Waste Incineration Plants Research Articles

UKRAINIAN EXPERIENCE AND NEW ENERGY CHALLENGES DURING THE TIMES OF GROWING GLOBAL CONFLICT

The article substantiates the relevance of switching approaches to the formation of energy security of countries in the times of growing global conflict. The structure and dynamics of energy production and consumption in the European Union and Ukraine considering traditional and renewable sources until 2020 were analyzed. The structure of the energy balance of Ukraine and its difference from EU countries were described. Despite the growth of energy production from renewable sources, a high level of dependence (more than 50%) of EU countries on imported traditional energy carriers from third countries, especially, the russian federation, was revealed. The negative impact and consequences of EU’s dependence on energy supply from the aggressor country and the need to develop and diversify sources of energy supply in the national context was substantiated. The experience of processing and energy utilization of waste in various European countries was studied, in terms of the biogas production and garbage incineration. The need to expand the practice of using solid household waste as a source of energy to increase the national energy sustainability of countries with strict compliance of environmental legislation was substantiated. European practices of energy production based on household waste incineration were analyzed. It was revealed that despite the implementation of circular economy standards, up to 50% of the total volume of generated household waste is incinerated in the EU countries, thereby covering the cities' need for heat and electricity. Modern technologies of energy utilization of household waste and generalized European practices of slag use, which reduces the cost of energy production, were studied. A comparison of the volumes of energy utilization of household waste in the EU and Ukraine revealed the potential of energy supply of the country's economy. It has been stated that despite the exclusion of waste-to-energy waste incineration from the list of sustainable practices, the process of building waste incineration plants based on advanced waste disposal technologies persists in EU countries. The reasons for the low level of waste energy utilization in Ukraine have been investigated. Circumstances and conditions, the formation of which will allow understanding the energy potential of solid household waste and increase the level of energy independence of Ukraine, were generalized. It was concluded that in the conditions of significant investment costs in the construction of waste incineration plants, the main factors for ensuring the efficiency of their activity are the stability of sources of waste receipt and full loading of the plant's production capacity.

FACTORS OF USING WASTE AS FUEL IN THERMAL ENERGY SYSTEMSOF PART 1. STUDY OF SHW COMBUSTION PROCESSES

The reason for the ambiguous assessment of the feasibility of using boiler systems of centralized heat supply for burning solid household waste (SHW) is the specific composition of SHW and the peculiarities of their combustion process. The experience of waste incineration plants shows the need to use for this purpose special incineration equipment and complex systems for cleaning combustion products. The purpose of the study is to determine the conditions for the implementation of solid waste incineration systems that would meet the requirements of environmental and economic efficiency. The article presents the results of experimental studies of the SHW burning process and recommendations for the safe and effective organization of such a process. The main factors of negative impact on the environment are identified, which are directly related to the organization of the combustion process and the composition of combustion products, in particular, the high content of sulfur and chlorine in solid waste. The research results confirm that the use of waste as fuel requires specific conditions for the organization of the combustion process, the operation of combustion plants and the arrangement of systems for cleaning combustion products. It is shown that the composition of solid waste and their combustible characteristics differ significantly from known types of solid and alternative fuels. This leads to the need to reconstruct existing solid fuel heating boilers

Synergistic Effect of Multi-field Force on Condensable Particulate Matter Properties and Behavior in Flue Gas: A Case Study in a Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Plant

At present, filterable particulate matter (FPM) emissions from stable source flue gases are well controlled, and the more difficult to remove condensable particulate matter (CPM) has received much attention due to its environmental hazards. In this study, we built a cold electrode electrostatic precipitator (CE-ESP) and systematically investigated the removal efficiency of CPM from municipal solid waste incineration plant flue gas by CE-ESP under three different operating modes. The results showed that hydrocarbons, esters and aromatic compounds were the main organic substances in CPM. The CE-ESP had a significant contribution to the removal of SO42–, F–, Al, Ni, Cr, and Pb from CPM. In contrast, it had a less effective removal of NO3– and Ca in CPM. The CE-ESP was effective for removing esters in CPM. The removal efficiency of CE-ESP for CPM could reach 76%, and the removal efficiency of organic substance was higher than that of inorganic substance. It is demonstrated that the combination of thermophoretic force and electric field in CE-ESP intensifies the turbulent agglomeration process, and the diffusion force generated by the concentration field synergistically enhances the interparticle coagulation and agglomeration. This promotes the homogeneous condensation process of CPM and the heterogeneous condensation of CPM and FPM, which is conducive to the reduction of condensable particulate matter in flue gas and can provide a theoretical basis for practical application in engineering.

