Fingerprints of dioxin from thermal industrial processes

PCDD/F homologue profiles and 2,3,7,8 chlorine-substituted congener pattern s are studied using principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster a nalysis. Measurement data from different industrial metallurgical processes such as iron and steel manufacturing, copper smelters and aluminium plants are compared. It appears that the PCDD/F homologue profiles from industria l metallurgical processes are similar to those from municipal solid waste i ncinerators. The 2,3,7,8 chlorine-substituted congener pattern from copper smelters is also very similar to that of municipal solid waste incinerators . However, the 2,3,7,8 chlorine-substituted congener pattern from an alumin um plant is very different, 2,3,7,8-TCDF being by far the most important TC DF congener. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.