ACME-235; No.

of Pages 7

archives of civil and mechanical engineering xxx (2014) xxx–xxx

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Original Research Article

Application of microwave radiation in innovative

process of neutralising asbestos-containing wastes

K. Granat a, D. Nowak a, M. Pigiel a, W. Florczak b, B. Opyd a,*

a
Wroclaw University of Technology, Łukasiewicza 5, 50-371 Wrocław, Poland
b
FLORMODEWELOPER, ul. Borówkowa 2b, 58-500 Jelenia Góra, Poland

article info abstract

Article history: Presented are results of a research on a possibility to use innovative microwave heating for
Received 30 January 2014 thermal neutralisation of asbestos-containing wastes. In comparison to traditional heating,
Accepted 25 May 2014 the innovative process is characterised by up to a hundred times reduced energy consump-
Available online xxx tion and two hundred times shorter processing time. Parameters of effective disposal, i.e.
microwave radiation power and heating time, as well as kind and quantity of the wetting
Keywords: agent necessary in the microwave heating process that intensifies the process and ensures
Environmental protection uniform heat distribution in the heated charges, were determined for five most commonly
Neutralisation used products containing various fractions of asbestos fibres. It was demonstrated that the
Disposal presented innovative and eco-minded technology of disposing asbestos-containing materi-
Asbestos als is a quick, cheap, economical and effective solution guaranteeing complete degradation
Electromagnetic radiation of the hazardous fibres.
# 2014 Politechnika Wrocławska. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All
rights reserved.

particular principles of preventing creation of wastes nega-

1. Introduction
In legal records, waste management is present in both
international agreements and, obviously, in domestic regula-
tions (e.g. in acts of parliament). The basic act that regulates
waste treatment is the Act on Waste and, in relation to their
origin and to use of a manufacturing system, applied are
regulations contained in the Environmental Law.
It is written in the act on hazardous wastes: ‘‘principles of
waste treatment in the way guaranteeing protection of human
life and health, as well as environmental protection, and in
tively affecting the environment and principles of their
recycling or neutralisation’’ [1]. Then, the basic task of the
‘‘Waste management’’ is the action related to the process of
collection, displacement, recycling and neutralisation of
wastes. Effectiveness of such action, especially in the case
of extremely dangerous wastes, is decided by the principles of
vicinity, selective collection, recycling or neutralisation in
specialised installations or facilities. The materials being an
example of a particularly hazardous waste are asbestos-
containing products. As a result of specific physico-chemical
properties of asbestos, it has found very extensive application,

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +48 713204442.

E-mail addresses: kazimierz.granat@pwr.wroc.pl (K. Granat), daniel.nowak@pwr.wroc.pl (D. Nowak), miroslaw.pigiel@pwr.wroc.pl
(M. Pigiel), flormodeweloper@wp.pl (W. Florczak), beata.opyd@pwr.wroc.pl (B. Opyd).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2014.05.012
1644-9665/# 2014 Politechnika Wrocławska. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.

Please cite this article in press as: K. Granat et al., Application of microwave radiation in innovative process of neutralising asbestos-
containing wastes, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2014.05.012
ACME-235; No. of Pages 7

