Industrial Waste Incineration Plant Research Articles

An empirical study on thermal efficiency and dusty moisture removal efficiency using enthalpy wheel in industrial waste incineration plant

In this work, an empirical study is conducted on the waste heat recovery and moisture removal performance of an enthalpy wheel installed in an industrial waste incineration plant. The enthalpy wheel made of a metal mesh is placed in parallel with the wet scrubber of the incineration plant to exchange heat with high-temperature exhaust at 200 °C. In the enthalpy wheel, exhaust gas and external air exchange heat in the form of a counter flow, and the condensation effect is maximized by installing a water-spray nozzle at the inlet of the enthalpy wheel. Empirical data were collected over 100 days spanning July to October. To evaluate the performance of the enthalpy wheel, thermal efficiency, moisture removal efficiency, and dust removal efficiency were tested under high-temperature humid conditions. In some results, the overall thermal efficiency reached peaked at 61.2 %. Regarding moisture removal performance, the average moisture removal rate was 493 kg/h, affording an efficiency of 49.2 %. In terms of dust removal performance, the average dust removal efficiency was 79.6 %.

Estimation Complete Combustion Coefficient in Rotary Kilns

This paper presents a model-based analysis of variability of thermodynamic and chemical parameters in a rotary kiln (RK) during thermal treatment of animal waste. The core process of chemical treatment of waste takes place in RKs; the process involves heating, gasification and partial combustion of the waste. Control over these parameters, and especially the level of complete combustion, determines the quality and efficiency of the process. In operational practice, control and analysis of the variability of process parameters is complicated by the high degree of simultaneity of individual transformations, random disruptions of the process and metrological difficulties resulting from high temperature and chemical activity of the materials being processed. The purpose of preparing the model was to obtain a tool for predicting variability of selected process parameters. By definition, model calculations assume no influence of disturbances on output values, which makes it possible to acquire accurate results that can be compared with corresponding empirically obtained data. The result of the analyses conducted is a theoretical model of the analysed process and a graphical presentation of the calculation results in the form of graphs and charts. A formula for calculating the level of complete combustion and the results of calculation of this index on the basis of empirical data from an industrial waste incineration plant are also presented herein. The presented model is a useful tool providing an insight into interdependencies between selected process parameters and facilitating design of corrective actions oriented towards process optimisation.

Development of a Preventive Maintenance Monitoring Method for Industrial Waste Incineration Plant Equipment Using ICT and Its Effectiveness

Development of a Preventive Maintenance Monitoring Method for Industrial Waste Incineration Plant Equipment Using ICT and Its Effectiveness

Destruction of decabromodiphenyl ether during incineration of plastic television housing waste at commercial-scale industrial waste incineration plants

To investigate the destruction of decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) contained in flame-retarded plastics, we conducted a series of co-incineration tests of plastic television (TV) housing waste at two commercial-scale industrial waste incinerators in Japan, one equipped with a rotary kiln furnace and the other with a stoker furnace. At the former, crushed TV housings containing 5.9% (59,000 mg/kg) decaBDE were mixed at 3.2 wt% with normal industrial waste and incinerated at 1000 °C; at the latter, crushed housings containing 4.9% (49,000 mg/kg) decaBDE were mixed at 3.6 wt% with normal industrial waste and incinerated at 1100 °C. Destruction efficiencies of over 99.9999% were achieved at both plants, and discharge of brominated dioxins and furans was negligible. More than 70% of the total decaBDE output and 90% of the total bromine output were found in the bottom ash and the fly ash, respectively, suggesting that any undecomposed decaBDE was discharged into the bottom ash and that desorbed bromine was concentrated into the fly ash. Our findings indicate that controlled co-incineration is an environmentally sound method for destruction of decaBDE, but attention should be paid to disposing of the bottom and fly ash in a manner that avoids environmental and human impacts.

