Municipal Waste Combustion Research Articles

Mineralization of fluoropolymers from combustion in a pilot plant under representative european municipal and hazardous waste combustor conditions

The goal of this study was to provide data to support mineralization of fluoropolymer waste and insignificant generation of PFAS as products of incomplete combustion (PIC) during incineration of fluoropolymer applications at their end-of-life. Destruction efficiency is not an acceptable metric to indicate mineralization and therefore we need to look for and measure products of incomplete destruction. A mixed sample of fluoropolymers representing 80% of commercial fluoropolymers was combusted at conditions representative of municipal and industrial waste incinerators operating in EU. State-of-the-art emission sampling and analytical methods (UPLC-MS/MS, GC-MS) were used for identifying and quantifying those PFAS whose standards were available. Statistical analysis of the results confirmed non-detect to negligible levels of PFAS evidencing mineralization of fluoropolymers.

Strontium leaching from municipal waste subjected to incineration

The aim of the study was to determine the content and leachability of Sr in ashes obtained through combusting municipal waste in household furnaces. The waste had been collected as a mixed stream and as separate fractions (i.e. furniture, sponges, waste paper, PCV packaging, plastic-coated paper cartons, imitation leather, rubber, textiles and polystyrene). Using single-step chemical extractions, (HCl + HNO3, H2O, 0.01 M CaCl2, 0.1 M CH3COOH), we determined the total content of Sr (TC) and proportions of the following fractions: water-leachable, phytoavailable and easily soluble and bound to carbonates. We also analyzed the effect of reducing pH in the extraction solutions on St leachability from the study material. The study showed that Sr concentration in ash generated from the combustion of conventional fuels, alternative fuels and municipal waste ranged from 114 to 1006 mg/kg. The largest amounts of Sr were found in ash generated from the combustion of alternative fuels (coal pellets 488–1006 mg/kg), conventional fuels (hard coal 430–670 mg/kg) and mixed waste (237–825 mg/kg). The most mobile fraction of Sr (water-leachable) comprised from 1.3% to nearly 91% TC; the phytoavailable fraction and the ion-exchange and carbonate-bound fraction comprised 3–92% TC and 9–72% TC, respectively. We also found that the greatest pH reductions do not always entail the greatest amounts of extracted Sr. A much more significant factor in this respect is the mineral and chemical composition of primary materials, which can buffer changes in pH. The Risk Assessment Code (RAC) values pointed to a varied environmental risk and the highest RAC values (> 70) were found for coal pellets, wood pellets, straw, rubber and plastic containers for mixed oils.

Combustion Analysis of Mixed Secondary Fuel Produced from Agro-Biomass and RDF in a Fluidized Bed

In recent decades, there has been growing interest in the thermal conversion of various alternative fuels, such as biomass and waste-derived fuels. One of the technological solutions for the so-called direct co-combustion of fuels is to create mixtures of various fuels, called mixed secondary fuel. However, mixed secondary fuel has different properties compared to primary fuels. Due to this, by properly selecting the types and proportions of mixtures, it is possible to eliminate their potentially negative impact on both combustion technology and the natural environment. In this paper, we decided to prepare mixed secondary fuel by mixing sunflower husk pellets with RDF (refuse-derived fuel) in a ratio of 1:1 and then analyze the combustion process of the produced fuel in fluidized bed conditions. The results obtained on the basis of the presented research indicate that the mixed secondary fuel eliminated the impact of alkali metal compounds on reducing the melting point of ash and, consequently, on the combustion process of the mixed secondary fuel. An additional benefit is the reduction of emissions of harmful compounds into the atmosphere occurring during the combustion of municipal waste and compliance with the concept of the circular economy.

