EMISSIONS FROM COCOMBUSTION OF USED PACKAGING WITH PEAT AND COAL

Incineration of unsorted municipal solid waste (MSW) is known to gener ate polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) whic h can be removed from the flue gas to a level below 0.1 ng/m(3) I-TEQ. Combustion of coal, which contains minor amounts of chlorine, in powe r plants normally gives rise to PCDD/F emissions below 0.01 ng/m(3) I- TEQ. According to theory the formation of PCDD/F is prohibited by the presence of sulphur in excess of chlorine in the fuel. As solid fuels are used in amounts approximately one to two orders of magnitude highe r than MSW is generated, it is apparent that combustible waste fractio ns could be used as co-fuel in power production. This has been demonst rated for Mixed Plastics together with wood and coal. In the present i nvestigation various combustible packaging scrap and waste fractions w ere co-combusted in a CFB-boiler together with peat and coal. It was g enerally concluded that emissions from co-combustion did not significa ntly exceed those of the primary fuels and particularly that the emiss ions of dioxins were well below 0.1 ng/Nm(3) I-TEQ even when the flue gas treatment equipment in the boiler plant consisted of electrostatic precipitators only.