Jürgen Vehlow

Characterization of municipal solid waste combustion in a grate furnace.

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the combustion process of municipal solid waste combustion in a grate furnace both experimentally and numerically by using data of a reference experiment with over-stoichiometric primary air supply. Measurements were carried out inside the combustion chamber of a pilot plant by monitoring temperatures and sampling gaseous combustion products along the bed surface. The data were assessed using elemental and energy balances. Experimental data of the axial temperature profiles of the flue gas, the fuel bed and the grate bars, as well as local gas flows and the flue gas composition measured above the fuel bed along the grate were used to describe the conversion process, including drying and carbon burnout. These data served as input to model the thermo- and fluid dynamic processes of the gas phase above the bed inside the combustion chamber. For this purpose the commercial code FLUENT was employed to carry out the simulations. Thus, the turbulent temperature, flow and species distributions in the combustion chamber of the pilot waste incinerator TAMARA were predicted. The results of the FLUENT modeling showed that under the prevailing conditions the flue gas burnout is almost completed before entering the first flue due to high temperatures, effective mixing and sufficient residence times of the flue gas inside the combustion chamber. This agrees well with the experimental results inside the first flue. On the basis of the above mentioned results, design and parametric studies can be carried out in a more efficient way by saving cost and time.

Air pollution control systems in WtE units: An overview

All WtE (waste-to-energy) plants, based on combustion or other thermal processes, need an efficient gas cleaning for compliance with legislative air emission standards. The development of gas cleaning technologies started along with environment protection regulations in the late 1960s. Modern APC (air pollution control) systems comprise multiple stages for the removal of fly ashes, inorganic and organic gases, heavy metals, and dioxins from the flue gas. The main technologies and devices used for abatement of the various pollutants are described and their basic principles, their peculiarities, and their application are discussed. Few systems for cleaning of synthesis gas from waste gasification plants are included. Examples of APC designs in full scale plants are shown and cautious prospects for the future development of APC systems are made.

Fate of antimony in municipal solid waste incineration.

The average antimony concentration in municipal solid waste is estimated to be about 10-60 ppm. Thermodynamical models predict a volatile behavior for antimony compounds, yet literature mass balances show that about 50% of the antimony input remains in the grate ashes. This fact can be explained by the formation of thermally stable antimonates in the fuel bed due to interactions with alkali or earth-alkali metals. Thermogravimetric experiments revealed an increased thermal stability for antimony oxide in presence of oxygen and calcium oxide. Spiking experiments on the test incinerator TAMARA showed that chlorination processes have a strong effect on antimony volatilization whereas high fuel-bed temperatures and addition of antimony oxide only have a moderate effect. In the grate ashes, antimony shows a pH-depending leaching property, which is typical for anionic species. This fact supports the thesis that antimony is present in the grate ashes in an anionic speciation.

PCDD/F and related compounds in solid residues from municipal solid waste incineration - : a literature review

Emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) from waste incineration into the air have been a major focus of interest during the last two decades. An integrated approach to clean waste disposal has to take the occurrence of PCDD/F in all residues into account. This paper compiles published data on concentration ranges of PCDD/F and the related compounds polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), chlorinated benzenes and phenols, as well as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in solid residues from waste incineration in grate furnaces and their development since 1985. A short description of inertization processes for PCDD/F loaded materials is added.

Bromine in waste incineration partitioning and influence on metal volatilisation

Intention, Goal, Scope, BackgroundThe halogen bromine is far less abundant than chlorine, but it can be found at high concentrations in special materials like flame retarded plastics. The fate and effects of Br in waste incineration are not well understood. It may have similar implications like Cl for the volatilisation of heavy metals and the formation of low volatile organic compounds. Due to its lower oxidation potential, there is a risk of formation of elementary Br2 in the offgas.ObjectiveCo-combustion tests of different types of Br containing plastic waste materials (up to 22%) and MSW in the TAMARA pilot plant for waste incineration were conducted to investigate the Br partitioning and the influence of Br on metal volatilisation.MethodsThe Br inventory of the fuel mix was elevated to approx. 1 wt-%. All input and output mass flows of the furnace have been sampled and the partitioning of Cl, Br, S, and a number of heavy metals, has been calculated on the basis of closed mass balances.Results and DiscussionOrganically-bound Br was typically released to more than 90% into the raw gas. Elementary Br2 was detected at high Br levels. Its presence was always analysed when all SO2 in the raw gas was oxidised to SO3. Br enhances the volatilisation of metals like K, Zn, Cd, Sn, Sb, and Pb out of the fuel bed principally in the same way as Cl. The tests gave strong indication that the promoting influence of the halogens on metal volatilisation is more pronounced than that of the fuel bed temperature. The volatilised metals are condensated on the fly ashes and are discharged along with the filter ashes.ConclusionsAs long as a surplus of SO2 is present in the raw gas no Br2 is formed. Although the halogen induced transfer out of the fuel bed causes high concentrations of volatile metals in the filter ashes, a recovery is not economically feasible for the time being. The volatilisation gives no rise to metal emission probems as long as efficient dedusting is achieved.Recommendation and OutlookIf there is a risk of Br2 formation, in wet scrubbing a reducing agent has to be added to the neutral scrubber for efficient abatement. Filter ashes should be disposed of in a way that enables access for recovery in the future. The exact volatilisation characteristics of the various metals have to be studied in future using specifically tailored experiments.