An Opportunity for Coal Thermal Power Plants Facing Phase-Out: Case of the Power Plant Vojany (Slovakia)

The study deals with the possibilities of using alternative types of fuels to produce electricity. Power Plant Vojany (PPV) is a thermal power plant (TPP) in eastern Slovakia, which is part of the company Slovenské elektrárne, a. s. (SE). PPV primarily used black coal to produce electricity, which had to be imported from abroad (the Russian Federation). This activity has become inefficient both economically and environmentally, due to the high price of CO2 permits and the high emission factor of this type of fuel. PPV decided to co-combust biomass and refuse-derived fuel (RDF), which resulted in much better economic conditions due to their price, economic efficiency, and partly closed CO2 cycle. The aim of the paper is to explore the possibilities related to the production of energy in the cleanest possible way and with the least possible damage to the environment in coal thermal power plants using the example of operating Power Plant Vojany located in eastern part of Slovakia and to inspire each other for the modern transformation. For the purposes of hypothesis verification, analytical methods focused on overview studies of average fuel prices, comparisons, and the balance of fuels in connection with eliminated CO2 emissions, as well as municipal waste (MW) management in the EU and V4 countries, were used. The authors also focused on the energy recovery and combustion of MW and tracking the achieved CO2 savings in connection with the development of fuel sources in PPV. The results point to the fact that PPV is one of the power plants that could use biomass and RDF as fuel, which confirms the economic advantages of this procedure. The results confirm that the potential of RDF production in Slovakia is sufficient to ensure the operation of PPV at planned, even higher volumes of electricity production. The transformation to cleaner operation of coal thermal power plants represents a significant contribution of this study.

Application of Petrographic and Stereological Analyses to Describe the Pore Space of Rocks as a Standard for the Characterization of Pores in Slags and Ashes Generated after the Combustion of Municipal Waste.

Slags and ashes generated in thermal waste treatment facilities require proper management. In line with the principles of the circular economy, new, more economical, and ecological possibilities for utilizing these substances are sought. These waste materials exhibit characteristics similar to rocks in many aspects. This study focuses on analyzing the similarities and differences between nine selected rocks and three samples of slags and ashes obtained from municipal waste incineration. The main research device used was a polarizing microscope, using reflected, transmitted, and fluorescent light. Additionally, low-pressure gas adsorption equipment, as well as helium and quasi-liquid pycnometers, were used for complementary analysis. The parameters analyzed mainly covered broadly defined petrographic properties of rocks and slags, with a particular emphasis on porosity, porous structure, and the spatial distribution of pores and fractures. The conducted analyses confirmed a significant similarity between slags and ashes and clastic sedimentary rocks such as sandstones and mudstones. The research results underscore the importance of petrographic microscopic studies for analyzing materials other than rocks. They also allow for exploring applications for slags and ashes in areas traditionally reserved for natural rock resources. The findings also indicate the necessity of using methods other than microscopic ones to describe the pore space of rocks. The lower measurement range of the optical microscope is limited to approximately 1 μm, covering only macropores. Other methods extend this characteristic to micro- and mesopores. Therefore, a combination of different methods is often employed to obtain a more comprehensive characterization of rock porosity.

Modelling of air emissions from open burning of municipal waste in Ilorin Metropolis, North Central Nigeria

AbstractIncreased urbanization and population growth have led to a rise in municipal solid waste (MSW) generation, necessitating the need for improved infrastructure and handling methods. Improper disposal practices, particularly open burning at dumpsites, have become common in emerging urban cities, posing serious environmental and health risks. This study aims at evaluating the pollutants often emitted into the environment during the open burning of solid wastes using the American Meteorological Society/Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD) model under three scenarios. The ground‐level concentrations of pollutants emitted were compared with the statutory limits of the World Health Organization (WHO) at selected receptor locations. The predicted maximum concentrations from the model for PM2.5 were 4184, 8633, and 10,419 μg/m3 and for PM10 were 16,481, 20,915, and 23,114 μg/m3 for scenarios 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The WHO limits of PM2.5 and PM10 were observed to be exceeded from 2500%–17,400% and 312.5%–4200% for scenario three representing the worst‐case scenario. Ilorin metropolis was revealed to be the receptor location with the highest impact. Waste‐to‐energy and other cleaner waste treatment options should be adopted to protect public health and environment.

