Effectiveness of Incineration

EPA standards for hazardous waste incineration are based on the effectiveness of destruction of principal organic hazardous constituents (POHCs). Measurement of these compounds before and after incineration gives the destruction removal efficiency (DRE) according to the formula 

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The effectiveness of incineration has most commonly been estimated from the heating value of the fuel, a parameter that has little to do with the rate or mechanism of destraction. Alternative ways to assess the effectiveness of incineration destraction of various constituents of a hazardous waste stream have been proposed, such as assessment methods based on the kinetics of thermal decomposition of the constituents or on the susceptibility of individual constituents to free-radical attack. Laboratory studies of waste incineration have demonstrated that no single ranking procedure is appropriate for all incinerator conditions. For example, acceptably low levels of some test compounds, such as methylene chloride, have proved difficult to achieve because these compounds are formed in the flame from other chemical species. 

Another factor potentially affecting the market for halogenated fire retardants is the waste disposal of plastics (see Wastes, industrial). As landfiU availabihty declines or becomes less popular, two alternatives are incineration and recycling (qv). The nature of the combustion products from halogenated products requires carefiil constmction and maintenance of incinerators (qv) to avoid damage to the incinerator itself and a pubHc health problem from the exhaust. The ease of recycling used products also has a potential effect on fire retardants. 

The classical experiment tracks the off-gas composition as a function of temperature at fixed residence time and oxidant level. Treating feed disappearance as first order, the pre-exponential factor and activation energy, E, in the Arrhenius expression (eq. 35) can be obtained. These studies tend to confirm large activation energies typical of the bond mpture mechanism assumed earlier. However, an accelerating effect of the oxidant is also evident in some results, so that the thermal mpture mechanism probably overestimates the time requirement by as much as several orders of magnitude (39). Measurements at several levels of oxidant concentration are useful for determining how important it is to maintain spatial uniformity of oxidant concentration in the incinerator. 

The misconception that vinyl gives off dioxin when it is incinerated is misleading. A study conducted by ASME in 1995 (162) found that the presence, or absence, of chlorine-containing wastes in incinerators had no effect on the levels of dioxin produced. Rather, it was found that incinerator operating conditions (primarily temperature) were the key to controlling dioxin formation. More recentiy, German officials examined the issue of incinerating vinyl waste and decided there was no cause for concern (180). 

Catalytic Incinerators Catalytic incinerators are an alternative to thermal incinerators. For simple reactions, the effect of the presence of a catalyst is to (1) increase the rate of the reaction, (2) permit the reaction to occur at a lower temperature, and (3) reduce the reactor volume. 

Determination of Na " and Na" ions in raw cosmetic materials was conducted with the developed method of flame photometry. A necessity of development of method of samples preparation arose up in the work process, as this spicily-aromatic raw material contained pectin in amount 0.1-0.5% and that prevented preparation of samples by standard method of extracts dilution and required incineration of analyzed sample, time of analysis was increased in 60 times. It was established that CaCl, solution with the concentration 0,4 % caused destmctions of the carbopol gel. It was established that the addition of 0,1% CaCl, and 0,1% NaCl salts solutions into the system intensified the effect of negative action of these salts onto the gel stmcture and the gel destmcted completely. 

The SSAHP developed by the Site G contractor did not indicate that the contractors routinely conducted job- or task-specific hazard analyses. In addition, the SSAHP did not specify that PPE selection for jobs and tasks must be based on the analysis of the health hazards associated with each job. Eurthermore, the SSAHP contained no procedures for objectively determining the effectiveness of decontamination of personnel or equipment. The decontamination program required incineration of all materials that could not be readily decontaminated such materials were placed in labeled disposal containers. The program, however, did... 

Generally, adsorption, absorption, and biofilter units require more space than compact incinerators and condensers. If the plant room is restricted, a local roof-mounted system may be the best alternative. However, roof structural reinforcement may be required even for small and lightweight units. Consideration must be given to the effects of noise and vibration. Small adsorption systems, such as adsorption canisters, require an additional central regeneration unit on site, or they must be regenerated or disposed of off site. A central regeneration unit may require long runs of costly ductwork." ... 

Studies of the incineration of liquid and solid wastes must determine the rates at which hazardous compounds are released into the vapor phase or are transformed in the condensed phase, particularly when the hazardous materials make up a small fraction of the liquid burned. We must be particularly concerned with understanding the effects of the major composition and property variations that might be encountered in waste incinerator operations—for example, fluctuations in heating value and water content, as well as phase separations. Evidence of the importance of variations in waste properties on incinerator performance has been demonstrated by the observation of major smges in emissions from rotary-kiln incinerators as a consequence of the rapid release of volatiles during the feeding of unstable materials into the incinerator. 

Astrup T, Riber C, Pedersen AJ (2011) Incinerator performance effects of changes in waste input and furnace operation on air emissions and residues. Waste Manag Res 29(10 Suppl) 57-68... 

Now the question is to which substances can the contributions be attributed Table 4 shows the contribution of the emitted substances from processes for the weighted impact score. The emission of CO2 during incineration of EoL PVC and other processes appears to have a large contribution. Also the ecotoxicity effect of the emission of phthalate to water during landfill of EoL PVC appears to have a substantial contribution. 

All funds for the construction of baseline incineration facilities at Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky, and Pueblo Chemical Depot in Pueblo, Colorado, should be frozen until the effectiveness of alternative technologies and their ability to comply with safety and environmental requirements were reported to Congress. 

In 1974, federally recommended procedures were published under authority of the 1972 amendments of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) that addressed pesticide disposal (2). These recommendations identified an incinerator operating at 1000°C (1832°F) with 2-s retention time in the combustion zone as acceptable for destruction of organic pesticides. Other incinerators, such as those for municipal solid waste capable of effecting complete pesticide destruction, are also acceptable. During this same time frame, i.e., from the early 1970s to date, a number of research and demonstration studies have been conducted involving pesticide incineration. Most of these concern either the identification of incinerator... 

Feedstocks and products Next (or perhaps first) we need to consider the markets of products and the availabihty of feedstocks. The prices of these depend sensitively on purity levels that can be tolerated. For the reactants these are usually determined by the effects of impurities as catalyst poisons and on product distributions. For products different markets demand specific impurities. AH byproducts and unused reactants must be disposed of, either sold, recycled into the reactor, or incinerated. 

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