Lead Isotopic Composition of Fly Ash and Flue Gas Residues from Municipal Solid Waste Combustors in France:  Implications for Atmospheric Lead Source Tracing

Fly ash and flue gas residues from eight municipal solid waste combustors (MSWC) in France (1992−93 and 1998/2002) were analyzed for their Pb isotopic composition. Fly ashes are more representative of solid residual particles, whereas flue gas residues reflect mostly the composition of gas phases. Both sample types contain hundreds to thousands of micrograms of metals per gram. Leaching experiments showed that metals are present in condensed phases, probably as sulfates and chlorides, and suggest that Cd, Pb, and Zn are highly fractionated from one another during volatilization/condensation processes occurring during combustion. Although all the samples analyzed define a fairly restricted range in Pb isotopic compositions (206Pb/207Pb = 1.148−1.158 and 208Pb/206Pb = 2.101−2.114) compared to other environmental samples, some MSWC produce materials having distinct isotopic compositions, whereas others display very similar ones. Isotopic heterogeneity is also measured between samples from a single MSWC. This is interpreted as resulting from the heterogeneity of the waste source materials. The range of Pb isotopic composition of incinerator materials form a well-defined linear array in the 208Pb/206Pb versus 206Pb/207Pb diagram. This array is compatible with the previously reported European standard pollution (ESP) line and most probably represent the average lead isotopic composition of industrial atmospheric emissions in France, with the following ratios: 206Pb/207Pb = 1.154 ± 0.003 and 208Pb/206Pb = 2.107 ± 0.003 (1σ).