Technical benefit of incorporation of Palm Oil Clinker (POC) in cement-based applications has been proven in recent
studies. The aim of this work was to assess the heavy metal leaching behavior to ensure environmental safety of using
POC in cement-based applications. The chemical composition, morphology, total organic carbon (TOC) and mineralogy
were determined using XRF, FESEM, TOC analyzers and XRD to select appropriate chemical reagents for complete digestion.
HNO3
, HF and HClO4
were used for digestion of POC to measure heavy metal content using ICP-MS. The chemical reagents
CH3
COOH, NH2
OH-HCl, H2
O2
+CH3
COONH4
and HF+HNO3
+HCl were used for extraction of acid soluble, reducible,
oxidizable and residual fractions of heavy metals in POC, respectively. The leaching toxicity of the POC was investigated
by the USEPA 1311 TCLP method. The result showed the presence of Be, V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Ag, Cd, Ba and Pb with
levels of 5.13, 11.02, 2.65, 1.93, 45.43, 11.84, 15.07, 0, 0, 81.97 and 1.76 mg/kg, respectively, in POC. The leaching value
in mg/L of As (4.56), Cu(1.05), Be (0.89), Zn(0.51), Ba(0.26), Ni (0.17), V(0.15), Cr(0.001) and Se (0.001) is found well
below the standard limit of risk. Risk assessment code (RAC) analysis confirms the safe incorporation of POC in cementbased
applications.