Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Evaluation of Water Plant Lime Sludge in an Industrial Boiler FGD (Flue Gas Desulfurization) System at Rickenbacker AFB

摘要

The report gives results of a September 1978-February 1979 test program to evaluate lime water softening waste sludge as an alternate reagent for a flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system on an industrial boiler at Rickenbacker Air Force Base, Ohio. The study also included assessing the availability of the material, designing a system to handle and feed the material, and comparing the economics with conventional lime and limestone reagents. The tests showed that such material worked very well as a reagent and was comparable to lime performance during earlier tests. At SO2 removal efficiencies of up to 80%, utilization exceeded 95%. The study showed that as much as 4-5 million tons/year of the material may be available, much of it in the Midwest U.S. where large deposits of high sulfur coal and a heavy population of industrial plants are located. Estimates indicated that use of water softening sludge in a typical industrial FGD system results in substantially lower annual operating costs compared with either lime or limestone.