Impact of municipal and industrial waste incinerators on PCBs content in the environment.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been withdrawn from the market due to their toxicity, bioaccumulation capacity, and persistence. PCBs have been observed to potentially form in combustion processes under appropriate conditions and in the presence of precursors containing chlorine. The study covered a municipal waste incineration plant and an industrial waste incineration plant. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of these objects on PCB accumulation in soil and plants taking into account the distance from the emission object and wind direction. Soil samples were collected from layers: 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm. Test plants were collected from the same areas as the soil samples. The highest accumulation of PCBs was found in plants with large leaf area. Around the municipal waste incineration plant, these were Tanacetum vulgare leaves (12.45 ng/g), and around the industrial waste incineration plant–grasses (4.3 ng/g). In the case of soils, the accumulation of PCBs for both kind waste incinerators was similar, reaching approximately 3 ng/g. As the distance from the municipal waste incinerator and industrial waste incinerator increased, the accumulation of PCBs in the soil decreased. For municipal waste incinerator, no effect of wind direction on PCB accumulation in the soil was observed. In the majority of cases, the accumulation of PCBs in soils taken from the leeward side of the industrial waste incinerator was higher than that in soils from the windward side. In soils around the municipal waste incinerator, PCB compounds moved deep into the soil and reached the highest accumulation in the soil layer of 10-20 cm or 20-30 cm. In soils around the industrial waste incinerator, the highest accumulation of PCBs occurred in the soil layer of 0-5 cm.

To the Question of Studying the Regimes of Electro-Plasma Processing of Technogenic Wastes of Incineration Plants of the PRC for the Production of Melt and Fibrous Materials

The article presents the results of melting industrial waste incineration plants in China in electric arc plasma and demonstrated the possibility of melting the wastes in podrihtovali for production of a melt and producing fibrous materials based on it.Studies were carried out by optical and electron microscopy, spectral and x-ray analysis, as well as by capillary electrophoresis to determine the cation-anion composition. For processing of ash the electromagnetic technological reactor in which its melting was made was used. The presented melting unit made it possible to smoothly regulate the temperature and keep it at the outlet of the jet from the Letka, which made it possible to reduce the power consumption for the production of melt and fiber production. The experiments on melting showed a high gas content in the process of melting of the waste. Therefore, initially, to study the possible composition of the gas, the TERRA program modeling the process of ash melting with the release of gas was used, and the reactor parameters were calculated to determine the effective power and specific energy consumption. Thus, the purpose of the tasks was to obtain a homogeneous melt with associated purification of waste gases, followed by an analysis of its material composition, as well as the production of a thin mineral fiber to produce heat-insulating materials of the fibrous structure.

Life cycle impact assessment of the environmental infrastructures in operation phase: Case of an industrial waste incineration plant

Life cycle impact assessment of the environmental infrastructures in operation phase: Case of an industrial waste incineration plant

Environmentally sound destruction of hexabromocyclododecanes in polystyrene insulation foam at commercial-scale industrial waste incineration plants

To evaluate factors influencing the destruction efficiency (DE) of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in end-of-life extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation foams, we conducted co-incineration tests at nine commercial-scale industrial waste incineration plants in Japan with various furnace types and with capacities ranging from 70 to 350t/day. Source materials consisting of 0.34–3.3wt% of XPS insulation foam (HBCD content, 3.4–5.0wt%) mixed with baseline industrial wastes were co-incinerated at temperatures of 880–1,210°C, depending on the plant. HBCD DEs exceeded 99.999% at all the plants (at five plants, the DEs exceeded 99.9999%), with negligible discharge of brominated dioxins and furans. The type of furnace, the incineration temperature, the air pollution control system, and the XPS/waste mixing ratio had no obvious effect on DE. Except at two plants, more than approximately 80% of the total HBCD output was found in the bottom ash, implying that undecomposed HBCDs are discharged unburned into the bottom ash owing to their fire retardancy. HBCD concentrations in bottom ash (<0.01–40ng/g-dry) and DE (99.9992–99.999998%) were negatively correlated, suggesting that at XPS/waste mixing ratios of up to approximately 3wt%, HBCD residue concentrations in bottom ash may be a useful indicator that DE exceeds 99.999%.

