Do FeCl3 and FeCl3/CaO conditioners change pyrolysis and incineration performances, emissions, and elemental fates of textile dyeing sludge?

Abstract

The pyrolysis and incineration performances of sulfur-rich textile dyeing sludge (TDSS) were determined in response to the additions of FeCl3 or FeCl3 + CaO. The emissions of eight air pollutants from the incineration and pyrolysis were systematically identified. The 3-to-8% FeCl3 additions increased the comprehensive combustibility index by 2.14 and 1.62 times, respectively, as opposed to the 5-to-10% FeCl3 + 8-to-15% CaO additions. The CaO addition inhibited the TDSS incineration, while the FeCl3 addition increased HCl emission. NOx, SO2, and H2S emissions decreased initially and increased between 600 and 950 °C. SO2 and NOx emissions rose with FeCl3 but FeCl3 + CaO. FeCl3 catalyzed NOx, while CaO retained SO2. The main pyrolysis gas/liquid products were alkane, alkenes, nitrile, heterocyclic compounds, benzene, and its derivatives. Benzene and its derivatives accounted for 55.33% of the control group and 42.25–57.23% of the treatment groups. The FeCl3 and FeCl3 + CaO additions did not significantly influence the pyrolysis products. The measured versus thermodynamically simulated SOx and HCl emissions were consistent. Neural network-based simultaneous optimizations of the non-linear dynamics of eight kinds of gases pointed to 50% and 14.4% reductions in the emissions and the pyrolytic temperature, respectively, with the 3% FeCl3, relative to the control.