Abstract
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/Fs) emissions from basic small-scale waste incinerators (SWI) may cause health risks in nearby people and are thus subject to stringent regulations. The aim of this study was to evaluate PCDD/F emission and reduction of a basic SWI in the absence of air pollution controls (APCs). The results indicated that the stack gas and fly ash presented average PCDD/F levels and emission factors of 3.6 ng international toxic equivalent (I-TEQ)/Nm3 and 189.31µg I-TEQ/t and 6.89 ng I-TEQ/g and 137.85µg I-TEQ/t, respectively, much higher than those from large municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWI). PCDD/Fs congener fingerprints indicated that de novo synthesis played a dominant role in the low-temperature post-combustion zone and increased the presence of high-chlorine substituted congeners. On the basis of the emission factor 327.24 µg I-TEQ/t-waste, approximately 3000 g I-TEQ dioxins might be generated in total through basic SWIs and open burning. After refitting an SWI by adding activated carbon injection with a bag filter (ACI+BG), the PCDD/F emissions decreased to mean values of 0.042 ng I-TEQ/Nm3, far below the standard of 0.1 ng I-TEQ/Nm3, and the removal efficiency reached 99.13% in terms of I-TEQ. Therefore, it is entirely feasible to considerably reduce PCDD/F emissions by refitting basic SWI, which is positive for the future development of rural solid waste (RSW (RSW) disposal by SWI.
Highlights
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/Fs) are commonly known as dioxins and have become a global environmental problem due to their high toxicity and injurious biological effect [1,2,3]
3000 g International toxic equivalent (I-TEQ)/year dioxins were generated through basic scale waste incinerators (SWIs) and open burning in China, which are an important source of PCDD/Fs
After refitting an SWI by adding Activated carbon injection (ACI)+bag filter (BG), the PCDD/F emissions met the standard of 0.1 ng I-TEQ/Nm3, indicating that ACI+BG is a promising technology for the future development of RSW disposal by SWI
Summary
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/Fs) are commonly known as dioxins and have become a global environmental problem due to their high toxicity and injurious biological effect [1,2,3]. PCDD/Fs originate from different sources, including waste incinerations, chemical manufacturing, steel mills, vehicles, and accidental landfill fires [4,5]. Identifying potential PCDD/F sources is an essential key step to determine the kind of sources that should be prioritized when implementing a strict emission control. As the largest developing country, China has constructed about 100 large municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) in large and medium-sized cities by the year 2014. Thanks to remarkable advances in combustion and air pollution control technologies in recent years, PCDD/F emissions from these large MSWIs can be effectively controlled below Chinese environmental standard Public Health 2019, 16, 1267; doi:10.3390/ijerph16071267 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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