Characteristics of different volatility classes of organic compounds emitted by a municipal solid waste incineration plant

Characteristics of different volatility classes of organic compounds emitted by a municipal solid waste incineration plant

Energy recovery from waste as an essential part of a sustainable economy

The article presents an analysis of benefits of the energy recovery from waste. Presented a look at energy recovery from waste as part of a modern and diversified national energy policy. Energy recovery from waste is an essential link in closing the model of a sustainable closed-cycle economy. The paper presents the basic legal regulations on energy recovery from waste in Poland and the European Union and discusses the waste hierarchy model, according to which energy recovery from waste is placed behind material recycling. The technical basis of the energy recovery process in waste incineration plants is presented, as well as the possibility of classifying part of the energy recovered from waste as energy from a renewable source. The importance of cogeneration, regarded as the most efficient way of producing energy from waste, is emphasised Key words: waste management, recycling, energy recovery, renewable energy sources, sustainability

Techno-economic and exergo-economic evaluation of a novel solar integrated waste-to-energy power plant

The content of municipal solid waste generation is increasing due to the industrial and population growth. Energy generation from municipal solid waste is one of the efficient and promising method to dispose waste in a sustainable manner, while reducing the fossil fuel energy limitations. However, conventional waste-to-energy plants have less thermal efficiency due to the higher moisture content that lowers its heating value. The solar thermal integration is one of the proposed solutions to enhance the steam inlet temperature in the power generation system that will further increase the plant performance. In this study, an innovative solar integrated municipal solid waste incineration plant is proposed to advance the waste-to-energy and concentrated solar power thermal energy technologies. The system integration is carried out utilizing the useful solar heat harvested in the heliostat tower receiver system by transferring heat to the working steam of the incineration plant in the heat exchanger and enhance the turbine inlet temperature and the system’s performance considerably. Based on 300 t/d incineration facility, proposed system is investigated exergo-economically by varying certain influential parameters using engineering equation solver and performance has been compared with the conventional reference plant. The system is integrated with high-temperature Phase Change Materials, which able to store thermal energy enough for the light-time system operation. The results attribute that the network output of the proposed integrated facility has substantial improved (almost 12.61 %) but with the penalty of increase in the exergy destruction cost rate. In addition, levelized cost of electricity of the proposed plant is 13.9 % less than the conventional one and it decreases with the rise of steam temperature. Energy efficiency of the proposed plant improves to approximately 36.34 % as direct normal irradiation increases from 650 W/m2 to 900 W/m2. In addition, Incineration boiler is the major source of exergy destruction (almost 50 %) with 175.2 $/hr exergy destruction cost.

Emission, partition, and formation pathway of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans during co-disposal of industrial waste with municipal solid waste

Growing amounts of industrial waste (IW) are being co-disposed in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) plants, whereas few studies have been conducted on the characterization of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) during co-incineration. The emission characteristics and formation pathways of PCDD/Fs are systematically analyzed during the co-disposal of MSW and IW of the textile/food industry in a full-scale MSWI plant. The emission of toxic PCDD/Fs in the chimney (CH) is far lower than the national standard (<0.005 ng I-TEQ/Nm3) in co-disposal, as well as fly ash (FA) (<50 ng I-TEQ/kg). Co-incinerating IW of the textile industry significantly influences the PCDD/Fs (total 136 kinds of congeners) emission in boiler outlet (BO), CH and FA, while co-incinerating IW of the food industry causes less impact. IW co-disposal also enables PCDD/Fs migration from BO into FA, probably attributing to chlorine (Cl) increment in IW. Furthermore, the distribution patterns of PCDD/F isomers are analogous under MSWI and IW co-disposal conditions. De novo synthesis in all states is generally the dominant formation route of PCDD/Fs, possibly due to the longer dwell time of carbon residues, and de novo synthesis is strengthened by IW co-disposal. Chlorophenol (CP)-route synthesis and dibenzofuran (DF) chlorination contribute less, which are slightly reduced by co-incinerating IW, while dibenzodioxin (DD) chlorination is somewhat strengthened. Major air pollutants in co-disposal, including CO, NOx, HCl and particulate matter (PM) are poorly related to PCDD/Fs (−0.33 <R<0.52), while SO2 is negatively correlated with PCDD/F homologues, indicating potential suppression by sulfur (S) in IW.

