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Material flow analysis of RDF-production processes
Vera Susanne Rotter1, Thomas Kost, Joerg Winkler
1Department of Waste Management, Technical University Berlin, Jebensstrasse 1, D-10623 Berlin, Germany. vera.rotter@tu-berlin.de
Waste Management (New York, N.Y.)
|November 30, 2004
Summary
Mechanical processing of refuse-derived fuels (RDF) from household waste cannot sufficiently remove hazardous chemicals like heavy metals and chlorine. These toxic elements often concentrate in the final fuel product, limiting safety and quality.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Waste Management & Recycling
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Refuse-derived fuels (RDF) are produced from residual household waste.
- Quality assurance for RDF requires high calorific value and minimal toxic components.
- Mechanical processing aims to enrich fuel quality by separating hazardous materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of mechanical operations in modifying RDF chemical characteristics.
- To assess the ability to meet quality targets for heavy metals and chlorine concentrations.
- To analyze hazardous chemical minimization alongside yield and product quality.
Main Methods:
- Material flow analysis was used for process evaluation.
- Large-scale test runs with different separation techniques were conducted.
- Data on hazardous chemical concentrations and distribution in waste were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Mechanical operations alone are insufficient for separating hazardous chemicals from RDF.
- Chlorine, cadmium, and lead were frequently concentrated in the processed fuel.
- Optimized techniques showed limited success in reducing hazards due to element distribution.
Conclusions:
- Mechanical processing of RDF has inherent limitations in removing toxic elements.
- Achieving low pollution levels in RDF is challenging due to the nature of waste composition.
- Further strategies are needed to effectively manage hazardous chemicals in RDF production.