Abstract
The influence of desulfurization on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from sintering plants was investigated. The concentrations of dioxin-like (dl) PCBs, toxic equivalents (TEQs), indicator PCBs, and total tri- to deca-chlorinated PCB homolog groups (∑PCBs) in the flue gases at the desulfurization system inlets were 290-1906pgm(-3) (2.4-18.8pg World Health Organization (WHO) TEQm(-3)), 420-2885pgm(-3), and 6496-22,648pgm(-3), respectively. Desulfurization reduced the values to 43.3-500pgm(-3) (0.46-9.5pgWHO-TEQm(-3)), 183-587pgm(-3), and 2383-11,639pgm(-3), respectively. The removed PCBs were adsorbed by gypsum from the flue gas; the PCB concentration distributions at the inlets and outlets and in the gypsum samples were similar. The emission factors were 9.86ngWHO-TEQt(-1) for the flue gas and 8.37ngWHO-TEQt(-1) for gypsum. Desulfurization decreased the annual atmospheric PCB emissions from 48.6 to 30.7gWHO-TEQ, and the estimated annual emissions in gypsum were 8.06gWHO-TEQ. PCBs in the gypsum have not been effectively eliminated and will probably reenter the environment and in turn become a new source of PCB emission. The PCB concentrations in fly ashes from series-connected electrostatic precipitators clearly increased.
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