Response of organic aerosol to Delhi's pollution control measures over the period 2011–2018

Some of the world's highest air pollution episodes occur in Delhi, India and studies have shown particulate matter (PM) is the leading air pollutant to cause adverse health effects on Delhi's population. It is therefore vital to chart sources of PM over long time periods to effectively identify trends, particularly as multiple air quality mitigation measures have been implemented in Delhi over the past 10 years but remain unevaluated. An automated offline aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) method has been developed which has enabled high-throughput analysis of PM filters. This novel offline-AMS method uses an organic solvent mix of acetone and water to deliver high extraction recoveries of organic aerosol (OA) (95.4 ± 8.3%). Positive matrix factorisation (PMF) source apportionment was performed on the OA fraction extracted from PM10 filter samples collected in Delhi in 2011, 2015 and 2018 to provide snapshots of the responses of OA to changes in sources in Delhi. The nine factors of OA resolved by PMF group into four primary source categories: traffic, cooking, coal-combustion and burning-related (solid fuel or open burning). Burning-related OA made the largest contribution during the winter and post-monsoon, when total OA concentrations were at their highest. Annual mean burning-related OA concentrations declined by 47% between 2015 and 2018, likely associated with the 2015 ban on open waste burning and controls and incentives to reduce crop-residue burning. Compositional analysis of OA factors shows municipal waste burning tracers still present in 2018, indicating further scope to reduce burning-related OA. The closure of the two coal power stations, along with initiatives to decrease coal use in industry, businesses, and residential homes, resulted in a significant decrease (87%) in coal-combustion OA. This corresponds to a 17% reduction in total OA, which shows the effectiveness of these measures in reducing PM10. Increases in traffic OA appear to have been offset by the introduction of the Bharat stage emissions standards for vehicles as the increases do not reflect the rapid increase in registered vehicles. However, daytime restrictions on heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) entering the city is linked to large increases in PM10 during the winter and post-monsoon, likely because the large influx of diesel-engine HGVs during the early mornings and evenings is timed with a particularly low planetary boundary layer height that enhances surface concentrations.

Source apportionment of heavy metals in PM2.5 samples and effects of heavy metals on hypertension among schoolchildren in Tianjin.

The prevalence of hypertension in children has increased significantly in recent years in China. The aim of this study was to provide scientific support to control ambient heavy metals (HMs) pollution and prevent childhood hypertension.In this study, ambient HMs in PM2.5 were collected, and 1339 students from Tianjin were randomly selected. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) wasused to identify and determine the sources of HMspollution. The generalized linear model, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and the quantile g-computation method were used to analyze the relationships between exposure to HMsand the risk of childhood hypertension. The results showed that HMs in PM2.5 mainly came from four sources: soil dust, coal combustion, incineration of municipal wasteand the metallurgical industry. The positive relationships between As, Se and Pb exposures and childhood hypertension risk were found. Coal combustion and incineration of municipal waste were important sources of HMs in the occurrence of childhood hypertension.Based on these accomplishments, this study could provide guidelines for the government and individuals to alleviate the damaging effects of HMs in PM2.5. The government must implement policies to control prime sources of HMs pollution.

Evaluation of Multi-Utility Models with Municipal Solid Waste Combustion as the Primary Source under Specific Geographical and Operating Conditions

Developments in waste incineration technology in terms of efficient fuel preparation, combustion, and emissions reduction, as well as the growing needs of the community in terms of electricity, water, and air conditioning loads, are the prime motive for this study. This study presents a novel approach, in which three models of the fluidized bed combustion of municipal waste for simultaneous power generation, freshwater production, and district cooling are analyzed for their energy and exergy performance. The three simultaneously evaluated utility models are different configurations of a fluidized bed combustion system with Rankine cycle power generation, cooling with a vapor absorption refrigeration system, and fresh water production using multiple effect desalination. The output from the turbine, cooling system, and desalination system is determined using the Engineering Equations Solver for different boiler operating pressures. Energy and exergy analysis data for different pressures are used to identify the best configuration. Two variants of the absorption cooling system, namely, single effect and double effect, are considered. The variants of the multiple-effect desalination are the three-stage and five-stage methods. Input parameters used in this study are municipal solid waste generation and composition data collected for an urban community in an arid climate zone with high demand for electric power, cooling, and fresh water. Model 2, which contains two turbines with the reheating and cooling systems connected to a high-pressure turbine and water desalination connected to a low-pressure turbine, gave the best overall performance. Significant savings in terms of the replacement of conventional energy were observed from these waste conversion plants with greater benefits in arid weather conditions. The results obtained by different models under different operating criteria constitute a guideline for municipal planners for the selection of appropriate waste utilization technology, as well as the appropriate operations.

