Research on the thermal destruction of wastes

摘要

In general, toxic combustion byproducts (TCBs) are the unwanted residues remaining in flue gases, combustion ashes, and wastewaters from the operation of an incineration or combustion facility. If a combustor is not well designed and operated, it may emit too high a level of TCBs. Categories of TCBs and some example constituents are as follows: 1. Acid gases: HCl, NO_x and SO_2; 2. Organics: hydrocarbons such as dioxins and furans (PCDDs and PCDFs); 3. Particulates: trace metal's (conventional metals and radioactive metals) and soots; 4. Contaminants in ash; and 5. Contaminants in spent wastewater. Pollutants in Category (2) above are generally considered to be the products of incomplete combustion (PICs) in the field of hazardous waste incineration. The issue of TCBs has been one of the major technical and sociological issues surrounding the implementation of incineration as a waste treatment alternative. Because of the complexity and controversy, EPA technologists conceived of and initiated the International Congress on Toxic Combustion Byproducts (ICTCB) to provide a forum for scientists to discuss the issues of and controls for TCBs in 1989. This paper focuses on the review of the 1989 ICTCB (the First ICTCB) activities. The 1991 (the Second), the 1993 (the Third), and the 1995 (the Fourth) ICTCB activities will be reviewed at other times. The objective of these reviews is to discuss: 1. What have we learned from the ICTCB conferences? 2. What can we use from what we have learned? 3. What improvement in the ICTCBs is needed?