CE485

1/26/2005

Quiz 1
Quiz 1 will be on Monday next week
Preparation for Quiz 1
All handouts passed until Wed, 26
Jan.
Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5, & 13
(excluding heat recovery systems,
types of gasifiers, Section 13-6).

Combustion or Incineration of MSW

Key reasons for incineration of MSW
1. _______
2. _______

Key disadvantages of incineration of MSW

1. _______
2. _______

Combustion or Incineration of MSW

MVK

About 10 to 15% MSW is annually incinerated in

U.S. (~ 30 to 40 Million tons)
End products of combustion include:
N2, CO2, H2O, & ash
Types of combustion processes include:
Stoichiometric Combustion Combustion with
exact amount of oxygen to complete
combustion
Excess Air Combustion Excess oxygen used
during combustion
Gasification Partial combustion (less oxygen
than required for complete combustion)
Pyrolysis No oxygen used during combustion

CE485

1/26/2005

Stoichiometric Combustion

Requirement of air is proportional to atomic

weight of component to be combusted (refer
to Page 612)
e.g., 1 lb carbon (C ) would require about
11.5 lb of fresh air for complete combustion
1 lb of sulfur would require 4.3 lb of air

Excess Air Combustion

Stoichiometric combustion is theoretical and

not practical due to variation in composition of
MSW
Excess air combustion is practical
Excess air (or oxygen) can decrease the
combustion temperature.
If temperature drops below 1450 F odors are
emitted
If temperature is maintained above 1800 F ,
toxic emissions are minimized
Key design parameters include: tons/day of
MSW processed, amount of air required per lb
of MSW, & heat released from combustion

Combustion Systems
Types of Combustion Systems
Mass-Fired (commingled solid waste is
used as fuel)
RDF-Fired (processed solid waste is
used as fuel more efficient system
than mass-fired and less toxic
emissions)
Fluidized Bed (sand or limestone bed is
heated using coal, natural gas, or RDF)
limestone reduces SO2 emissions.
Performance criteria (Refer to Table 132 Page 626)

MVK

CE485

1/26/2005

Pyrolysis

Heat (not oxygen) is used to breakdown organic

substances into gaseous, liquid, and solid
fractions.
Gaseous fraction includes H2, CH4, CO, CO2,
and other gases (fuel value ~ 700 Btu/ft3)
Liquid fraction includes tar/oil, acetone,
methanol, and complex hydrocarbons
(synthetic fuel oil can be made) (fuel value ~
up to 9,000 Btu/lb)
Solid fraction: char + inert material originally
present in MSW
Not commonly used in U.S. for MSW due to
poor efficiency of the system

Gasification

Partial combustion using less oxygen than

required for complete combustion.
Energy-efficient technique to reduce volume
of MSW and convert it into energy
Key gaseous fraction generated includes: H2,
CH4 (2%), CO (20%), CO2 (10%), and H2
(15%) (fuel value ~ 150 Btu/ft3)

Environmental Control Systems for

Incinerators
Key Groups of Environmental Controls
are
Air Emissions (scrubbers and filters)
Solid Residuals (go to landfills)
Wastewater discharges (treated)

MVK

CE485

1/26/2005

Air Emissions
Key Air Emissions include
Inorganic gases (Pgs 636-637)
Metals (Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb)
Acid gases Acid Rain (HCl, HF,
H2SO4)
Dioxins & Furans (plastic, oils)

Dispersion of Air Emissions

Radius of Maximum
Effect (ROME)
ROME is a function of:
1. Height of chimney-stack
2. Wind velocity
3. Temperature & exit velocity of emissions

Air Pollution Control Systems

MVK

Refer to Fig. 13-15 (Pg 637)

Electrostatic Precipitators (Pg. 642) use
charge to remove particulates
Fabric Filters (Bag Filters)
Electrostatic gravel bed filters (filters for
particulates)
Source separation
Wet and Dry Scrubbing (using lime, etc.)
Combustion Controls

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1/26/2005

Wet & Dry Scrubbers

MVK

Wet scrubbing consists of spraying thin film or mist

of an alkaline solution (lime- Ca or Na hydroxide)
onto the gases emitted from the incineration.
Reaction of acid gases with the alkaline solution
converts the acid gases into HCl, HF, and H2SO4
acids. The solutions can also remove metals
achieving removal rates of about 92 to 99%
Dry scrubbing consist of spraying lime (Ca
Hydroxide) in powder form to remove the acid
gases. Activated carbon powder can be mixed with
lime to remove organic particulates such as VOCs.
Dry scrubbing is cheaper than wet scrubbing.