Mass and number size distributions of emitted particulates at five important operation units in a hazardous industrial waste incineration plant

ABSTRACTPast studies indicated particulates generated by waste incineration contain various hazardous compounds. The aerosol characteristics are very important for particulate hazard control and workers' protection. This study explores the detailed characteristics of emitted particulates from each important operation unit in a rotary kiln-based hazardous industrial waste incineration plant. A dust size analyzer (Grimm 1.109) and a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) were used to measure the aerosol mass concentration, mass size distribution, and number size distribution at five operation units (S1–S5) during periods of normal operation, furnace shutdown, and annual maintenance. The place with the highest measured PM10 concentration was located at the area of fly ash discharge from air pollution control equipment (S5) during the period of normal operation. Fine particles (PM2.5) constituted the majority of the emitted particles from the incineration plant. The mass size distributions (elucidated) made it clear that the size of aerosols caused by the increased particulate mass, resulting from work activities, were mostly greater than 1.5 μm. Whereas the number size distributions showed that the major diameters of particulates that caused the increase of particulate number concentrations, from work activities, were distributed in the sub micrometer range. The process of discharging fly ash from air pollution control equipment can significantly increase the emission of nanoparticles. The mass concentrations and size distributions of emitted particulates were different at each operation unit. This information is valuable for managers to take appropriate strategy to reduce the particulate emission and associated worker exposure.

Simple and rapid yeast reporter bioassay for dioxin screening: evaluation of the dioxin-like compounds in industrial and municipal waste incineration plants

The CROMIS AhR kit, a simple and rapid yeast bioassay kit, was developed and used to detect dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in 20 gas and solid samples collected from refuse incineration plants in Japan. The World Health Organization toxic equivalent (WHO-TEQ) values of the samples were also calculated using high-resolution gas chromatography/high--resolution mass spectrometry. The WHO-TEQ values of the samples varied greatly, ranging from 0.0021-6.3 ng/g to 0.00013-16 ng/m(3)N (normal cubic meter) in the solid and gas samples, respectively. 2,3,4,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzofuran (23478-PeCDF) and 1,2,3,7,8-pentachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (12378-PeCDD) were the major contributors to the samples' WHO-TEQ values. The yeast in the bioassay responded to these congeners, and the EC50 values of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2378-TeCDD), 12378-PeCDD, and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF were 490, 560, and 590 nM, respectively. The incinerator samples were subjected to the bioassay to obtain 2378-TeCDD equivalent values (CROMIS-TEQ values). The CROMIS-TEQ values of the solid and gas samples ranged from 0.0019 to 5.64 ng/g and from 0.14 to 20 ng/m(3)N, respectively. The CROMIS-TEQ and WHO-TEQ values displayed good correlations (r (2) = 0.94 and 0.95 in the solid and gas samples, respectively), except for those of the samples with low dioxin concentrations (below the Japanese emission standards). Therefore, the CROMIS AhR kit is a useful tool for the initial screening of samples containing dioxin-like compounds.

Properties of activated cokes used for flue gas treatment in industrial waste incineration plants

Properties of three types of AKP granular activated cokes (Gryfskand/Poland) used for flue gas treatment in industrial waste incineration plants were analyzed. As a reference material activated coke FAK-5 (CarboTech/Germany) was used, commonly applied in BF technologies. Mechanical and physico-chemical properties of the analyzed materials, as well as their porous structure were determined. It was proven that intensive activation contributed to the increase of specific surface area from 218 to 386m2/g and greater volume of micropores. Moreover, significant weakening of mechanical properties and increased chemical use of carbon material were observed. Methodology for testing adsorptive capacity of SO2 and Hg, and catalytic activity of NO reduction — under conditions similar to industrial ones — was developed. It was shown that the adsorptive activity of activated cokes for SO2 and Hg was a linear function of a specific surface area. Catalytic properties with relation to nitric oxides depend on the content of ash and elementary carbon. It was proven that the intensity of activation should be a compromise between good sorptive properties and appropriate mechanical and catalytic properties.

