A PCB DEMONSTRATION TEST ON A MIXED WASTE VACUUM THERMAL DESORBER

摘要

M&EC (Material and Energy Corporation) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is a mixed waste (RCRA/low level radioactive) waste processing company. Responding to DOE demand for waste processing capability, M&EC ran a test on their VTD (vacuum-assisted thermal desorption) unit with PCB-contaminated waste in the summer of 2004. Subsequent to the successful test, an interim permit to process PCB waste was granted by US EPA in November. The test involved spiking of waste and waste surrogates to the 100,000 ppm PCB level. The VTD was run at high vacuum and medium to high temperatures to separate the semi-volatile organic compounds and water from the solid matrix. The volatized compounds were captured in a condenser. The solid matrix was then disposed of as an LDR-compliant solid. The condensate is fuel blended for combustion at DSSI, a mixed-waste BIF. Tests were run on three different solid matrices. All passed on the product quality goal of 2 ppm residual PCBs. Due to the multiple-step air pollution control train and very low stack gas flow rate, PCB DRE was very high, with an average of eight 9's DRE, rather than the six 9's required per TSCA regulations.