Thermal removal of PCDD/Fs from medical waste incineration fly ash - Effect of temperature and nitrogen flow rate

The fly ash used in this study was collected from a bag filter in a medical waste rotary kiln incineration system, using lime and activated carbon injection followed by their collection as mixed fly ash. Experiments were conducted on fly ash in a quartz tube, heated in a laboratory-scale horizontal tube furnace, in order to study the effect of temperature and nitrogen flow rate on the removal of PCDD/Fs. Results indicated that in this study PCDD/Fs in the fly ash mostly were removed and desorbed very little into the flue gas under thermal treatment especially when the heating temperature was higher than 350 degrees C, and dechlorination and destruction reactions took important part in the removal of PCDD/Fs. However, in terms of flow rate, when flow rate was higher than 4 cm s(-1), destruction efficiency of PCDD/Fs decreased dramatically and the main contributors were P5CDF. H6CDF and H7CDF desorbed to flue gas, the PCDD/Fs in the fly ash decreased with enhanced flow rate. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.