A link between fly ash chemistry and the thermal formation of PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs, and PCNs during waste incineration

• The relationship between the properties of fly ash generated during waste incineration and the thermal formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), biphenyls (PCBs), and naphthalenes (PCNs) was investigated using a laboratory incinerator and two artificial wastes that were designed to reflect regional differences in municipal solid waste composition. Flue gas and fly ash samples were collected isokinetically via a sampling port in the post-combustion zone at a flue gas temperature of 300 °C. The mineralogical properties, morphology and sub-surface composition, surface composition and elemental oxidation states of the fly ash samples were determined. The flue gas samples were analyzed for Mo-OCDDs, Mo-OCDFs, Tri-DCBs, and Di-OCNs. Orthogonal Projections to Latent Structures (OPLS) modeling was used to study the relationship between the properties of the fly ash and the post-combustion formation of polychlorinated aromatics. The presence of high levels of ash-forming elements (i.e. Na, Mg, Fe, Ti, etc…) in the waste reduced the S content of the flue gas and thereby promoted the production of Cl2 via the Deacon process. Because this process is vital for the formation of polyaromatic species, wastes with depleted levels of fly ash-building elements should be favored to minimize the release of toxic PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs, and PCNs during incineration.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Kemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Chemical Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Waste incineration

Deacon reaction

formation

particle characterization

OPLS

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)