Solid Waste Incineration In China Research Articles

Curbing dioxin emissions from municipal solid waste incineration in China: Re-thinking about management policies and practices

As one of the countries with large amounts of dioxin releases, the control of dioxins is a major challenge for China. Municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration should be considered a high priority source of dioxin emissions because it is playing an increasingly more important role in waste management. MSW incineration in China has much higher emission rates of dioxins than in the developed countries, partially resulting from the gaps in the technologies of incineration and flue gas cleaning. Moreover, the current management policies and practices also contribute significantly to the problem. We recommend lowering dioxin emission standard, strengthening fly ash management, and improving regulation enforcement to reduce dioxin releases into the environment from MSW incineration. We also propose that alternative strategies should be considered on dioxin control and call for an expansion of economic instruments in waste management to reduce waste generation and thus the need for incineration.

Emissions of PCDD/Fs from municipal solid waste incinerators in China

Gas emission of polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) from 19 commercial municipal solid waste (MSW) incinerators in China are investigated. The emission concentrations of PCDD/Fs were 0.042–2.461 ng TEQ Nm −3 with an average value of 0.423 ng TEQ Nm −3. The emissions of PCDD/Fs from 16 MSW incinerators were below the MEP regulation level (1.0 ng I-TEQ Nm −3), while only six systems have the dioxin emission levels below the limit established by the European Union Directive of 0.1 ng I-TEQ Nm −3. The emission factors of PCDD/Fs from 19 MSW incinerators were calculated to be 0.169–10.72 μg TEQ ton −1 MSW with an average value of 1.728 μg I-TEQ ton −1 MSW. The total amount of PCDD/Fs emitted from MSW incinerators to the atmosphere in China was estimated to 19.64 g TEQ year −1 in 2006.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in flue gas emissions from municipal solid waste incinerators in China

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) emissions in flue gas from two types of municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) most commonly used in China were investigated in this study. The selected incinerators include two grate-type MSWIs: MSWI-A (350 t/d) and MSWI-B (150 t/d), and two fluidized bed MSWIs: MSWI-C (400 t/d) and MSWI-D (400 t/d), which are all equipped with semi-dry lime scrubber and bag filter except MSWI-D equipped with cyclone and wet scrubber (WS) as air pollutant control device (APCD). Results indicated that the emission concentration and the international toxic equivalents (I-TEQs) of the PCDD/Fs from the stacks were in the range of 1.210∼10.273 ng/Nm3 and 0.019∼0.201 ng I-TEQ/Nm3, respectively. They were greatly lower than the emission regulation standard of PCDD/Fs in China (1.0 ng I-TEQ/Nm3). However, only the PCDD/Fs emission level from MSWI-C was below 0.1 ng I-TEQ/Nm3. Although the homologue profiles were distinct, the contributions of the 2,3,7,8-subsituted congeners to the total I-TEQ were similar among all the investigated MSWIs. Two major 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF and 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, account for 47% and 9% (average values) of the total I-TEQ values, respectively. The correlation between PCDD/Fs levels and composition of flue gas was also discussed.

Status and prospect of the application of municipal solid waste incineration in China

The municipal solid waste (MSW) problem in China is expanding rapidly, and China’s government is paying more attention to the MSW incineration. This paper discusses the basic characteristics of MSW in China and outlines the status application of MSW incineration technology. Emphasis is put on the prospect application of retrofitting cement rotary kilns into MSW incineration in China, also together with the suggestion to promote the development of cement rotary kiln MSW incineration.