Study on the determination of PCDDs/Fs and HCB in exhaust gas

The subject of this study was to develop a method of simultaneous determination of PCDDs/PCDFs and HCB in exhaust gases from industrial installations.Sampling to determine PCDDs/PCDFs was conducted using the method described in PN-EN 1948-1: 2006, where the sorption material is polyurethane foam (PUF).In order to simultaneously collect PCDDs/PCDFs and HCB and to avoid sorbent bed breakthrough, it was necessary to apply an additional polyurethane sorption layer.Twenty-seven samples of exhaust gases from various cement plants and 40 samples of exhaust gases from hospital and industrial waste incineration plants collected in 2009/2010 in the entire territory of Poland were examined.The average content of PCDDs/Fs in samples from cement plants amounted to 0.076ngI-TEQNm−3 (range of 0.002–0.62ngI-TEQNm−3), while the average content of HCB amounted to 10ngNm−3 (range of 0.98–60.5ngNm−3).In the case of samples collected from waste incineration plants, the average concentration of PCDDs/Fs was 0.39ngI-TEQNm−3 (range of 0.002–5.68ngI-TEQNm−3). In the case of HCB, the average concentration was 238ngNm−3 (range of 3.21–2500ngNm−3).Also, the interdependence of the concentration of PCDDs/PCDFs and HCB was determined in the analysed samples, with the ranges of low and high content of PCDDs/PCDFs being examined separately. In all cases, the determined values of the r correlation coefficient were within the range of 0.7–1.0, which indicates a good correlation between the concentrations of PCDDs/PCDFs and HCB.

Potential formation of PCDD/Fs and related bromine-substituted compounds from heating processes for ashes

Thermal experiments were conducted using real boiler ash and fly ash samples from three types of municipal or industrial solid waste incineration plants to understand the formation reactions of polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxin and furans (PCDD/Fs) and related bromine compounds that were chlorinated–brominated dibenzodioxins and furans (PXDD/Fs) and polybrominated dibenzo- p-dioxin and furans (PBDD/Fs). The results obtained were as follows: The formation of PCDD/Fs was clearly shown, and fly ash containing abundant carbon matter had a significant potential for de novo synthesis. The homologous distribution change apparently showed that the formation of PXDD/Fs occurred from the substitution of a bromine atom with a chlorine atom in the PCDD/F molecules. This suggests that PXDD/Fs are usually formed with PCDD/Fs on the ash. PBDD/Fs might be formed from any reaction mechanism different from that of PXDD/Fs. The existence of carbonaceous matters always does not mean the potential formation of PCDD/Fs. However, any addition of catalytic copper may influence the nature of ash to increase the formation potential. The findings suggest that there are many instances that result in the unintended production of trace hazardous pollutants in the incineration process and show that careful and sophisticated control is required to prevent the formation of pollutants.

On-line measurement of chlorobenzene in waste incineration flue gas as a surrogate for the emission of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (I-TEQ) using mobile resonance laser ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Mobile resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (REMPI-TOFMS) was applied for on-line detection of surrogates for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/F) in the flue gas of an industrial hazardous waste incineration plant (thermal power: 22 MW). Conventional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) measurements have been performed to establish an indicator relation between the best suited surrogate (monochlorobenzene) and the PCDD/F concentration in the flue gas (measured in international toxicity equivalents, I-TEQ). The indicator relation allows the estimation of the actual PCDD/F emission from the on-line registered MCBz signal. Furthermore, several other aromatic components have been measured on-line. During transient instabilities of the combustion conditions, e.g. due to barrel uptake, highly dynamic changes in the emission profiles of substituted benzenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were observed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

On-line resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization time-of-flight laser mass spectrometry for combined multi-component-pattern analysis and target-compound monitoring: non-chlorinated aromatics and chlorobenzene in flue gases of combustion processes

Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) allows different degrees of optical ionization selectivity. The selectivity achievable with the REMPI-method is compared with that of other ionization methods for on-line mass spectrometry. “Semiselective” REMPI with effusive molecular beam inlet allows group selective ionization of mono- and polycyclic aromatic compounds and their methylated derivatives (REMPI at 266 nm). The patterns of the above mentioned aromatic compounds in flue gases can be used for characterization of industrial combustion processes. In this work, a novel approach of “semi-selective” REMPI for measure ment of the patterns of mono- and polycyclic aromatic compounds, with additional simultaneous target compound monitoring, is presented. By using REMPI at 269.8 nm monochloro benzene, which is an important indicator for the toxicity of the flue gas, can be monitored, together with the other aromatics. On-line recorded REMPI mass spectra from the flue gas of an industrial hazardous waste incineration plant are presented. The applications of REMPI on-line monitoring at incineration plants are discussed.