2 archives of civil and mechanical engineering xxx (2014) xxx–xxx

first of all in building and power industries, transport,
machine-building, shipbuilding, textile, chemical and other
industries in form of ca. 3000 diverse products. Notices about
harmfulness of asbestos appeared in public very long ago.
Observed was increased number of cases of pulmonary
diseases among the persons who had to do with this material,
while they were both miners and those working at processing
asbestos. However, looking through the prism of unusual
properties, nobody wanted to believe definitely in its lethal
action. However, finally confirmed was the fact, obvious for
many people for a longer time, that asbestos is hazardous for
living organisms and its use in mass scale should be stopped as
far as possible [2–4]. The well-known harmfulness of asbestos
is at the bottom of introducing in Poland the ‘‘Act on the
prohibition of applying articles containing asbestos’’ that is
the key statute in the field of asbestos management. Its
consequence was prohibition of manufacturing, processing
and trading asbestos and asbestos-containing products.
The information received from regional offices about kind,
quantity and occurring places of the asbestos-containing
products indicates that ca. 14.5 mln mt of them are present in
the territory of Poland. So, the issue of complete, quick,
effective and cheap disposal of the asbestos-containing
materials becomes extremely important. Possibility of using
microwaves for this purpose is decided by their specific
properties that, from the viewpoint of this work, permit
thermal degradation of hazardous materials [5,6]. It is well
known that microwaves with frequency of 2.45 GHz are widely
used in industrial heating processes (e.g. drying). In compari-
son to the traditional process, energy consumption at
microwave heating is ca. 10 or even 100 times lower and the
processing time is 10 to 200 times shorter [7]. So, the
microwave technology can be successfully used for thermal
neutralisation of dangerous wastes and of particular interest
can be its innovative application for neutralising asbestos-
containing wastes [8]. In comparison to variable thermal
methods, this technology is distinguished by the fact that
there is no combustion but energy-saving controlled heating of

Fig. 1 – View of examined materials: (a) Cement panel, (b) Cement shingle, (c) Panocell, (d) Plaster progypsol, and (e) Sprayed
coating.

Please cite this article in press as: K. Granat et al., Application of microwave radiation in innovative process of neutralising asbestos-
containing wastes, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2014.05.012
ACME-235; No. of Pages 7
archives of civil and mechanical engineering xxx (2014) xxx–xxx
charge material by microwave energy in air atmosphere. High
and stable temperature is obtained in the process, with a
possibility of its smooth adjustment.
2. Scope of the research
As results from the literature review, one of the ways of
degrading and thus of neutralising asbestos is heating this
mineral above 600 8C. At that temperature, harmful fibrous
nature of asbestos particles disappears. Five types of asbestos-
containing materials, commonly used in various industrial
fields (see Fig. 1) were subject to examinations, subdivided acc.
to UE classification as follows:
 Cement panels – cement–asbestos plates for roof and wall
coverings.
 Cement shingle – grit–asbestos mixtures.
 Panocell – asbestos unwoven fabric coated with foil, e.g.
aluminium foil.
 Plaster progypsol – gypsum–asbestos mixtures.
 Sprayed coating – asbestos unwoven fabric coated with
various substances.
3. Test stand and materials used in the
research
On the grounds of preliminary examinations, designed and
erected was a test stand consisting of the following parts (see
Fig. 2):
 power supply unit with stepless adjustment of microwave
power;
Fig. 2 – Laboratory stand for neutralisation of asbestos-containing materials using microwave heating.
Please cite this article in press as: K. Granat et al., Application of microwave radiation in innovative process of neutralising asbestos-
containing wastes, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2014.05.012
3
 microwave generator 650 W/2450 MHz;
 end-shorted rectangular waveguide 100  50 mm.
Inside the waveguide, ceramic containers with the material
to be heated were placed. In addition, in the opening dia.
14 mm at the shorted end of the waveguide, an infrared
pyrometer MX2 Raytek was installed.
Results of the neutralisation process were evaluated using
stereoscopic microscopes Zeiss and Leica with a Nikon
camera, as well as an X-ray analyser URD 6 made by Freiberger
Präzisionsmechanik, using radiation Co Ka.
Samples of the materials containing asbestos fibres, mixed
with additives intensifying the heating process, were placed in
ceramic crucibles. The additives were to wet the specimens
and protect them against releasing asbestos fibres during
preparation of the specimens, to enable necessary activation
of the heating process, as well as to ensure uniform heat
distribution in entire volumes of the heated charges and
stability of the whole process.
Examinations were carried-out using three wetting agents
designated X, Y and Z. The additive X (sodium water-glass 145
of the module M = 2.4–2.6 and density 1.45–1.48 g/cm3) was
selected from among many materials after laboratory tests
and applied for the first time in the Foundry and Automation
Group of Wroclaw University of Technology [9–12]. The other
additive (Z) was a modified water solution of NaOH developed
by the UE Partner jointly realising an international project. The
third wetting agent (Y) was water, whose presence, as results
from everyday observations, is necessary in common use of
microwave heating.
The planned research was aimed at determining the
neutralisation parameters, i.e. duration, effectiveness and
dynamics of the heating process, as well as selecting the most
effective, economical and ecological intensifying additive to be
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applied in the treatment process of the asbestos-containing  Depending on quantity and grade of the added intensifying
materials selected for the research. substance, duration of the heating process should not excess
240 s.

