Identification of PICs in hazardous waste combustion emissions

Abstract

The US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste sponsored an emission test program to identify products of incomplete combustion (PICs) emitted during hazardous waste combustion. The focus of the program was to identify as many organic compounds as possible through use of a wide variety of sampling and analytical techniques including both standard and nonroutine techniques and techniques chosen to achieve detection levels as low as possible. Nine different types of samples were collected using EPA Method 0030 for volatile compounds (VOST), EPA Method 0010 for semivolatile compounds (MM5-SV), and specialized sampling trains. These samples were subjected to analysis such that the test program included about 30 different sample type/analytical technique combinations. Analytical techniques included multiple techniques with GC, GC/MS, HPLC, and FTIR instruments. This was the first application of some of the techniques to combustion effluents. About 150 specific organic compounds were identified. Most were detected by the standard EPA methods such as VOST or MM5-SV with GC/MS analysis. However, the use of high-sensitivity techniques with these methods did allow greater numbers of compounds to be quantitated. The nonstandard techniques identified a few additional compounds, including methanol and several cyanides and organic cyano compounds.