Ultrafiltration for the Removal of Cadmium in Waste Streams from Industrial Waste Incineration

To remove Cd in waste streams from industrial waste incineration plants, a process of tangential ultrafiltration preceded by complexation was used. It was shown that the optimal pH for precipitation of metallic hydroxides was between 10 and 11. which is greater than the value (8.5) stipulated by the national standard for waste streams. A dozen products were tested in order to choose a suitable complexing agent, including Metalsorb ZT (Na-dimethyldithiocarbamate) which seemed to be the most efficient for reducing the Cd content. For additions of Metalsorb ZT from 0.25 to 2.5% in volume and in the pH 7–9 range, the Cd content was reduced by approximately 75%. The process did not seem particularly sensitive to fluctuating operating conditions.

Internal exposure of waste incineration workers to organic and inorganic substances.

One hundred and twenty-two persons employed in an industrial waste incineration plant were examined with respect to organic and inorganic substances which may be produced during the combustion of different waste. The employees were divided into three groups: persons with contact with the incinerator (WI workers, n = 45), periphery workers (n = 54) and management (n = 23). For the evaluation of internal exposure, the levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and m-xylene in blood, chromium in the erythrocytes, polychlorinated biphenyls, hexachlorobenzene and pentachlorophenol in plasma, and arsenic, chromium, nickel, vanadium, chlorophenols and hydroxypyrene in urine were determined. The internal exposures of the three groups were tested against each other and were compared with the reference values of the general population. Differences between the groups investigated were tested using the U test according to Wilcoxon, Mann and Whitney (P < 0.05). The biological exposure limits valid in Germany (BAT values) were not exceeded in any cases. Compared with the background levels of the German population, certain parameters were exceeded in several employees. Significantly higher levels of the WI workers in comparison to both periphery workers and management were found for toluene in blood (median: 1.1 vs 0.9 vs 0.6 microgram/l). For the lead and cadmium levels in blood and for the urinary excretion of arsenic, 2,4-dichlorophenol and tetrachlorophenols, statistical differences were found only between WI workers and one of the other groups. However, in all cases the elevations were very small and of interest more from the environmental than from the occupational point of view. It must be stressed that this waste incineration plant is very modern in terms of worker health and safety. At older plants without corresponding health and safety measures, higher internal exposure of the employees to hazardous substances may exist.

Genetic activity of samples collected from a waste incinerator and its neighboring areas

This report contains the results of an environmental mutagenesis research project carried out in the Parma district. Samples were collected from an industrial and urban solid waste incineration plant and from its surroundings. These samples were analysed for their genotoxicity. The D7 S. cerevisiae, and strains TA98 and TA100 of S. typhimurium were used as the test organisms. There was a wide variation among the samples, whether it was samples obtained from the various steps of the incineration process, or from within the metabolic or non‐metabolic activation analysis. The majority of soil samples from the surroundings of the incinerator demonstrated mutagenic activity. It is difficult to ascertain the origin of the various mutagenic components because of the presence of other possible pollution sources, e.g. pesticides. Nevertheless, it is possible to correlate the presence of the mutagenic substances with the prevailing winds, rain pattern, and atmospheric pressure.

Description of the residence-time behaviour and burnout of PCDD, PCDF and other higher chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons in industrial waste incineration plants

The high-temperature incineration in a rotary kiln with a subsequent afterburner chamber is an appropriate technology for the thermal disposal of higher-chlorinated aromatic wastes. The generation and destruction of trace organics like PCDDs and PCDFs has to be taken into account besides the concentration of CO, NO x and total org. C. In order to examine the flow- and temperature distribution and the residence-time behaviour of the afterburner chamber the three-dimensional turbulent conservation equations were solved numerically. On the basis of the thermal stability of TCDD and soot as model compounds the burnout is analysed. The model calculations are supported by measurements of the temperature- and O 2-concentration-fields in the afterburner chamber and by tracer-tests for the investigation of the residence-time distribution.