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MECHANISTIC AND SOURCE UNDERSTANDING OF PCDD/F FORMATION
Citation:
Gullett*, B K., C W. Lee*, P M. Lemieux*, AND J V. Ryan*. MECHANISTIC AND SOURCE UNDERSTANDING OF PCDD/F FORMATION. Presented at International Conference on Combustion, Incineration/Pyrolysis and Emission Control, Seoul, Korea, 6/8-10/2000.
Description:
The paper discusses mechanistic and source understanding of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) formation. (NOTE: Considerable research effort has been expended over the last 15-plus years to understand how combustion sources result in formation of PCDDs/Fs. A clear understanding of this formation would enable PCDD/F source characterization, prevention and control methods, and reduced environmental exposure. Unfortunately, a mechanistic understanding how PCDDs/Fs form is elusive for a number of reasons, mostly relating to the difficulty involved in simulating and controlling the highly complex combustion environment that results in PCDD/F formation and the sampling and analytical challenges inherent in measurement of these trace toxins. These factors make it difficult to extrapolate our limited mechanistic understanding to poorly characterized sources of PCDDs/Fs). Recent EPA reactor studies of PCDD/F formation have initiated emission sampling on hard-to-measure sources. Results have produced findings that better explain formation mechanisms as a function of combustion conditions. These results can be applied toward understanding less traditional, poorly characterized PCDD/F sources such as forest fires, domestic waste backyard burning, industrial waste-firing boilers, and diesel engines.