4. Results of laboratory tests

On the grounds of preliminary results, the following testing
conditions were established:
 Depending on the product type, a different quantity of the
material will be introduced to central part of the ceramic
container, filling ca. 1/3 of its volume.
 In the case of the first four products (Cement panel, Cement
shingle, Panocell and Plaster progypsol), mass of the
specimen should be 0.63–0.66 g, but for the Sprayed coating
(low density and large volume) it should be 0.30–0.34 g.
 To each container, a wetting agent should be added to the
amount equal to net weight of the asbestos-containing
material and next the components should be thoroughly
mixed to obtain homogeneous consistency.
Laboratory tests were carried-out with use of three wetting
agents. With use of water, a single series of tests only was
carried-out, because, except drying the preparation, no
effective temperature increase over 120 8C was observed.
The other substances were used both individually and in
mixtures of various proportions. These tests were aimed at
reaching the best final result, i.e. maximum stability and
dynamics of the process, as well as uniformity of heating. In
each of six test series for all the asbestos-bearing materials,
individual tests were repeated three times using the same
material proportions. Exemplary results of the first series are
shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows diagrams of heating dynamics
(temperature of a sample vs. time) for five materials containing
asbestos fibres.
In can be found on the grounds of Figs. 3 and 4 that heating
with use of water-glass only as a wetting agent was

Fig. 3 – Samples treated in the first test series: (a) Cement panel, (b) Cement shingle, (c) Panocell, (d) Plaster progypsol, and (e)
Sprayed coating.

Please cite this article in press as: K. Granat et al., Application of microwave radiation in innovative process of neutralising asbestos-
containing wastes, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2014.05.012
ACME-235; No. of Pages 7

archives of civil and mechanical engineering xxx (2014) xxx–xxx 5

Fig. 4 – Comparison of heating dynamics for five examined materials. Portion of the identifying agent X is 1:1 except Sprayed
coating for that it is 1:3.

accompanied by high dynamics of the process. The results
obtained in the first series can be deemed exemplary, because
even a single non-degraded fibre could be hardly noticed.
Table 1 shows comparison of dynamics and effectiveness of
the neutralisation process for five asbestos-bearing products,
with use of different portions of the wetting agent and
identical heating conditions. Introduction of increased quan-
tity of the intensifying agent Y in combination with the
additive X was aimed at reducing viscosity of water-glass and
thus increasing effectiveness of wetting and improving safety
during disintegration of the asbestos-bearing material.
As results from the above comparison, apart from
effectiveness of neutralisation, dynamics of heating was
dependent on kind of the asbestos-containing material.
Moreover, it was found that each of the examined materials
responded in different way to individual combinations of
intensifying agents, while these changes are also so much
chaotic that no regularity or tendency can be observed.
Considering results and dynamics of the process, indicated
can be only the most advantageous sets of parameters
combining good result with short heating time.
For unambiguous evaluation of effectiveness of asbestos
degradation, the processed samples were subject to X-ray
examinations. Exemplary diffraction patterns for the most
commonly appearing asbestos-bearing material, i.e. cement
panels (‘‘Eternit’’), before and after treatment are shown in
Figs. 5 and 6.
Analysis of the diffraction patterns indicates that before
treatment the materials contained portlandite Ca(OH)2, calcite
CaCO3, clinochrisotile Mg3Si2O5(OH)4 and baumit 1t (Mg,Mn,Fe,
Zn)3(Si,Al)2O5(OH). It should be noted that minerals of asbestos
group, being components of cementite, were identified
(clinochrisotile and portlandite).
Analysis of diffraction patterns of the treated material
(Fig. 6) permitted identifying the minerals like larnite Ca2SiO4,
combeite Na4(Ca,Al,Fe)3Si6O16(O,H,F)2 and practically trace
amounts (in the background) of clinochrisotile Mg3Si2O5(OH)4
that proves occurrence of asbestos.

