Determining the Effectiveness of an Afterburner to Reduce Dioxins and Furans

摘要

During reactivation of granular activated carbon (GAC) used in the treatment of municipal water supplies, a potential exists for the release of adsorbed organic compounds or their reaction products into the environment. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an afterburner in reducing or eliminating the occurrence of dioxins and furans in the reactivator effluent streams. Quantitative measurements were made of tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (TCDDs) and tetrachlorodibenzofurans (TCDFs) in all effluent streams from the Cincinnati, Ohio Water Works, reactivator unit and penta-, hexa-, and octa-chlorinated dioxins (CDDs) and furans (CDFs) in a preselected number of samples. During two of the tests, the natural gas and fuel oil were sampled to determine if PCBs were present in the fuel supply used to fire the carbon reactivation system.