SOLID

WASTE MANAGEMENT
Prof. Peter LANG lang@mail.bme.hu

INTRODUCTION, NOTIONS

• WASTE: material which can’t be used or sold.

The owner must treat it in order to protect the environment.
By European Committee (EC) definition: The waste is an object that the holder:
discards;
intends to discard; - Transfer/ Transport
must discard. - Processing
- Recycling

• WASTE MANEGEMENT: Human control on the collection, treatment and disposal of

different wastes.
Waste Management also carried out to recover resources from the waste.
It is an important area of “Sustainable Development”.

• SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (by Brundtland Commission, report (“Our common future”)

published in 1987)
“Development that meets the needs of present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs”.

• PARTS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

o Environmental sustainability;
o Economic;
o Social;
o (Cultural Diversity).

Unsustainable situation: the natural

capital is used faster than it can be
replenished .”

Natural capital: sum of all natural resources.

• Why we cannot use a waste?

Reasons:
o Technical: There is no known method.
o Economic: The method is not economical.
Material Cycle Producing Waste:

Diagram of Waste Management Hierarchy

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Functional Elements of Waste Management

1. Waste Reduction
2. Waste Generation
3. Reuse
4. On-site handling (treatment), storage and processing (near to the location of the
generation);
5. Collection
6. Transfer and transport
7. Processing and recovery;
8. Disposal.

I. Waste Reduction
1. INDUSTRIAL WASTE

Reasons of generation of industrial wastes:

o There is no absolutely pure raw material;
o Chemical reactions are equilibrium processes, the conversion is less than
100%. A ↔ B; K=[A]/[B]; K = equilibrium constant.

o Imperfection of the production equipment (e.g. leakage).

There is no waste-free technology (which would not produce any waste at all).
There are only technologies poor in waste:
Method producing the same product with less waste.

Methods for reducing the quantity of wastes

• Application of pure raw materials

Thermal power plants with different fuels:
Fuel Waste(s)
o Coal: slag, flying ash and in the flue gas: SO2, NOX etc.
o Fuel oil: less solid waste, greater air pollution.
o Natural gas: only NOX, this is the poorest in waste, but the most expensive
technology.

• Application of new production methods, equipment and instruments.

o Production by synthesis; e.g. production of hydrochloric acid.
Formerly: 2NaCl +H2SO4 ↔ 2HCl + Na2SO4 (by-product)
Now: H2+Cl2 ↔ 2HCl (there is no by-product)
o Instrumentation and automation (process control).
To control better, more accurately the production less waste and by-
product.

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• Changing of reaction equilibrium:
o A↔B
Equilibrium constant: K=[A]/[B]; [B]= equilibrium concentration of B.

Higher K less [A] better production.

K= f(T); T= temperature
For exothermic reactions:
If T ↗: K ↘ but the reaction gets faster (k ↗)
k = reaction rate constant.

Application of a reactor cascade:

E.g. 3 reactors in series operating at decreasing temperatures.
T1 > T2 > T3
K1 < K2 < K3
k1 > k2 > k3

• Application of a more efficient catalyst:

E.g. conversion of CO in nitrogen industry.

CO + H20VAPOR ↔ CO2 + H2

Catalysts:
(a) Fe2O3 (ferric (tri) oxide)
(b) ZnO (zinc oxide) lower T, but more sensitive to pollution

• Application of more selective catalyst

It increases the rate of the main reaction to the largest extent (less by-products).

4NH3 + 5O2 ↔ 4NO + 6H2O

Catalysts:
(a) Fe2O3
(b) Pt (platinum): more selective, but much more expensive

• Application of recycling

Mainly in the cases where the conversion is low.

Synthesis of NH3 (Haber)

3H2 +N2 ↔ 2NH3 (P=300 bar, T=500 oC)

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The unreacted H2 and N2 are recycled.

• Further Possibilities:
a) Increase the duration of usage of products:
improvement of quality, changing of customers’ habits;
b) Increase of technological discipline;
c) Improvement of maintenance;
d) Renewal of equipment.

2. Municipal Solid Waste

Urban Solid Waste
• It includes predominantly household waste (domestic waste);
• With sometimes the addition of commercial waste ;
• Collected by a municipality within a given area;
• Either solid or semisolid (sludgy, pasty) form.

Residual Waste
Waste left from household sources containing materials that cannot be separated out
or sent for reprocessing.

Categories of Municipal Solid Waste

1) Biodegradable Waste: food and kitchen waste, green waste, paper (paper can also be
recycled).
2) Recyclable Material: paper, glass, bottles, cans, metals, certain plastics.
3) Inert Wastes: construction and demolition wastes, dirt, rocks.
4) Composite Waste: waste clothing, tetra packs, waste plastics (toys).
5) Domestic hazardous & toxic wastes: batteries, electric and electronic waste, paints,
chemicals, spray cans, fertilizer and pesticide containers.

