Influence of organic chlorine on emissions from sludge incineration by a pilot fluidised bed furnace

To demonstrate that sewage sludge incineration could be a safe operation if well conducted and that hazardous compounds could also be disposed of with out problems in sludge incinerators plants, a research program has been set up by the Italian Water Research Institute on a demonstrative scale plant where a completely circulating fluidised bed furnace and a rotary kiln furn ace can operate alternatively. in this paper results of tests performed by a fluidised bed furnace on sewage sludge spiked with highly chlorinated com pounds under different operating conditions are presented. A deep investiga tion on micropollutants formation has been made at different sampling point s: before and after bag house filter, and at the chimney. The experimental data show that concentrations of PCDDs+PCDFs (TE) and of PAHs do not strict ly depend on the operation of the afterburning chamber and that a complete compliance with the European and Italian standards on the emissions were al ways achieved even in the most critical conditions investigated.