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FORMATION OF CHLORINATED DIOXINS AND FURANS IN A HAZARDOUS-WASTE-FIRING INDUSTRIAL BOILER
Citation:
Gullett*, B K., C Lee*, AND A. Touati. FORMATION OF CHLORINATED DIOXINS AND FURANS IN A HAZARDOUS-WASTE-FIRING INDUSTRIAL BOILER. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 34(11):2069-2074, (2000).
Description:
This research examined the potential for emissions of polychlorinated diebnzodioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) from industrial boilers that cofire hazardous waste. PCDD/F emissions were sampled from a 732 kW (2.5 x 106 Btu/h), 3-pass, firetube boiler using #2 fuel oil cofired with 2,4-dichlorophenol or 1,2-dichlorobenzene and a copper naphthenate mixture. PCDD/F emissions were detectable at significant levels only when oxygen was present in sufficient excess and/or a soot deposit layer had accumulated on the boiler tubes. Boiler tube deposits became a sink and source for PCDD/F reactants (such as copper and chlorine) and PCDD/F, resulting in continued formation and emissions long after waste cofiring ceased. The role of deposits in PCDD/F formation makes emissions dependent on previous and current firing conditions, resulting in uncertainty regarding prediction of emissions based solely on the type and rate of cofired hazardous waste.