Composition of the Municipal Solid Waste stream at USA (%)

TYPE 1986 2000
Paper 37.5 38.1
Yard waste 17.9 14.8
Plastics 8.3 11.2
Metals 8.3 7.7
Food waste 6.7 5.9
Glass 6.7 6.1
Wood 6.3 7.2
Other 8.3 9.0

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The quantity and quality of MSW depends strongly on the living standard.
NYC Budapest Nigeria (Small Town)
kg/capita/day (1988)
1.8 1.1 0.46

The greatest landfill for MSW in the world was the Fresh Kill Landfill in NYC (Staten Island,
closed in 1986, temporarily open after Sept. 11 attacks ):

-3706 acres, 15,000 tons/day, 150 methane wells, 106 gallon/day leachate treated

World Population Growth

Billion Year
1 1800
2 1930
3 1960
4 1975
5 1987
6 2000

3. Hazardous Wastes
A waste is considered hazardous if it exhibits one or more of the following characteristics:

1 – Ignitability 2 – Corrosivity
3 – Reactivity 4 – Toxicity
5 – Pathogenicity 6 – Mutagenity
7 – etc.

Council Directive of 12 December 1991 on hazardous waste (91 / 689 /EEC)

Annex III Properties of wastes which render them hazardous:
H1: Explosive H2: Oxidizing H3-A: Highly flammable H3-B: Flammable H4: Irritant H5: Harmful
H6: Toxic H7: Carcinogenic H8: Corrosive H9: Infectious …H11: Mutagenic…H14: Ecotoxic

They require special treatment. (German name: Sonderabfall)

Basel Convention
The Basel Convention is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the transboundary
movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of
hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries.
The Convention was opened for signature on 22 March 1989, and entered into force on 5 May
1992.

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 II. Processing and Resource Recovery

1. Thermal Processes

A. Incineration (combustion) B. Thermal decomposition

- Exothermic Process - Endothermic
- Organic components flue gases: - Chemical decomposition in
gases & steam,. oxygen – free medium (or which
- Incombustible inorganic material is poor in O2):
slag (bottom ash) and fly ash. pyrolysis, gasification.

Incineration (Combustion) of Wastes

Main characteristics:
• We burn wastes of heterogeneous composition

• Conditions required:
o Air in excess: usually by 50 – 150 % more than necessary,
EU: in the flue gas min. 6 vol% O2

o Convenient temp. (T) TMIN = 800-850oC; TMAX=1050 – 1100oC

TMIN: each combustible substance has a min. ignition T where in the
presence of O2 the combustion is sustained. Above this T the heat is
generated at higher rate than it loses to the surroundings.
TMAX is determined by the softening and melting T of the slag if it is not
melted. In technologies where the slag is melted TMAX = 1200 - 1700oC.

o Residence time (at high T)

Usually 0.5 – 1h for solid wastes, for gases 2 sec (in the post
combustion chamber)

o Convenient turbulence (the air must meet the waste)

• Quantity of solid residue

o Solid Waste: 20 – 40%
In melted slag technology: 15 – 20%
o Liquid or sludgy waste: 2 -10%
o Medical wastes: 8 – 10%

• Characteristics of the waste to be burned

o State (of matter): solid/sludgy/liquid
o Composition by:
Proximate analysis (fixed carbon, volatile combustible matter,
moisture, ash content)
Ultimate analysis (content of C, H, O, N, S, ash)
o Heating value
o Density
o Fusion point and characteristics of the ash

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 o Particle size, its distribution, maximal size of pieces.
o Viscosity (in the case of liq. wastes)
o Ignition temperature
o Content of halogens, heavy and other metals.
o Content of toxic materials.
o Infectivity

Proximate analysis
Determination of fixed carbon, volatile combustible matter, moisture and ash content of the
waste in order to estimate its capability as a fuel.
-The fixed carbon, volatile combustible matter can be burnt while moisture and ash not. The
vaporisation of the moisture consumes heat.
Method of analysis (tests):
1. Moisture: Determination from the loss of weight by heating at 105 °C for one hour.
2. Volatile combustible matter: the additional loss of weight after ignition at 950 °C in a
covered crucible (O2 is excluded).
3. Fixed carbon: combustible residue after the volatile combustible matter is removed; ignition
at 600 to 900 °C.
4. Ash: the weight of residue after combustion in an open crucible.
% fixed carbon=100 % - % moisture - % ash- % volatile matter
It does not provide any information of possible pollutants emitted during combustion. These
data are determined by ultimate analysis.