Influence of Carbonated Bottom Slag Granules in 3D Concrete Printing.

This study investigates the possibility of utilising bottom slag (BS) waste from landfills, and a carbonation process advantageous for the use of artificial aggregates (AAs) in printed three-dimensional (3D) concrete composites. In general, the main idea of granulated aggregates is to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions of printed 3D concrete objects (wall). AAs are made from construction materials, both granulated and carbonated. Granules are made from a combination of binder (ordinary Portland cement (OPC), hydrated lime, burnt shale ash (BSA)) and waste material (BS). BS is a waste material left over after the municipal waste burning process in cogeneration power plants. Whole printed 3D concrete composite manufacturing consists of: granulating artificial aggregate, aggregate hardening and sieving (adaptive granulometer), carbonation of AA, mixing 3D concrete, and 3D printing. The granulating and printing processes were analysed for hardening processes, strength results, workability parameters, and physical and mechanical properties. Printings with no granules (reference 3D printed concrete) were compared to 3D printed concretes with 25% and 50% of their natural aggregate replaced with carbonated AA. The results showed that, theoretically, the carbonation process could help to react approximately 126 kg/m3 CO2 from 1 m3 of granules.

CHALLENGES CONFRONTING LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT: THE CASE OF DANGAMVURA RESIDENTIAL AREA, MUTARE, ZIMBABWE

Solid waste management has become one of the major challenges in both public circles and environmental health at the global level. The extent of the problems being faced as a result of improper solid waste management cannot be understated for example the illegal dumping and burning of municipal waste has become a common phenomenon in most Zimbabwean towns and cities. Studies regarding solid waste management have been widely researched by various scholars across the globe. In Zimbabwe, studies regarding solid waste management have been studied by scholars like Mlaudzi (2017) and Mutsvanga, et al. (2018) among others. Most of the studies focus on major urban centres and lack much information on residential areas. This study focuses on the challenges faced by local authorities in solid waste management in Dangamvura, Mutare. The main objectives of the study include: exploring the challenges being faced by the city of Mutare in solid waste management within the Dangamvura residential area, determining how these challenges are affecting the community and assessing the strategies and policies adopted by the city council to address these challenges. The researcher employed the mixed method of data collection and 60 participants took part in the research. The key informants were drawn from the city of Mutare. The main challenges which were being faced by the council in solid waste management in Dangamvura included poor community engagement, understaffing, urban sprawl, political interference, shortage of resources and natural hazards. These challenges affected the residents in a number of ways which included: disease outbreaks through water contamination, loss of natural beauty of the area and inconsistency in refuse collection. Various efforts were made to improve the state of service delivery in Dangamvura which included environmental education, law enforcement, motorizing cleansing, purchasing new refuse trucks and provisions of bins. The recommendations that have been provided include depoliticizing the issue among others that have been listed at the end of this study.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0009/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Seasonal assessment of heavy metal contamination of groundwater in two major dumpsites in Sierra Leone