Perceptional differences in the factors of local acceptance of waste incineration plant.

Existing research has documented that public attitudes towards waste incineration plants are determined by various factors, such as risk perception, economic impacts, and social trust. However, the diversity in perceptions within communities hosting waste incineration plants is understudied. Adds to existing knowledge, the present paper employed the Q methodology to examine the perceptions of residents living in the vicinity of a waste incineration plant in Xuzhou, China. The results revealed four perspectives on residents' perceptions towards waste incineration plants: I do not trust them and feel besieged by risks; I trust local governments but I am unfairly treated; I attach this place a lot but I am unfairly treated; I possess knowledge of waste incineration and feel besieged by risks. Our data show that risk perception, trust perception, and political efficacy perception are underlying reasons for local acceptance of waste incineration plants. The diversified subjectivities we obtained supplement existing literature that quantitatively documents the influencing factors. These findings demonstrate that it is necessary to explicitly consider the deep-seated values and perspectives among hosting residents' for the siting of the waste incineration plant.

Wet Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) Wastewater Treatment Using Membrane Distillation

The use of waste incineration with energy recovery is a matured waste-to-energy (WtE) technology. Waste incineration can reduce the volume and mass of municipal solid waste significantly. However, the generation of high volumes of polluting flue gases is one of the major drawbacks of this technology. Acidic gases are constituents in the flue gas stream which are deemed detrimental to the environment. The wet flue gas desulphurization (FGD) method is widely employed to clean acidic gases from flue gas streams, due to its high efficiency. A major setback of the wet FGD technology is the production of wastewater, which must be treated before reuse or release into the environment. Treating the wastewater from the wet FGD presents challenges owing to the high level of contamination of heavy metals and other constituents. Membrane distillation (MD) offers several advantages in this regard, owing to the capture of low-grade heat to drive the process. In this study the wet FGD method is adopted for use in a proposed waste incineration plant located in Ghana. Through a mass and energy flow analysis it was found that MD was well matched to treat the 20 m3/h of wastewater generated during operation. Thermal performance of the MD system was assessed together with two parametric studies. The thermal efficiency, gained output ratio, and specific energy consumption for the optimized MD system simulated was found to be 64.9%, 2.34 and 966 kWh/m3, respectively, with a total thermal energy demand of 978.6 kW.

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.

Positive Impacts of the Overall-Process Management Measures on Promoting Municipal Solid Waste Classification: A Case Study of Chongqing, China

Municipal solid waste (MSW) classification is a national strategic objective and an important component of successful municipal solid waste management (MSWM). Some failures of pilot programs suggest that safeguarding measures are essential for MSW classification. A questionnaire survey of public awareness and attitudes toward MSW source-separated collection in Chongqing’s main districts was conducted, and the results indicated that the proportions of respondents willing to participate in MSW classification and provide money for it were 67.9% and 86.2%, respectively. The positive impacts of the overall-process management measures on promoting MSW classification in Chongqing’s main districts, including source-separated collection system, transportation system, treatment and disposal system, and environmental sanitation prevention system, were analyzed comprehensively. The analyses revealed that a 98% resident participation rate was obtained for MSW source-separated collection with the application of a cloud-based platform and traceability system. Moreover, the secondary transportation and comprehensive “4 + 1” (four waste incineration plants and one waste landfill) disposal mode showed significant advantages with respect to costs and environmental friendliness. In view of the environmental sanitation risks, the prevention and control of environmental sanitation were developed in Chongqing. The future prospects have also been discussed. The refinement and regionalization of source-separated collection are proposed as the possible solution.