Ultimate analysis
Total elemental analysis (percentage of each individual element (C,H,O,N,S) present
It is used
-mainly to characterise the organic fraction of the waste and also
-for assessing the suitability of waste as fuel,
-for predicting emissions from combustion,
-for ensuring suitable nutrient ratios (e.g. C/N) for composting.
A chemical formula can be given for the waste e.g. C655H1029O408N10.1S

Heating value
Two heating values: high and low. The high heat of combustion includes the latent heat of
vaporisation of water molecules generated during the combustion process.
Ash reduces the heating value (J/kg waste) and retains heat when removed from the furnace
(loss of heat).
Even a dry sample of MSW generates moisture (free water) which must be evaporated. The
energy demanded can be considerable and may result in an inefficient combustion process.

Density:
Important information for predicting storage volume (in collection truck, in a landfill cell)
It is increased by compaction whose extent can be characterised by the
compaction ratio: r=ρ0/ρc and degree of volume reduction F=ΔV/V0
The density of the
- raw uncompacted solid waste: 115-180 kg/m3 (in USA)
- compacted SW in landfill after compaction: 300-900 kg/m3
ρ=f(composition, moisture content, physical shape, degree of compaction)
Glass, ceramic, ash and metals increase it.
Moisture replaces the air occurring in voids and increases ρ.
Increase of ρ
-decreases the cost of collection and hauling (transport),
-by shredding, baling and other size reduction technics (by decrease of irregularity, as well).

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Bale: large mass of paper, straw, goods pressed together and tied with rope/wire, ready to be
moved.
From MSW balers produce bales of corrugated cardboard, newspaper, high grade and mixed
paper, aluminium cans, plastic containers.

• Steps of combustion technology

o Reception, storage
o Preparation (e.g. chopping)
o Feeding
o Combustion
o Cooling of flue gases and heat recovery
o Purification of flue gases
o Treatment of slag and fly ash

Equipment of Combustion
Classification can be done:
o By the type of combustor: with
grate or without grate
o By the aim of the equipment:
incinerator or industrial equipment
operating at high T (e.g. cement kiln).

• Circumstances of burning
o Introduction of air in 2 parts
Primary (underfire) air supply (cca. 80%):
through the grates from below
- For feeding burning of the bulk of waste.
- For cooling the grates
Secondary (overfire) air supply (cca. 20%):
- in order to burn out perfectly the waste: to burn the
particulates, to eliminate CO
• Criteria for wall (lining) of combustion chambers
o Mechanical strength
o Resistance to abrasive effects
o Resistance to chemical effects
o Materials: fireclay, corundum, silicone

• Auxiliary burners
o Fueled by oil or gas
o Aim: stabilization or increase of power

• By the direction of flow of waste and flue gases the equipment can be:
o Co-current: waste and gases move in the same direction
Disadvantage: Difficult drying and ignition of waste. (Air must be
preheated.)
o Counter-current: waste and flue gases move in the opposite direction
Disadvantage: danger of imperfect burning: one part of the flue gases
does not go through the hottest zone.
o Cross-current (mixed current)

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Incinerators with Grate
-For combustion of solid or sludgy wastes

-Moving (or fixed) grate

-Role of the grate:

o It holds the waste

o Ventilation (aeration) of the combustion chamber
o It moves, blends the waste.

-Each grate is turned separately by a separate electromotor

-Max. thermal charge of the grate: 2000 – 4000 MJ/m2h (in order to prevent melting of the
grate)

-Many moving grates are also cooled with water internally for keeping the mechanical strength
of the grate.

Scheme of a grate incinerator for combustion of MSW

1. feed hopper (funnel) and refuse shaft 2. feeder 3. combustion chamber 4. combustion
grate 5. heat recovery steam generator 6. deslag equipment 7. grate residue removal 8. fly
ash transporting system 9. primary air supply 10. secondary air supply

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 Scheme of a traditional MSW incinerator

1. refuse barn 2. combustion grate 3. post- combustion chamber 4. steam generator (boiler) 5.
electrofilter 6. feed water preheater 7. suction fan 8. flue gas scrubber 9. wet dust separator
10. NOx reducer 11. dioxin separator 12. stack 13. deslag equipment

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Incinerators without Grate

Usually cylindrical form:

The intensity of heat radiation is almost doubled lower heat loss

• Rotary Kiln

o For solid, sludgy and liquid wastes

o Co-current (Fig.) or counter-current
o Refractory lined cylindrical combustion field.
o It inclines slightly, is turning slowly.
o Movement of waste
It turns with the mantle of the kiln, this movement increases the
residence time of the waste.
It moves forward (due to the slope (and continuous feeding))
o At the end of the kiln the gases accumulate (intensive turbulence)
o Post-combustion chamber (after-burner):
stationary, oil or gas burners, T=900-1000oC
o The slag flows out by gravitation (in slagging mode)
o Air excess coefficient. λ = 2 -2.5
o L = 8 – 13 m
o D=3–4m
o VWASTE = 0.2 VKILN

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• Westinghouse – O’Connor Rotary Kiln (Fig.)

o It is not walled up with bricks

o Membrane-wall cooled by water.
o Air inlet:
-through the holes between the tubes of the membrane-wall good
distribution of air,
-air can be introduced directly above the combustion field, as well.

