Emissions of Chromium,Copper,Arsenic,and PCDDs/Fs from Open Burning of CCA-Treated Wood

摘要

Aged and weathered chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood was burned in an open burn research facility to characterize the air emissions and residual ash.The objectives were to simulate,to the extent possible,the combustion of such waste wood as might occur in an open field or someone's backyard; to characterize the composition and particle size distribution (PSD) of the emitted fly ash; to determine the partitioning of arsenic,chromium,and copper between the fly ash and residual ash; and to examine the speciation of the CCA elements.This work reports preliminary air emission concentrations and estimated emission factors for total particulate matter,arsenic (As),chromium (Cr),copper (Cu),and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) totals and toxic equivalents (TEQs).The partitioning of As,Cr,and Cu between the emitted fly ash and residual ash is examined and thermochemical predictions from the literature are used to explain the observed behavior.Results indicate a unimodal fly ash PSD between 0.1 and 1.0 mum diameter.In addition to a large carbonaceous component,between 11 and 14% of the As present in the burned CCA treated wood was emitted with the air emissions,with the remainder present in the residual ash.In contrast,less than 1% of both the Cr and Cu present in the wood was emitted with the air emissions.PCDD/F levels were unremarkable,averaging 1.7 ng TEQ/kg of treated wood burned,a value typical for wood combustion.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was unable to resolve inorganic particles consisting of Cu,Cr,or As in the wood samples,but X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy confirmed that the oxidation states of the CCA elements in the wood were Cu~(2+),Cr~(3+),and As~(5+).SEM examination of the fly ash samples revealed some inorganic microcrystals within the mostly carbonaceous fly ash,while XAFS spectroscopy of the same samples showed that the oxidation states after combustion were mixed Cu~+ and Cu~(2+),Cr~(3+),and mixed As~(3+) and As~(5+).Estimates of the ratios of the mixed oxidation states based on the XAFS spectra were As~(3+)/(total As) = 0.8-0.9 and Cu~+/(total Cu) = 0.65-0.7.The Cu and Cr present in the fly ash were determined to coexist predominantly in the two oxide phases CuCrO_2 and CuCr_2O_4.These results indicate thatthe open burning of CCA-treated wood can lead to significant air emissions of the more toxic trivalent form of As in particle sizes that are most respirable.