Environmental, economic, and energy analysis of municipal solid waste incineration under anoxic environment in Tibet Plateau

The first Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) plant in Lhasa, Tibet, the plateau region of China, started its operation in 2018. Considering the elevation and extreme climate (low pressure and low oxygen content) in Tibet, noticeable differences may be envisaged compared to MSWI elsewhere. The aim of this study is to evaluate the environmental impacts, economic benefits, and energy efficiency of this MSWI project with three representative MSWI case in plain region using Life cycle assessment (LCA), Cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and energy analysis methods. The result showed that enhancing blast volume and cross-sectional area of the boiler help adapt to the oxygen-deficient environment. GaBi model was employed based on the CML 2001 methodology to perform LCA. LCA shows that the Lhasa MSWI project has lower positive environment impacts than the projects in plain region. More attention is needed for the deficiencies in flue gas emissions of MSWI in the plateau region. CBA shows that the payback period is 11.97 years and the internal rate of return is 8.75%. The energy analysis indicates that the boiler energy efficiency is up to 81.92%. MSWI subject to minor changes seems suitable to Tibetan plateau, and can be deployed further.

Waste Incineration and Heavy Metal Emission—Laboratory Tests

The main sources of environmental pollution with heavy (ecotoxic) metals include industry, including utility and municipal power engineering, but also waste incineration plants. Fuel shortages and their constantly growing prices raise concerns that energy will be commonly obtained from waste outside of installations intended for this purpose (i.e., outside waste incineration plants). The greatest concern stems from the risk of burning waste in low-power boilers—domestic boilers. Waste incineration plants and utility power plants are equipped with flue gas cleaning installations (FGD), but low-power boilers are not. The exhaust gases are directly introduced into the atmosphere, which results in the introduction into the air of, inter alia, toxic heavy metals. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct activities aimed at retaining ecotoxic metals in the solid–slag residue. The paper presents the results of laboratory tests of the emission capacity of Cd, Cu, Zn bound in various chemical forms—nitrates (V), chlorides and sulphates (VI). The tests were carried out at 1073 K, 1173 K and 1273 K. It was found that the emissivity of metals increased with increasing temperature. This is innovative as there are no reports of experiments with pure forms of metal salts. The advantage of this type of research is the lack of influence from other factors, apart from temperature, on metal emissions. To check the possibility of reducing metal emissions, additives (bauxite, dolomite, V2O5) immobilized in a solid residue were tested. The mechanism of action of each of the additives to limit the mobility of metals was different. The use of V2O5 for this purpose is new. The additives kept the metals solid in the residue, but their effect was different for each of the metals. The effectiveness of the tested additives was checked in the same temperature conditions, burning waste such as: rubber, sewage sludge and SRF fuel from waste. The effect of the additives depended on the type of waste, type of metal and the furnace temperature. If the additive effectively retained metals, then their amounts in the ashes were higher by several to several dozen percent in relation to the amount in the ashes remaining after waste incineration without additives. The results of the experiment with waste are open to research on the influence of other factors (except temperature) on the emissivity of Cd, Cu, Zn and the possibility of its reduction. The next step will be to verify the effects of laboratory tests in real conditions.

Shifts in governance modes and explanatory factors in the NIMBY: Findings from the X waste incineration plant in Shenzhen, China

AbstractWith increasing numbers of environmental conflicts in recent years, Chinese local governments are changing their modes of governance with the aim of addressing these conflicts satisfactorily. Through a case study, we identified shifts in modes of governance from hierarchical to network and from market to hybrid (characterized by a combination of market and hierarchical) in three arenas. Our findings confirm that initiating actors, stakeholder involvement types, rules of interaction, and implementation strategies are useful indicators of shifts in governance modes. Media, protests and policy entrepreneurs in different arenas are important factors in the shift from hierarchical to network governance, while policy entrepreneurs and higher‐level government intervention are crucial factors in the shift from market to a hybrid governance mode. Policy entrepreneurs play an important role in all three arenas. As for theoretical contribution, our research has provided the evidence for non‐hierarchical governance practices in the NIMBY in China. In the future, local governments in China may learn to consider proper governance mode shifts to deal with the NIMBY conflicts in infrastructure planning and construction.