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• Combustion chambers
o For liquids, gases and sludgy wastes.
o Fixed drum, walled up (lined with bricks)
o Mixing of waste and air is provided by nozzles and atomizers.

a. Co-Current Flow:
- Waste and gases move in the same direction
- Mixing of waste and air is slower its efficiency is lower than that of
cross and counter-current flow chambers
- Only for gaseous and liquid wastes which can be atomized easily.
b. Cross-Current Flow:
- Air inlet through radial holes
- Better mixing of waste and air shorter equipment lower
investment cost.
c. Counter-Current Flow:
- Air is blown in several free jets
- Intensive mixing and combustion
- Exclusively for liquid wastes

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• Multistoried kiln (Fig.)

o For sludgy wastes

o Counter-current
o Operating zones
Floors 1-5: drying
Floors 6-7: combustion (zone of highest T)
Floors 8-10: cooling of slag
o Scrapers move the solid waste toward the center.
o Flue gases are saturated with water vapor and stinking (smelly) they need
purification.

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• Fluidization kiln (Fig.)

Process of fluidization: solid granular material is kept in pulsed motion with a gas (or
liquid) flowing upwards from below. At fluidization the solid material fluidized behaves
as a fluid and the heat and mass transfers are very efficient.

o For shredded solid, sludgy and liquid wastes.

o Eddy bed: layer consisting of fine granular material moving above the grill
(quartz, corundum, basalt).
o T = 750 – 850oC.
o Feeding of waste above the eddy bed by dropping in or by pulverization.
o Ash can leave either with the material of the eddy bed (a, b) or with the flue
gases (c).
o Simple construction
o No moving components
o λ = 1.1 -1.3 (much lower than for the other types of combustor )
o Residence time is also low.
o Heat recovery
Cooling tubes in the eddy bed (better)
Boiler after the kiln: problem: high content of dust and fly ash of flue
gas decreases the efficiency and lifetime of the boiler.

• Combined fluidization and multistoried kiln

o In multistoried part: drying of waste
o In fluidization part: combustion (with less air)

• Melted salt kiln (Na2CO3, K2CO3)

o The waste is fed at the bottom part of the kiln (below the melt of salt).
o The flue gases bubble through the salt.
o Role of salt:
Heat Transfer
Catalyst
Purification of flue gases
• Others types
o Plasma arc
o Infrared radiation
o Microwave and electromagnetic radiation

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Heat Recovery, Cooling of Flue Gases

The flue gases leaving the combustion field have a temperature between 850 and 1300 °C.
Goals:
- to recover heat
- to protect the purification equipment
- to decrease corrosion.

The flue gases must be cooled down: usually to cca. 250 °C:
Danger of corrosion: Tmin: above the dew point of acidic gases: 140-180 °C,
Tmax<450 °C because of halogens
Cooling media: water (or air)
Direct or
indirect cooling: boilers (producing steam) or heat-exchangers (hot water)

Heat Recovery Facilities:

1. Production of low pressure steam: for district heating (seasonal consumption!) and
heating of industrial equipment (heating plant)
2. Production of high pressure steam
a. Generation of electrical energy (in turbines) and production of heating steam
(heating power plant)
Typical net energy from MSW: 0.67 MWh (=2412 MJ) electricity, 2 MJ for district
heating

Heating power plant with turbine of condensation with withdrawal:

The production of steam can be fitted to the needs of heat consumers.

b. Generation of electrical energy, only (power plant of condensation):

Maximal electrical energy, but high investment costs, low efficiency of the heat
recovery.

Emergency condensers: combustion of waste need not be stopped when the heat
recovery system is not operating (e.g. during maintenance); designed for 50 % of the
maximal steam production

Another possibility: if incinerator is close to a waste water treatment plant.

Facilities for thermal treatment of waste water sludges:

a. Direct feeding of hot flues gases into the sludge dryer unit (the gases (humid, smelly)
are led back to the incinerator)

b. The steam produced in the incinerator is used the thermal treatment, drying of the
sludge.