Table 1 – Comparison of dynamics and effectiveness of neutralisation process of five types of asbestos-bearing products for
five proportions of wetting agent (X – water glass, Z – modified water solution of NaOH). Five-scale evaluation of fibres
neutralisation: 5 – perfectly neutralised; 4 – with perceptible single asbestos fibres; 3 – with perceptible asbestos fibres;
2 – with high portion of perceptible fibres; 1 – with very high portion of perceptible fibres.
Wetting agent Type of product

Cement panel Cement shingle Panocell Plaster progypsol Sprayed coating

Time to reaching 600 8C [s] (process dynamics)/

effectiveness of the process
Product + X (1:1) 110/5 120/5 80/5 130/5 70/4
Product + Z (1:1) 250/4 260/4 70/3 390/5 120/1
Product + X + Z (1:1:1) 100/3 80/3 70/5 140/5 50/1
Product + X + Z (1:1/2:1/2) 100/4 100/4 90/5 80/5 60/2
Product + X + Z (1:1/3:2/3) 140/4 130/3 60/3 80/5 70/3
Product + X + Z (1:1/5:4/5) 130/4 130/3 60/3 160/5 50/2

Please cite this article in press as: K. Granat et al., Application of microwave radiation in innovative process of neutralising asbestos-
containing wastes, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2014.05.012
ACME-235; No. of Pages 7

6 archives of civil and mechanical engineering xxx (2014) xxx–xxx

Fig. 5 – X-ray diffraction pattern of disintegrated ‘‘Cement panel’’ before neutralising with microwaves. Arrows indicate places
of basic peaks from asbestos.

Fig. 6 – X-ray diffraction pattern of disintegrated ‘‘Cement panel’’ after neutralising with microwaves. Arrows indicate places
of possible basic peaks from asbestos.

of intensifying agents in proportion of the product containing

5. Conclusions
It is worth noting that the agent X influences dynamics of the
process and results of treatment very advantageously. In the
other cases, advantageous influence of the applied intensifying
agents and their combinations cannot be found unambiguously.
The most favourable results of neutralising the material
‘‘Cement panel’’ were obtained with use of relatively viscous
water-glass as the only intensifying agent. Use of wetting agents
(sodium hydroxide and water glass) and their combination
ensured basically good effectiveness of the neutralisation
process (sufficient only for the proportion between the agent
X and the agent Z 1:1), good dynamics of the process and good
wettability of the material, except the agent Z. For the material
‘‘Cement shingle’’, use of water-glass guarantees quick and very
effective neutralisation. In this case, good result is ensured by
using a solution of caustic soda (the agent Z) and a combination
asbestos, the agent X and the agent Z equal to 1:½:½, while in the
first case process dynamics is much decreased. Process
dynamics for the material ‘‘Panocell’’ is very good for each of
the used intensifying agents and their combinations and the
highest effectiveness of degradation of asbestos fibres was
obtained for proportion between the product, the agent X and
the agents Z equal to 1:1:1 and 1:½:½. Effectiveness of the
process for the material ‘‘Plaster progypsol’’ is very good in each
of the considered cases and, from the viewpoint of dynamics of
the heating process, the best is combination of the product, the
agent X and the agent Z in the proportions 1:½:½ and 1:1/3:2/3.
Worth noting is low dynamics of the process in the case of using
less viscous solution of caustic soda. The material ‘‘Sprayed
coating’’ can be neutralised with difficulty only. It is merely
water-glass that ensures good neutralisation degree with very
good heating dynamics. Results of laboratory examination on
possibility of neutralisation by means of microwave heating of

Please cite this article in press as: K. Granat et al., Application of microwave radiation in innovative process of neutralising asbestos-
containing wastes, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2014.05.012
ACME-235; No. of Pages 7

archives of civil and mechanical engineering xxx (2014) xxx–xxx 7

the materials containing asbestos fibres can constitute a basic
source of information for developing and testing a prototype
industrial facility.
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Please cite this article in press as: K. Granat et al., Application of microwave radiation in innovative process of neutralising asbestos-
containing wastes, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acme.2014.05.012