Minimizing dioxin emissions from integrated MSW thermal treatment

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Waste Management

Background:

• Waste combustion offers volume reduction and energy recovery but faces emission challenges.
• Existing cement kiln co-combustion methods are limited for municipal solid waste (MSW) due to practical and quality constraints.
• Legislative limits for emissions, such as Best Practical Means (BPM), necessitate advanced combustion control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a novel process for integrating municipal solid waste (MSW) combustion with cement production.
• To achieve significant emissions reduction for MSW combustion below established legislative limits.
• To evaluate the feasibility and benefits of the Co-Co process through pilot plant operation.

Main Methods:

• Development and operation of a pilot plant for the Co-Co process.
• Integration of cement "front-end" calcination with high-temperature (1200°C) waste combustion.
• Monitoring and analysis of emissions, including dioxins, acid gases, NOx, particulates, and heavy metals.

Main Results:

• The Co-Co process demonstrated substantial emissions minimization for MSW combustion.
• Dioxin emissions were reduced to 0.5-1% of European BPM limits.
• Emissions for HCl, SOx, NOx, and particulates were significantly below BPM limits (15%, 10%, 20%, and 25% respectively).
• Heavy metal emissions were typically below 25% of BPM limit values.

Conclusions:

• The Co-Co process is a viable and effective method for co-combusting MSW in cement production.
• The process achieves superior emissions control, meeting stringent environmental regulations.
• This synergistic approach offers a sustainable solution for managing MSW while producing cement and energy.