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Solid Products of Combustion:

1. Slag: cooling down, separation of ferrous materials in magnetic separators,

transportation to MSW landfill (or recycling: road construction, after preparation
(breaking into small pieces, classification by size))
2. Fly ash:
It leaves the combustion field with the flue gases, separation from them with electro-
filter or bag-house filter (preliminary separation can be done in cyclones), disposal
with other hazardous wastes (high content of halogen, soluble salts, toxic metals etc.)

Flue gas purification

The air pollution caused by flue gases is the most serious environmental problem of waste
incineration.
The composition of flue gases is variable, it depends on
- characteristics of the waste,
- type of the incinerator,
- operational parameters of the incinerator.

Emissions:
SO2, NOX, HCl, HF, CO, dust, metals (including toxic ones: Pb (lead), Hg, Cd),
organic compounds :dioxins, furans, other polycyclic aromatic compounds

Emission standards (EU directive 2000/76)):

mg/Nm3
SO2 50
NOx 200 or 400 depending on the capacity of incinerator
(>6 t/h) (<6 t/h)
Total dust 10
TOC 10 (Total organic carbon)

Dioxin/furan: 0.1 ng TE/Nm3 TE: toxicity equivalent

Philosophy of combustion:
- earlier: pollutants must remain in the slag
- nowadays: pollutants must leave with the flue gases and then they must be separated
from them during the flue gas purification

Distribution of different metals between the products (%)

Pb Hg
Slag 60-70 0
Fly ash 30-35 20-25
Flue gas 4-5 70-80

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Flue gas contains metals and other pollutants in the form of aerosol.
Aerosol: gas + small size (10-7 - 10-3 cm) particles distributed in it
Particles can be solid (dust/smoke) or liquid (fog/mist)

Dioxins, furans:
These harmful compounds (causing cancer) are generated during the combustion
- of chlorinated organic compounds or
- in presence of NaCl (sodium chloride).
a. Dioxins: polychlorinated dibenzo dioxins (PCDD)
The most toxical one is 2,3,7,8 tetrachloro- dibenzo dioxin (TE=1.0, reference compound)
b. Furans: polychlorinated dibenzo furans (PCDF)
The most toxical one is 2,3,4,7,8 pentachloro- dibenzo furan (TE=0.5)
c. Other toxic organic compounds:
- polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
- polybrominated diphenyl ether: flame retardant used in electric circuit boards and
monitors

Removal of pollutants from flue gases

1. Separation of solid particles (dust removal):
with (dry or wet) electro-filters or bag-house filters
removal efficiency: η=(cin- cout)/cin
η>0.99
for preliminary removal (η<0.9) cyclone can be applied

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2. Separation of gaseous pollutants

a. wet (absorption, scrubbing, Fig.):

Two stages of absorption:
1. In acidic or neutral medium
2. In caustic (alkali) solution (PH>7, mainly for the removal of SO2)

Two stage scrubbing (in Venturi scrubbers) with evaporation of waste water

(Deutsche Babcock AG)

1. unpurified (raw) flue gas 2. purified flue gas 3. spray dryer evaporiser 4. filter separator
5. glass tube heat exchanger 6. Venturi scrubber 7. neutraliser tank 8. sludge collector
9. lime silo 10. preparation of lime milk 11. alkali storage 12. preparation of alkali solution 13.
dry final product

Problem: Hg can be accumulated in the system. The Hg content can be reduced with TMT
forming complex with Hg from 2.5 to 0.05 mg/l.

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 c. semi-dry method (Fig.):
The sorbent is suspension or solution (e.g. lime milk)

Scheme of the semidry flue gas purification (Deutsche Babcock AG)

1. unpurified (raw) flue gas 2. purified flue gas 3. spray dryer 4. atomisers 5. electrofilters 6. fan
7. dust transporting system 8. silo for recycled material 9. lime milk tank 10. water 11.
compressed air 12. lime silo 13. lime dissolver 14. dry final product

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c. dry method (Fig.):
The sorbent is solid and it is applied in excess. The flue gas is humidified. Feeding of the
sorbent by pneumatic transport.

Scheme of the dry flue gas purification (Deutsche Babcock AG)

1. unpurified (raw) flue gas 2. purified flue gas 3. reactor 4. atomisers 5. electrofilters 6. fan 7.
dust collection system 8. water 9. compressed air 10. lime silo 11. dry final product

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MSW incinerator of Budapest

2/3 of the MSW is combusted here. Purification of flue gases by semi-dry method without
producing waste water.

