded 10 million tons. As a typical urban hazardous waste, fly ash accumulates highly toxic pollutants such as heavy metals and dioxins. Its scientific disposal has become a critical task for safeguarding ecological and environmental security and advancing the development of "Zero Waste City". Currently, fly ash treatment and disposal has gradually shifted from traditional non-hazardous landfilling to a diversified development model based on resource utilization. Against this backdrop, this paper statistically analyzed the compositional characteristics of national fly ash, defining the content ranges of major elements such as Ca (17.2%–54.3%), Cl (10.19%–33.27%), Na (0.26%–12.73%), K (1.48%–8.57%), while clarifying the concentration ranges and corresponding ore grades of valuable heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cu, etc.) with resource potential. Furthermore, through analysis of representative industrialized technologies—low-temperature thermal treatment + washing, high-temperature melting, and cement kiln co-processing, it was confirmed that the “dioxin pyrolysis-soluble salt leaching-calcium-containing component building materialization” pathway represents the mainstream approach for fly ash resource utilization in China today. The study also conducted an in-depth analysis of the differences between various technical pathways from dimensions such as treatment efficiency, energy consumption costs, product added value, and industrial adaptability. Addressing existing industry challenges, this paper proposed key development directions: controlling soluble salt recovery costs, enhancing high-temperature melting product quality, and achieving full resource utilization of valuable components. These recommendations aim to provide targeted practical guidance and theoretical support for technological innovation, process optimization, and large-scale industrial deployment in fly ash resource utilization.