Thermal Treatment of Stabilized Air Pollution Control Residues in a Waste Incinerator Pilot Plant. Part 1: Fate of Elements and Dioxins

Air pollution control (APC) residues from municipal solid waste incinerator plants that are treated by means of the Ferrox process can be more safely disposed of due to reduction of soluble salts and stabilization of heavy metals in an iron oxide matrix. Further stabilization can be obtained by thermal treatment inside a combustion chamber of a municipal solid waste incinerator. The influence of the Ferrox products on the combustion process, the quality of the residues, and the partitioning of heavy metals between the various solids and the gas have been investigated in the Karlsruhe TAMARA pilot plant for waste incineration. During the experiments only few parameters were influenced. An increase in the SO2 concentration in the raw gas and slightly lower temperatures in the fuel bed could be observed compared with reference tests. Higher contents of Fe and volatile heavy metals such as Zn, Cd, Pb and partly Hg in the Ferrox products lead to increased concentration of these elements in the solid residues of the co-feeding tests. Neither the burnout nor the PCDD/F formation was altered by the addition of the Ferrox products. Co-feeding of treated APC residues seems to be a feasible approach for obtaining a single solid residue from waste incineration.

Thermal Treatment of Stabilized Air Pollution Control Residues in a Waste Incinerator Pilot Plant. Part 2: Leaching Characteristics of Bottom Ashes

With the perspective of generating only one solid residue from waste incineration, co-feeding of municipal solid waste and air pollution control residues stabilized by the Ferrox process was investigated in the TAMARA pilot plant incinerator as described in Bergfeldt et al. (Waste Management Research, 22, 49-57, 2004). This paper reports on leaching from the combined bottom ashes. Batch leaching test, pH- static leaching tests, availability tests and column leaching tests were used to characterize the leaching properties. The leaching properties are key information in the context of reuse in construction or in landfilling of the combined residue. In general, the combined bottom ashes had leaching characteristics similar to the reference bottom ash, which contained no APC residue. However, As and Pb showed slightly elevated leaching from the combined bottom ashes, while Cr showed less leaching. The investigated combined bottom ashes had contents of metals comparable to what is expected at steady state after continuous co-feeding of APC residues. Only Cd and Pb were partly volatilized (30-40%) during the incineration process and thus the combined bottom ashes had lower contents of Cd and Pb than expected at steady state. Furthermore, a major loss of Hg was, not surprisingly, seen and co-feeding of Ferrox-products together with municipal solid waste will require dedicated removal of Hg in the flue gas to prevent a build up of Hg in the system. In spite of this, a combined single solid residue from waste incineration seems to be a significant environmental improvement to current technology.

IMR-MS on-line measurements in the exhaust gas of a municipal solid waste incineration pilot plant (Tamara)

Abstract The major inorganic components identified by ion-molecule reaction mass spectrometry (IMR-MS) raw gas measurements performed at the TAMARA facility include O 2 , H 2 O, CO 2 , HCl, SO 2 and NO Higher concentrations of organic components, i.e. organic substance amounts > 10 m:1/m 3 are not observed during normal operation. The concentrations of acetic and formic acids measured in the raw gas by the IMR-MS method range between “not detectable” (i.e. 3 ) and 5 mg/Nm 3 . A relationship to the incineration parameters has not yet been established In case of operation failures, which are indicated by a CO increase, other organic compounds, e.g. acetaldehyde or benzene can be identified by the IMR-MS method Hence, the results obtained by IMR-MS in on-line emission control of a waste incineration gas are far more precise than the FID values. By IMR-MS measurements above the waste bed, a multitude of strong signals are recorded, which indicates the presence of a number of organic compounds in high concentrations (10 – 10000 mg/Nm 3 ). A quantification during a “snapshot” has been accomplished for benzene (4000 mg/Nm 3 ) and toluene (300 mg/Nm 3 ).