The main parts of the flue gas purification system (Fig.):

- Injection of urea for the selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) of NOx into the
furnace.
- Cyclone for the preliminary removal of flying ash (particulates).
- Absorber where acidic gases are neutralised with lime milk.
- Feeding of lignite coke for the adsorption of dioxins, furans and Hg vapour.
- Bag-house-filter for the removal of fly ash residue, salts, excess of absorbent and
adsorbent.
- Ventilator for transporting flue gas into the stack and ensuring the draft of the furnace.

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 Cyclone

Cyclonic separation is a method of removing particulates from an air, gas or liquid

stream, without the use of filters, through vortex separation. Rotational effects and
gravity are used to separate mixtures of solids and fluids. The method can also be used
to separate fine droplets of liquid from a gaseous stream.
A high speed rotating (air) flow is established within a cylindrical or conical container. In
the cyclone air flows in a helical pattern, beginning at the top (wide end) of the cyclone
and ending at the bottom (narrow) end before exiting the cyclone in a straight stream
through the center of the cyclone and out the top (chimney). Larger (denser) particles
in the rotating stream have too much inertia to follow the tight curve of the stream, and
strike the outside wall, then falling to the bottom of the cyclone where they can be
removed.
In a conical system, as the rotating flow moves towards the narrow end of the cyclone,
the rotational radius of the stream is reduced, thus separating smaller and smaller
particles. The cyclone geometry, together with flow rate, defines the cut point of the
cyclone, which is the size of particle that will be removed with 50% efficiency. Particles
larger than the cut point will be removed with a greater efficiency and smaller particles
with a lower efficiency.

A simple cyclone separator

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Combustion of wastes in high temperature industrial technologies
The modification of an existing industrial equipment for accepting waste as fuel is cheaper
than the installation of a new waste incinerator (lower investment cost)
The incineration can be made in steam boilers, cement kilns, blast furnaces etc.

a. Steam boiler:
-The minimum power is 3 MW.
-Mainly for liquid wastes exempt of halogens.
-The amount of waste burnt is max. 20 % of that of the normal fuel (in the case of waste
exempt of halogen and of high heating value max. 50 %).
- Dust removal is necessary (from the flue gases).

b. Cement kiln:
grinding
Raw sludge---->clinker---->cement powder
Liquid waste is combusted, while solid and pasty wastes are thermally decomposed by
pyrolysis in a rotary kiln.
The PH of both raw sludge and clinker is alkaline, therefore wastes with high halogen content
can be treated. There is no emission of HCl and HF. Max. 4-5 kg halogen/t clinker.

Scheme of a cement kiln with pyrolysis kiln suitable for incineration of wastes

A. Clinker kiln B. Clinker cooler C. Pyrolysis kiln D. Electrofilter

1. coal (primary fuel) 2. liquid waste (secondary fuel) 3. clinker outlet 4. sintering (shrinking)
zone 5. calcination zone 6. drying zone 7. flue gases (cca. 150 °C) 8. raw sludge 9. separated
dust tank 10. water 11. solid waste 12. tarry, viscous (pasty) waste 13. slag removal

c. Blast furnace (where iron ore is melted with blasts of hot air)
d. Other high temperature industrial technologies e.g. glass-making

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Waste disposal by gasification
Gasification:
Conversion of carbonaceous materials (coal, petroleum, biomass, plastic waste) into CO and H2
by reacting the raw material at high temperatures with a controlled amount of O2 and/or
steam.
The resulting gas mixture called synthesis gas or syngas is a fuel. Gasification is a very efficient
method for extracting energy from many different types of organic materials, and it is a clean
waste disposal technique.

Pyrolysis:
Chemical decomposition of organic materials by heating in the absence of oxygen or any other
reagents, except possibly steam. It may also be used to convert waste into substances that are
either desirable or less harmful (e.g. syngas).

The advantages of gasification:

-Using the syngas is potentially more efficient than direct combustion of the original fuel
because it can be combusted at higher temperatures or even in fuel cells
-Syngas may be burned directly in internal combustion engines, used to produce methanol and
hydrogen, or converted via the Fischer-Tropsch process into synthetic fuel.
-Gasification can also begin with materials that are not otherwise useful fuels, such as biomass
or organic waste.
- The high-temperature combustion refines out corrosive ash elements (e.g. chloride and
potassium).
Gasification relies on chemical processes at elevated temperatures: T >700°C.

Processes
In a gasifier, the carbonaceous material undergoes several different processes:

Pyrolysis of carbonaceous fuels Gasification of char

1. The pyrolysis (or devolatilization) process occurs as the carbonaceous particle heats
up. Volatiles are released and char is produced resulting in considerable weight loss..
2. The combustion process occurs as the volatile products and some of the char reacts
with oxygen to form CO and CO2, which provides heat for the subsequent gasification

reactions. The basic reaction here :

3. The gasification process occurs as the char reacts with carbon dioxide and steam to
produce CO and hydrogen:
4. In addition, the reversible water gas shift reaction reaches equilibrium very fast. This
balances the concentrations of carbon monoxide, steam, carbon dioxide and
hydrogen.