Consumption of water contaminated with heavy metals has serious health consequences and these include hypertension, kidney disease, cancer, anaemia, brain damage, etc. However, groundwater pollution with heavy metals may occur naturally or anthropogenically as a result of water-rock interaction, dumpsite leachate, agricultural activities, or sewage percolation. Therefore, the apportionment of the specific sources of heavy metals to groundwater is vital to prevent and control its pollution to groundwater. The present work assessed thirty-four (34) groundwater samples from the vicinity of the Granvillebrook and Kingtom dumpsites, Freetown, Sierra Leone. The objective of the research was achieved by integrating geospatial, indexical, and multivariate statistical methods. The results showed that heavy metals such as Cu, Cr, Fe, and Mn exceeded the permissible levels in the majority of the groundwaters. As and Pb were below the detection level of the instrument in all the groundwaters analyzed. Seasonal variations revealed that the concentration of heavy metals is relatively higher in the dry season due to the effect of dilution. The heavy metal evaluation index and degree of contamination analyses respectively showed that 16.7 and 41.6% of the groundwaters in the Granvillebrook dumpsite are highly polluted by heavy metals. All the groundwater samples in the Kingtom dumpsites except well KW17 are unaffected by heavy metals. The principal component analysis showed that fuel combustion, brake abrasion, and discharge of municipal and industrial waste from the dumpsites are some of the anthropogenic sources that impact groundwater pollution in the study areas. The findings of this research revealed the urgent need to develop strategies to control and mitigate the occurrences of heavy metals and thus serve as a base for future research in the study areas.

Ex Ante Costs Versus Ex Post Costs of the Large Municipal Waste Combustor Rule

AbstractThis article compares the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ex ante cost analysis of its 1995 Large Municipal Waste Combustor (MWC): New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines rule to an ex post assessment of its cost. Unlike many retrospective cost analyses, where ex post assessments are limited due to lack of data on compliance costs, this case study is unique because we located and used plant-level survey data from the U.S. Department of Energy and Governmental Advisory Associates in a comparison of ex ante and ex post costs of individual MWCs. We find the ex post capital expenditures for nitrogen oxide control systems are typically lower than the EPA ex ante estimates, while the ex post capital expenditures for mercury control systems tend to be higher than the EPA ex ante estimates. Finally, while we find a few outliers, the average ratio of ex post to ex ante capital expenditures for particulate matter and sulfur dioxide emissions control is near unity.

Modelling the Kinetics of Tartrazine Sorption by Bottom Ash

Bottom ash is the solid residue left over from municipal waste combustion or incineration in a Municipal Waste Incineration Furnace. Its use as a sorption agent, particularly for dye sorption, is a new and important application. Linearized adsorption kinetics has drawbacks such as inaccurate representation of the parameters' 95 percent confidence interval output, unbalanced attention to potential outliers, and magnification of errors may result in inaccurate parameter values. In this study, we used nonlinear regression to investigate 16 adsorption kinetics models of tartrazine by bottom ash. The pseudo-second order was the best model based on the Bias and Accuracy factor near unity, but based on other error function analysis, this model performs equally well with the exponential and fractal-like pseudo-second order based other error functions such as Root-Mean-Square Error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), Marquardt’s percent standard deviation (MPSD), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), Hannan-Quinn Information Criterion (HQC), and especially the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) function as the absolute difference is 5 absolute unit making discriminatory activity difficult. Furthermore, because the pseudo-second order and exponential models have only two parameters, they are less complicated according to Occam's razor. Because the pseudo-second order model is more popular and has more applications than the less well-known exponential model, we chose it as the best model for tartrazine sorption to bottom ash. Kinetic analysis using the PSO model gave a value of equilibrium adsorption capacity, qe of 21.88 mg g-1 (95% confidence interval (C.I.), 20.93 to 22.84) and k2 (g/(mg.sec)) of 0.00002 (95%, C.I., 0.00001 to 0.00002).

Evaluation of the Immobilization of Fly Ash from the Incineration of Municipal Waste in Cement Mortar Incorporating Nanomaterials—A Case Study

