Leaching of pyrene from fly ash and mineral particles

The investigation focused on particulate matrices of fly ash, two commercial adsorbents (silica and alumina), and their relative effects on the uptake and leaching of Pyrene (Pyr), an organic compound of environmental significance. Oil-shale fly ash particles from Baltic and Estonian thermal power plants have a small specific surface area. The degree of Pyr uptake and leaching varied significantly with the particulate matrix used. Shale oil fly ash adsorbed the lowest quantity of Pyr, calculated by particle mass. In contrast, uptake by fly ash significantly exceeded the amount of parent compound on mineral adsorbents, taking into account the specific area of the matrix. Process of leaching of Pyr from fly ash and mineral particles was going rapidly. The amount of total Pyr removed from particles during the three hours leaching was 100 mg/kg (76% from total sorbed Pyr) for fly ash, 317.9 mg/kg (68.1%) for alumina, and 667.4 mg/kg (88.4%) for silica.