Emissions of toxic pollutants from co-combustion of demolition and construction wood and household waste fuel blends. (July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Edo, Mar; Ortuño, Núria; Persson, Per-Erik; Conesa, Juan A.; Jansson, Stina
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 203(2018)
• Page Start: 506
• Page End: 513
• Publication Date: 2018-07
• Subjects: POPs -- PCDD -- RDF -- FOOD WASTE -- PELLET STOVE; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.03.203
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Abstract: Four different types of fuel blends containing demolition and construction wood and household waste were combusted in a small-scale experimental set-up to study the effect of fuel composition on the emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo- p -dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), biphenyls (PCBs), chlorobenzenes (PCBzs), chlorophenols (PCPhs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Two woody materials, commercial stemwood (ST) and demolition and construction wood (DC) were selected because of the differences in their persistent organic pollutants (POPs), ash and metals content. For household waste, we used a municipal solid waste (MSW) and a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from MSW with 5–20 wt% and up to 5 wt% food waste content respectively. No clear effect on the formation of pollutants was observed with different food waste content in the fuel blends tested. Combustion of ST-based fuels was very inefficient which led to high PAH emissions (32 ± 3.8 mg/kgfuel ). The use of DC clearly increased the total PCDD and PCDF emissions (71 ± 26 μg/kgfuel ) and had a clear effect on the formation of toxic congeners (210 ± 87 ng WHO2005 -TEQ/kgfuel ). The high PCDD and PCDF emissions from DC-based fuels can be attributed to the presence of material contaminants such as small pieces of metals or plastics as well as timber treated with chromated copper arsenate preservatives and pentachlorophenol in the DC source. Highlights: Food waste content between 1 and 4 wt% has no influence on PAH, PCBz and PCPh formation. Replacing MSW with RDF increases POPs emission. The use of DC increases the formation of toxic PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs. Pre-treatment of DC is suggested as a way to reduce POPs emission.