Specification the metal content of waste glass from an old glass landfill

Abstract

Glass has been manufactured in Småland region (the “Kingdom of Crystal Glass”) since the 18th century and during all these years a huge amount of heavy metals accumulated in this region. There is more than 25 glassworks in Småland which contain an estimated of 310 tons of arsenic, 19 tons of cadmium and 1600 tons of lead. Recently, the Sweden’s county administrative boards have mapped 20,000 locations that are contaminated with hazardous materials for human and environment. 10 of the 22 acute risks and dangerous locations are glassworks in Småland. The first stage to handle these wastes is to specify the metal content of the waste glass and the contaminated soils. Semi-quantified X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) was used to analyze 14 samples of waste glass from an old glassworks landfill in the south of Sweden. The results showed that different amount of metals were detected and with a high concentration like Pb (about 3500 ppm), As (about 500 ppm), Fe (about 30000 ppm), Mn (about 1000 ppm) and others.