Ignacio Aracil

Formation of polychlorinated compounds in the combustion of PVC with iron nanoparticles

The influence of iron nanoparticles in the fuel-rich combustion of PVC has been studied in this work. Dynamic runs for PVC and the mixture PVC and iron nanoparticles were firstly carried out by TGA-MS in order to study the influence of iron on the compounds evolved in the thermal degradation of PVC. To complete the study both PVC and a mixture of PVC and iron nanoparticles were burnt in a laboratory reactor under two different operating conditions: at 850 degrees C and in two stages, the first one at 375 degrees C and the resulting char cooled and subsequently burnt at 850 degrees C. Carbon oxides, light hydrocarbons, PAHs, chlorophenols, chlorobenzenes and PCDD/Fs were analyzed. It was observed that the mixture of PVC with iron nanoparticles at 375 degrees C greatly enhances the formation of light hydrocarbons and polychlorinated compounds, probably indicating that the presence of iron during the thermal decomposition of PVC causes the formation of iron chloride which may have a high catalytic effect.

Viability study of automobile shredder residue as fuel.

Car Fluff samples collected from a shredding plant in Italy were classified based on particle size, and three different size fractions were obtained in this way. A comparison between these size fractions and the original light fluff was made from two different points of view: (i) the properties of each size fraction as a fuel were evaluated and (ii) the pollutants evolved when each size fraction was subjected to combustion were studied. The aim was to establish which size fraction would be the most suitable for the purposes of energy recovery. The light fluff analyzed contained up to 50 wt.% fines (particle size<20 mm). However, its low calorific value and high emissions of polychlorinated dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), generated during combustion, make the fines fraction inappropriate for energy recovery, and therefore, landfilling would be the best option. The 50-100 mm fraction exhibited a high calorific value and low PCDD/F emissions were generated when the sample was combusted, making it the most suitable fraction for use as refuse-derived fuel (RDF). Results obtained suggest that removing fines from the original ASR sample would lead to a material product that is more suitable for use as RDF.

Chlorinated and nonchlorinated compounds from the pyrolysis and combustion of polychloroprene.

Thermal decomposition of polychloroprene was studied under inert and oxidative atmospheres at temperatures of 500 and 850 degrees C in a horizontal quartz tubular laboratory reactor in order to determine the products generated. More than two hundred compounds, mainly aromatic hydrocarbons, were identified and quantified, with special focus on chlorinated aromatic compounds, including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), chlorobenzenes (CBzs) and chlorophenols (CPhs). The results showed that pyrolysis of polychloroprene at high temperatures leaded to the formation of many aromatic hydrocarbons in high yields. In addition, the yields of total PCDD/Fs in the combustion experiment at 850 degrees C were more than three hundred times higher than those from pyrolysis at the same temperature. Results were also compared with those obtained in a previous work for polyvinyl chloride under similar operating conditions.

Pollutant formation in the pyrolysis and combustion of Automotive Shredder Residue.

The present work has been carried out to verify the feasibility of thermal valorization of an automobile shredder residue (ASR). With this aim, the thermal decomposition of this waste has been studied in a laboratory scale reactor, analyzing the pollutants emitted under different operating conditions. The emission factors of carbon oxides, light hydrocarbons, PAHs, PCPhs, PCBzs, PBPhs, PCDD/Fs, dioxin-like PCBs and PBDD/Fs were determined at two temperatures, 600 and 850°C, and under different oxygen ratios ranging from 0 (pure pyrolysis) to 1.5 (over-stoichiometric oxidation). After analyzing all these compounds, we conclude that thermal valorization of ASR is a clean way to treat this waste.

PCDD/F emissions from light-duty diesel vehicles operated under highway conditions and a diesel-engine based power generator.

PCDD/F emissions from three light-duty diesel vehicles--two vans and a passenger car--have been measured in on-road conditions. We propose a new methodology for small vehicles: a sample of exhaust gas is collected by means of equipment based on United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) method 23 A for stationary stack emissions. The concentrations of O2, CO, CO2, NO, NO2 and SO2 have also been measured. Six tests were carried out at 90-100 km/h on a route 100 km long. Two additional tests were done during the first 10 min and the following 60 min of the run to assess the effect of the engine temperature on PCDD/F emissions. The emission factors obtained for the vans varied from 1800 to 8400 pg I-TEQ/Nm(3) for a 2004 model year van and 490-580 pg I-TEQ/Nm(3) for a 2006 model year van. Regarding the passenger car, one run was done in the presence of a catalyst and another without, obtaining emission factors (330-880 pg I-TEQ/Nm(3)) comparable to those of the modern van. Two other tests were carried out on a power generator leading to emission factors ranging from 31 to 78 pg I-TEQ/Nm(3). All the results are discussed and compared with literature.

Nitrogen activation of carbon-encapsulated zero-valent iron nanoparticles and influence of the activation temperature on heavy metals removal

This work was financially supported by University of Milano-Bicocca fund (2016-ATESP-0597) and University of Alicante (UAFPU2013-5791).