Assessing the optimal uses of biomass: Carbon and energy price conditions for the Aines Principle to apply

In the context of climate mitigation, biomass has traditionally been viewed as a means to deliver low-carbon energy products. Adding carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) to a bioenergy production process can yield net-removals of CO2 from the atmosphere, albeit at an increased cost. Recently, the Aines Principle was established, stating that at some carbon price, the revenue generated from CO2 removal will exceed the revenue generated from energy production from a given bioconversion process. This principle has only been illustrated for the theoretical conversion of a non-specific biomass source, and has not yet been demonstrated to show real carbon prices that can tip the scale for biomass carbon removal to be more economically favorable than bioenergy production. In this study, we demonstrate the Aines Principle at work in two specific examples of biomass conversion. The first case involves a Chinese municipal solid waste incineration plant, with and without CCS. The second case compares using forestry residue solely for energy production (via gasification), solely for carbon removal (via burial) or both. By comparing the energy and carbon revenue streams under a range of carbon prices, we show that carbon removal revenue can exceed energy revenue at currently available carbon prices below $200/tCO2.

On the Issues of NOx as Greenhouse Gases: An Ongoing Discussion…

Nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO + NO2) emitted from a stationary combustion chamber (including waste to energy plants) or engines cause numerous undesirable environmental effects. These include negative influences on human and animal health, detrimental effects on plants and vegetation, acid rain, and smog. These negative influences are commonly accepted by the scientific community. However, the impact of NOx on the greenhouse effect (GHE) is not generally accepted by the scientific community. In this paper, the issue of the impact of NOx on the GHE is discussed, and it was analyzed and explained that NOx are an indirect greenhouse gas (GHG). However, the impact of NOx on the GHE is a complex process affected by different parameters (cooling and warming nature is possible). It has been estimated that NOx emitted from stationary, ground-placed sources (such as boilers and furnaces) have little impact on the GHE compared to CO2 and other direct GHGs. The contribution of NOx in the GHE compared to the emission of all GHGs is less than 3%. NOx sources from waste incineration and co-incineration plants were especially considered and analyzed. The co-incineration in smaller plants (capacity range of 1 ÷ 5 MW) gives more benefits to the environment due to a decrease in the NOx emission standards when the share of the waste increases.

Analysis of environmental sustainability reporting in the waste-to-energy sector: Performance indicators and improvement targets of the EMAS-registered waste incineration plants in Italy

This work analyzed how 15 Italian waste incineration (WI) plants registered to the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) in 2020 reported to the public their environmental sustainability. Their EMAS Environmental Statements (ESs) were analyzed to identify the environmental performance indicators and metrics used by the companies, the improvement actions planned, and the adoption of the Best Available Techniques (BAT) for WI. 197 environmental performance indicators and 140 improvement objectives, with an overall allocated budget of 79.8 M€, were inventoried. WI companies emphasized reporting and improvement of energy consumption, emissions to air, waste production, process management and energy production. Current values of 8 key performance indicators (HCl, NOx, CO, and dust concentrations in flue-gas, water consumption, waste production, and electricity consumption/production per 1 ton of treated waste) were assessed and compared. GHG reporting and compliance with the BAT for WI (on emissions to air, energy and raw materials consumption, and waste production), although often not detailed, w also analyzed. Requesting companies to report a pre-defined subset of key metrics, possibly related to the BAT emissions levels, and an explicit section on the adopted BAT could provide an even more representative description of the environmental performances of the WI plants. This study shows a novel approach that could be extended to other industrial sectors to analyze their environmental performance from a consistent, validated, and publicly available data source (EMAS ESs). It also provides metrics and recommendations that could be useful references for the environmental reporting of the WI sector.