Fly ash generated in the process of combustion of municipal waste is classified as hazardous waste. Its management today has become a significant problem. One of the methods of safe management of such ash may be using it for the production of concrete as a partial replacement for cement. Using immobilization, the number of hazardous compounds could be limited so that the obtained new material would be safe for the natural environment. Recovery of byproducts—in this case, fly ash—complies with the business models applied in the production cycle in the circular economy model. Such a solution may result in saving energy, limiting CO2 emissions, reducing the use of natural resources, and management of dangerous waste. It should be added that concretes with the addition of hazardous waste would be used for industrial purposes according to the binding legal regulations. This article presents the influence of the addition of fly ash on the selected mechanical properties of concrete. Fly ash from the incineration of municipal waste was used as a partial replacement of CEM I concrete at amounts of 4%, 8%, and 18% of its mass. The compressive strength and flexural strength of such concretes were tested after 28 days of concrete curing. This article also presents the tests of the leachability of contaminants from fly ash and concretes produced with Portland cement CEM I. The test results confirm that immobilization is an effective process that limits the amount of contamination in the water extract. Zinc, lead, and chrome were almost completely immobilized by the C-S-H (calcium silicate hydrate) concrete phase, with their immobilization degree exceeding 99%. Chloride content also underwent immobilization at a similar level of 99%. The sulfates were immobilized at the level of 96%. The subject matter discussed in this article is essential because, to protect the natural environment and, thus, reduce the use of natural resources, it is increasingly necessary to reuse raw materials—not natural, but recycled from the industry. Waste often contains hazardous compounds. A proposal for their safe disposal is their immobilization in a cement matrix. An important aspect is reducing leachability from concrete as much as possible, e.g., using nanomaterials. The effectiveness of reducing the leachability of hazardous compounds with the proposed method was checked in this study.

The detection of ash derived from the illegal co-combustion of solid waste with coal in domestic boilers with the aid of spectrometric approaches and statistical learning

Emissions from solid fuels used for individual heating in suburban areas and in towns are a constantly growing threat to human health. Another very negative factor is illegal waste disposal by combustion in installations not adapted for this purpose. Most developed and developing countries have existing statutory rules regarding the prohibition of domestic and municipal waste combustion in a different way than in installations adapted for it, i.e., in waste incineration plants. Nonetheless, only a few countries, including Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Poland, have regulations governing the control of domestic boilers, allowing verification of compliance with legislation prohibiting waste disposal by combustion and legislation governing environmental protection, particularly air protection. However, for these conditions to be met, a methodology must be developed. As a result, a unique approach and algorithm for the classification of wastes (solid ash) and the identification of dangerous compounds that may originate from waste co-combustion have been created and presented in this work. The proposed algorithm has a 97% accuracy, and the solution produced on its basis consists of four steps: obtaining a sample, performing a visual analysis, analysing the chemical composition, and calibrating with the result.

Design and qualification of a bench-scale model for municipal waste-to-energy combustion

ABSTRACT This paper reports the design and qualification of the first purpose-built, bench-scale reactor system to model the municipal waste-to-energy combustion of fluorinated polymers. Using the principle of similarity, the gas-phase combustion zone of a typical municipal waste-to-energy plant has been scaled down to the bench with a focus on chemical similarity. Chemical similarity is achieved in large part through the use of methanol as a surrogate for municipal solid waste (MSW). Review of prior research shows that methanol is one of the major volatile products expected during MSW thermal conversion in the fuel bed of waste-to-energy plants. Like full-scale waste-energy plants, the design of the bench-scale model includes a flame zone and a post-flame zone. Maintaining steady methanol vapor flow premixed with air to the model reactor system ensures stable combustion resulting in bench-scale CO emission levels comparable to those of full-scale waste-to-energy plants. Since investigation of fluorinated polymer combustion includes trace analysis of exhaust gas for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), qualification testing focused on PFOA collection efficiency. High PFOA collection efficiency (>90%) demonstrated the capability of the reactor system in transporting and absorbing PFOA that may be generated during high-temperature combustion testing of fluorinated polymers. Overall, the bench-scale system is qualified for its intended use to investigate potential generation of PFOA from combustion of fluorinated polymers under conditions representative of waste-to-energy combustion. Implications: Decision makers depend on environmental researchers to provide reliable predictions of pollutant emissions from waste combustion of polymers at end of product life. Reliable predictions are especially important with regard to questions about potential PFOA emissions from municipal waste combustion of fluorinated polymers. Results from qualification testing confirm that the novel bench-scale model reactor system is capable of representing gas-phase municipal waste combustion behavior upstream of air pollution control and generating representative exhaust gas samples for off-line trace-level analysis of PFOA.