A limited amount of oxygen or air is introduced into the reactor to allow some of the organic
material to be "burned" to produce CO and energy, which drives a second reaction that
converts further organic material to H2 and additional CO2.

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 High Temperature Conversion of Waste (HTCW) reactor.

Several gasification processes for thermal treatment of waste are under development as an
alternative to incineration.

Advantages of gasification of waste over incineration:

• The flue gas cleaning may be performed on the syngas instead of the much larger
volume of flue gas after combustion.
• Electric power may be generated in engines and gas turbines, which are much cheaper
and more efficient than the steam cycle used in incineration. (Even fuel cells may
potentially be used, but these have rather severe requirements regarding the purity of
the gas.)
• Chemical processing of the syngas may produce other synthetic fuels instead of
electricity.
• Some gasification processes treat ash containing heavy metals at very high
temperatures so that it is released in a glassy and chemically stable form.

Major challenges for waste gasification technologies:

-to reach a positive gross electric efficiency (significant power consumption in the waste
preprocessing, consumption of large amounts of pure oxygen, and gas cleaning.
-to obtain long service intervals in the plants, so that it is not necessary to close down the plant
every few months for cleaning the reactor.

Several waste gasification processes have been proposed, but few have yet been built and
tested, and only a handful have been implemented as plants processing real waste, and always
in combination with fossil fuels. One plant (in Chiba, Japan using the Thermoselect process) has
been processing industrial waste since year 2000, but has not yet documented positive net
energy production from the process.

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 III. Final disposal (landfilling)

The waste is made harmless

- without changing its chemical composition
- by isolating it of its environment.
The aim: prevention of mass transfer between the waste and its environment.
Protection means:

Natural protection:
They form a passive protection system exploiting favourable
- geological,
- hydrological,
- soil,
- geo-morphological,
- meteorological conditions.
The migration (diffusion) of the water must be slow. The soil/rock is suitable for natural
protection if
- its permeability is very low: k<10-6 cm/s,
- it forms uninterrupted (continuous) and undisturbed (permanent) layer
Suitable materials: clay (if not sandy), granite (if not cracked (ruptured))

Technical protection system:

Artificial completion of the natural protection to the necessary extent.
Its elements:
- isolation of the landfill with protective and closing layers,
- keeping off the rain and underground water from the waste,
- collection and treatment of leachates,
- to ensure favourable discharge (draining) conditions in the landfill,
- construction and operation of monitoring system,
- collection and treatment of biogas,
- covering, closing of the dump, restoring of the landscape (recultivation).

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Landfilling of MSW
Before dumping the organic and recyclable parts (paper, plastics, glass etc.) of the MSW are
selected and separated. The organic wastes are composted.

Composting: aerobic decomposition of biodegradable organic matter, producing compost

(substratum for plants). Main parts of the composting process:
addition of natural materials (to set the C/N ratio), digestion (aging), putrefaction.

The Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste is intended to prevent or reduce the
adverse effects of the landfill of waste on the environment, in particular on surface water,
groundwater, soil, air and human health.

It defines the different categories of waste (municipal waste, hazardous waste, non-hazardous
waste and inert waste) and applies to all landfills, defined as waste disposal sites for the
deposit of waste onto or into land. Landfills are divided into three classes:
• landfills for hazardous waste;
• landfills for non-hazardous waste;
• landfills for inert waste.

A standard waste acceptance procedure is laid down so as to avoid any risks:

• waste must be treated before being landfilled;
• hazardous waste within the meaning of the Directive must be assigned to a hazardous
waste landfill;
• landfills for non-hazardous waste must be used for municipal waste and for non-
hazardous waste;
• landfill sites for inert waste must be used only for inert waste.

The following wastes may not be accepted in a landfill:

• liquid waste;
• flammable waste;
• explosive or oxidising waste;
• hospital and other clinical waste which is infectious;
• used tyres, with certain exceptions;
• any other type of waste which does not meet the acceptance criteria laid down (in
Annex II.)

Requirements for landfilling:

- to preclude the possibility of polluting soil and underground water,
- to control the quality (composition) of the waste transported in,
- to minimise the inevitable pollution (air pollution, dust, stink),
- continuous control of the operation of the landfill, monitoring,
- plan for preventing earthquake damages,
- collection and treatment of biogas,
- to restore the landscape (recultivation).