Assessing the environmental performances of waste-to-energy plants: The case-study of the EMAS-registered waste incinerators in Italy

This study evaluated the environmental performances of 15 Italian waste incineration (WI) plants registered to EMAS. From the EMAS Environmental Statements, the validated data related to 5 environmental aspects (emissions to air, energy consumption/production, waste production and reagent consumption) and 24 key indicators were analyzed to describe and assess the environmental performances of the plants in 2017–2019 in relation to the best available techniques associated emission levels (BAT-AELs) and other sectorial reference values. All air pollutants’ average concentrations resulted significantly below the upper BAT-AELs, the majority under the lower BAT-AELs, with an overall slightly decreasing trend (-4.6%). The specific productions of bottom and other ashes were steady over time and just above the lower characteristic values. The specific energy consumption was higher than the average European performance and stable over time, while the specific reagent consumption was harder to evaluate, with results varying for the different reagents. An evaluation of the influence of the WI plants’ characteristics on the environmental performances was also performed considering 13 different parameters (e.g., flue gas cleaning technologies, waste treatment capacity, etc.). A correlation analysis highlighted the positive influence of the pre-dedusting stages on overall emissions, specific reagents consumption and specific waste production, and of the plant size on the specific energy production. This study demonstrated that EMAS can provide a tool to evaluate the environmental performances of WI plants and compare different installations using certified data. It also highlighted the excellent performances of the Italian WI plants registered to EMAS compared to the sectorial references.

Organophosphate ester exposure among Chinese waste incinerator workers: Urinary levels, risk assessment and associations with oxidative stress

Organophosphate esters (OPEs), which are frequently used as flame retardants and plasticizers in versatile products, are readily released to the external environment. Although workers at municipal waste incineration plants may be extensively exposed to OPEs, only scarce health monitoring and risk assessments have been conducted in this population. In this study, we investigated the levels of eight metabolites of organophosphate esters (mOPEs) and the oxidative stress marker 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in urine samples from 73 waste incinerator workers and 97 general residents from Shenzhen, China between September 2016 and June 2017. The overall detection rate of mOPEs was 82.2 %–100 %, and higher concentrations of di-p-cresyl phosphate and chlorinated mOPEs [bis(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (BCEP), bis(1-chloro-2propyl) phosphate (BCIPP), bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate) (BDCIPP)] were found among incinerator workers than among general residents. The incinerator workers also showed significantly higher levels of 8-OHdG than general residents, but the measured levels of most mOPEs were not significantly correlated with the level of 8-OHdG; this may be because co-exposure to multiple toxic compounds can lead to oxidative stress. Risk assessment using Monte Carlo simulations revealed that 95 % of the incinerator workers were free from non-carcinogenic effects due to OPEs exposure (hazard index = 0.27, 95 % CI: 0.09, 0.77). However, the carcinogenic risk of tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) for incinerator workers was between 10−6 and 10−4. These results indicate that incinerator workers are extensively exposed to OPEs, and better protective measures need to be implemented.

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the associations with oxidative stress in waste incineration plant workers from South China.

Waste incineration is one of the most common emission sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), causing potential occupational exposure in waste incineration workers. However, relative investigations among waste incineration plant workers are still very limited, particularly in China. Therefore, we collected urine specimens from 77 workers in a waste incineration plant as the exposed group, and 101 residents as the control group in Shenzhen, China. Nine mono-hydroxylated PAH metabolites (OH-PAHs) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were measured, and their internal relationships were explored. The urinary levels of most OH-PAHs and 8-OHdG in the exposed group exhibited high levels versus another group (p<0.05). We found negative associations between OH-PAHs and 8-OHdG in the control group (p<0.05), while most of OH-PAHs were not associated with 8-OHdG in the exposed group, which indicated that the exposure to waste incineration could enlarge the level of individual oxidative stress damage. Nevertheless, PAHs were less likely to trigger obvious health risks in exposed workers through estimation of human intake and exposure risks. This study provides a reference for occupational PAH exposure and strengthen the need of health monitoring among incineration workers.