2003 Volume 13 Issue 1 Pages 51-67
Eighteen metals emitted from two municipal solid waste incineration systems were investigated. Two facilities have improved combustion conditions and retrofitted air pollution control systems from electrostatic precipitators to fablic filter. Concentration levels generated from furnaces were>10 mg/m3N for Zn, 1-10 mg/m3N for Pb, T-Cr, Sb, Sn, Cu, Mn and Ba, 0.1-1.0 mg/m3N for Ni, Cd, V and Co, 0.01-0.1 mg/m3N for T-Hg, As and Se. Concentrations of Be, Te and Tl were less than 0.05 mg/m3N. Removal efficiency in air control units of Hg was improved from 22 % to more than 90 % after retrofit. Vaporization rates were 100 % for Hg, >70 % for Cd and Sb, 50-70 % for As, Se, Zn, Pb and Sn, 20-50 % for T-Cr, Mn, and Co<20 % for Ni, V, Cu and Ba. Substantial amount of heavy metals existed in a particulate phase but a few amount of As, Se, Zn, Sb and Sn were in a gaseous phase. Emission factors to the atmospheric environment estimated in this study were as follows: Hg: 0.05 g/t, Zn: 0.1 g/t, Pb: 0.027 g/t, T-Cr: 0.056, Sn: 0. 14, Cu: 0.015 and the others: <0.02 g/t. These figures were 100 times less than the reported data. Total emission amounts of heavy metals in Japan were also calculated using the estimated emission factors. Those were 1-6 t/y for Hg, Sn, Zn, Pb, and Cr and less than 1 t/y for other metals.