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Scheme of a MSW landfill

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Final cover of a landfill

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 Equipment used in waste treatment

I. Separation equipment

1. Magnetic separator
Recovery of magnetic material, primarily ferrous metals, from the waste.
Either permanent or electromagnets are applied.
Configurations:
a. Magnetic belt pulley
b. Drum magnet
c. Magnetic head pulley

a. Magnetic belt pulley

The simplest form: a single magnet is mounted between two pulleys. The ferrous materials rise
upwards. The gap between the belt and magnet permits an interval where entrained non-
ferrous materials can fall back onto the feed belt.

b. Drum magnet
A stationary magnet is located inside a revolving drum which is positioned. The ferrous metal is
attracted against the force of gravity and is conveyed around the drum circumference until it
exits the magnetic field and is discharged.

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c. Magnetic head pulley
The material to be sorted is passed over the pulley. The nonferrous material fall along a
different trajectory than the ferrous material. A splitter is positioned over the discharge end of
the feed belt.

Entrainment of nonferrous particles with the desired ferrous product is a common problem.
The efficiency of magnetic separation depends on:
-height of the magnet above the conveyor belt,
-magnetic force applied,
-speed of conveyor,
-thickness of the layer of waste on the conveyor,
-material density: dense wastes sink below other wastes on the conveyor.

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2. Eddy current separator

Separation of metals from non-metals.

Permanent or electromagnetic field is employed to generate an electrical current (eddy),
which causes the metallic particles to be ejected.
A magnetic rotor with alternating polarity is spinning rapidly inside a non-metallic drum driven
by a conveyor belt. As nonferrous metals pass over the drum, the alternating magnetic field
creates eddy currents in the particles, repelling the material away from the conveyor and
propelling it forward over a splitter. The other materials drop off at the end of the conveyor.

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 II. Shredders
Shredding: unit operation for size reduction. Shredders were originally developed for crushing
of stone and ores but now they are applied to scrap metal, plastic, aluminium, wood, paper
products and for breaking down concrete, steel and other building materials.
Types of action in the shredding process:
-crushing: reduction of particles by pounding,
-shearing: forcing two parts of an item in different directions and
-grinding: friction applied to the surface of an object.
All shredding units employ two of more of these actions simultaneously.
Benefits of shredding (MSW):
-reduction of waste volume,
-more homogeneous waste,
-easier separation after shredding,
-increased surface area of the fuel particles.
Shredders are available in a variety of shapes and sizes (from portable paper shredders to huge
units for shredding flattened automobiles (at the rate 1/min)).
The most common types: rotary shear, granulator, hammermill, chain crusher.

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 1. Rotary shear
Two parallel counter-rotating shafts with a series of discs mounted perpendicularly and acting
as cutters, working in scissor-like fashion. Compared with hammermills they are low speed
devices (60 to 190 rpm).
The waste is directed to center of the rotating shaft. The size is reduced by the shearing and
tearing action of the cutting discs. The final particle size (2.5 to 25 cm) is controlled by
-spacing of the shafts,
-orientation of the shafts and
-spacing between the shafts.
The shredded materials fall through and pulled through the discs.
Most are driven by hydraulic motors that can be reversed automatically in the case of
obstruction.
Lower speeds imply lower energy costs and less maintenance of moving parts.

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2. Granulator

Only one rotating shaft with a series of discs. One other series of discs are fixed mounted
perpendicularly to the wall. The particles are moving on a forced trajectory within the
equipment until their size decrease below the bore diameter of the sieve located at the
bottom of the equipment, then they fall out through the holes. By exchanging the sieve
different particle sizes can be set.

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 3. Hammermill

It is large cylindrical (or tapered) unit equipped with a central rotor with a series of attached
rapidly rotating hammers. Hammers are either fixed or swing on the rotating shaft.
The rotor and hammers are enclosed within in a heavy-duty housing whose interior may be
lined with stationary breaker plates or mounted cutter bars.
Shredding relies on heavy force breakage of particles by the hammers. Further size reduction:
the particles are struck against breaker plates or cutting bars fixed around the inner wall.
Rotational speed: 700-3000 r/min Power: 500-700 kW
High speed shredders are very noisy.
Input is always from the top and materials flow through the machine by gravity.
The shaft can be oriented in the horizontal or the vertical direction.
- Horizontal:
Most have a grate placed across the outlet under the hammers whose opening size may be
changed
depending on desired size of the final product. The hammers pound the material until it is
small enough to pass through the grate openings.

- Vertical

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4. Chain crusher

Breakage of particles by a chain on a rotating shaft.

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Acknowledgement
Many thanks to Eduardo Nicolas Orthmann da Silva for preparing the first part of the
lecture notes.

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