Influence of co-combustion of unsuitable fuels with standardized fuels in households on CO, OGC, PM, and PAH emissions.

Waste combustion in residential small-scale combustion units is not legal in the Czech Republic or other European Union countries. The resulting gaseous and particulate pollutants expose inhabitants to smells and toxic compounds and may damage their property and health. This study is designed to define the emissions of gaseous and particulate pollutants and determine the influence of municipal waste combustion on emission factors. Different types of solid fuels, municipal wood wastes (window frames, furniture chipboard), and mixtures of solid fuels with municipal wastes (namely, textiles, plastics, PET briquettes comprising a mixture of PET bottles + wood pellets + frying oil, paper, and floor coverings) were combusted in residential combustion units (such as gasification boiler, boiler with down-draft combustion, overfire boiler, and stove). Studies describing such an extensive range of waste samples combusted in different small-scale combustion units have not yet been published. Emission factors (EFs) for products of incomplete combustion (carbon monoxide (CO), organic gaseous compounds (OGC), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in gaseous and particulate phases) and particulate matter (PM) were within narrow intervalsand lowest for standardized wood fuel (dry wood logs only) and 2-4 times higher on average for unsuitable coal samples (coal unsuitable for the particular boiler type used and coal combined with waste), for which values fell within broad intervals.The EFs of pollutants resulting from incomplete combustion (CO, OGC, and 16 PAHtotal) and PM were lowest for standardized wood fuel (dry wood logs only) and almost two or four times higher on average for unsuitable coal fuels (coal unsuitable for the particular boiler type used and coal combined with waste).

Gridded 1 km × 1 km emission inventory for paddy stubble burning emissions over north-west India constrained by measured emission factors of 77 VOCs and district-wise crop yield data

Every year in the post-monsoon season, ~1.7 billion tons of paddy stubble is burnt openly in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) producing persistent smog and air quality deterioration that affects the entire IGP. Information concerning the identity, amounts and spatial distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which drive ozone and aerosol formation is still largely unknown as existing global emission inventories have poor VOC speciation and rely on limited satellite overpasses for mapping burnt areas. Here, emission factors (EFs) of 77 VOCs were measured from paddy fire smoke and combined with 1 km × 1 km stubble burning activity constrained by annual crop production yields and detected fires to compile a new gridded emission inventory for 2017. Our results reveal a large source of acetaldehyde (37.5 ± 9.6 Ggy−1), 2-furaldehyde (37.1 ± 12.5 Ggy−1), acetone (34.7 ± 13.6 Ggy−1), benzene (9.9 ± 2.8 Ggy−1) and isocyanic acid (0.4 ± 0.2 Ggy−1) that are not accounted for by existing emission inventories (GFED, GFAS, FINv2.1). During October–November, these emissions (346 ± 65 Ggy−1 NMVOC; 38 ± 8 Ggy−1 NOx; 16 ± 4 Ggy−1 NH3; 129 ± 9 Ggy−1 PM2.5; 22,125 ± 3674 Ggy−1 GHG CO2 equivalents) are more than 20 times larger than corresponding emissions from traffic and municipal waste burning over north-west India. Mitigation of this source alone can therefore yield massive air-quality climate co-benefits for more than 500 million people.

Energy Treatment of Solid Municipal Waste in Combination with Biomass by Decentralized Method with the Respect to the Negative Effects on the Environment

Waste is a product of society and one of the biggest challenges for future generations is to understand how to sustainably dispose of large amounts of waste. The main objective of this study was to determine the possibility and conditions of the decentralized combustion of non-hazardous municipal waste. The analysis of the combustion properties of a mixture of wood chips and 20–30% of municipal solid waste showed an improvement in the operating parameters of the combustion process. Analysis also confirmed that the co-combustion of dirty fuels and biomass reduced the risk of releasing minerals and heavy metals from fuel into the natural environment. Approximately 55% of the heavy metals passed into the ash. The analysis of municipal solid waste and fuel mixtures containing municipal solid waste for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons showed the risk of increasing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in flue gases.