Wood ash is a complex mixture of inorganic and organic compounds. It is
heterogeneous in composition, which can vary considerably. Ash is mainly
disposed of in landfills, which poses a risk for air, soil and groundwater
contamination by trace elements. In order for wood biomass ash to be used as
a secondary raw material, it is necessary to perform leaching tests, to
determine which microelements it contains, and which of them could be
released into the environment during the ash disposal. Sequential extraction
showed that in the exchangeable and carbonate fraction, the most volatile
metals As, Cd, Zn and Pb are released the most from the ash of deciduous
trees, while the leaching of ash from coniferous trees is significantly
lower. The evaluation of risk assessment code (RAC) for the tested biomass
ash samples, indicates that Pb is a high-risk leaching element due to its
condensation on the ash particles. By performing TCLP (Toxicity
Characteristic Leaching Procedure) and SPLP (Synthetic Precipitation
Leaching Procedure) tests, it was established that the released
concentrations of tested metals are below the maximum allowable
concentration, given by the Regulation. The leaching tests of composites,
prepared from wood ash in combination with cement, indicate that the
leaching of ash is reduced to a minimum, and that all heavy metals are bound
in a cement matrix, which indicates the possibility of using wood ash for
construction purposes.