Mercury emission from sewage sludge incineration in Japan

Sewage sludge contains trace amounts of mercury, and sewage sludge incineration is a major source of mercury emissions. However, relatively few studies have reported on mercury emissions from sewage sludge incineration. Consequently, data on emissions from sewage sludge incinerators must be updated to estimate current emissions of mercury. In this study, we examined mercury emissions and speciation using continuous mercury analyzers in two incinerators. The mercury concentrations in stack gas from facilities A and B were 36.6 and 21.1???g/Nm³, respectively. As a result, the emission rate was calculated to be 0.282?C0.750?g/ton-dry sludge. Considering the total amount of sewage sludge incinerated in Japan, the mercury emissions from sewage sludge incinerators were estimated to be 0.49?C1.31?tons/year.     

Fate of heavy metals and radioactive metals in gasification of sewage sludge

The fates of radioactive cadmium, strontium, cesium, cobalt, arsenic, mercury, zinc, and copper spiked into sewage sludge were determined when the sludge was gasified by a process that maximizes production of char from the sludge (ChemChar process). For the most part the metals were retained in the char product in the gasifier. Small, but measurable quantities of arsenic were mobilized by gasification and slightly more than 1% of the arsenic was detected in the effluent gas. Mercury was largely mobilized from the solids in the gasifier, but most of the mercury was retained in a filter composed of char prepared from the sludge. The small amounts of mercury leaving the gasification system were found to be associated with an aerosol product generated during gasification. The metals retained in the char product of gasification were only partially leachable with 50% concentrated nitric acid.     

Recovery of zinc and lead from fly ash from ash-melting and gasification-melting processes of MSW--comparison and applicability of chemical leaching methods

Fly ash generated from MSW ash-melting and gasification-melting plants, known as Melting Furnace Fly Ash (MFA), contains considerable amounts of heavy metals such as Pb and Zn. These metals can be recovered using a smelting furnace after "pre-treatment" for removal of unnecessary elements such as Cl, Sn and Si. Chemical methods have been studied for pretreatment in the past. However, they have been discussed only with regard to treatment cost and the concentration of Pb and Zn recovered, but neither applicability to various types of MFA nor the environmental impact have been considered. In this study, acid, alkaline and ammonia/chloride leaching methods were compared from the standpoints of: (1) applicability to MFA, (2) concentration of Pb and Zn recovered, (3) treatment cost, and (4) environmental impact. Twenty-three samples of MFAs were collected and classified into 4 types based on element contents. A Pb and Zn recovery experiment was conducted for the representative MFA of those types. The results showed: (1) MFA from gasification-melting plants cannot be treated by chemical methods; (2) the other MFA can be treated to an acceptable quality by existing smelting furnaces; (3) only MFA from electric resistance ash-melting plants can be treated easily by the water washing method; and (4) alkaline and ammonia/chloride leaching methods were more effective than acid leaching.     

Mercury removal from aqueous solutions by zinc cementation

The main purpose of this research is to study the addition effect of the surfactant and other operating factors on the treatment of wastewater containing mercury ions in aqueous solution by cementation with sacrificing metal, zinc. The removal of mercury ions from aqueous solutions by cementation of zinc powder was found to be a function of solution pH and temperature, amount of zinc, concentration of mercury ion, contact time and the addition of several organic surfactants. Cementation of mercury was shown to be a feasible process to achieve a very high degree of mercury removal over a broad operational range within a fairly reasonable contact time. The reaction rate is approximately first order with respect to the concentration of mercury ion in aqueous solution. Among the surfactants used in this study, only the presence of SDS, an anionic surfactant, slightly enhanced the cementation rate of mercury. The presence of CTAB and Triton-X100 retarded the cementation of mercury by zinc.     

分步沉淀法处理酸性矿山废水

采用分步沉淀工艺处理酸性矿山废水,考察了工艺条件对废水中有价金属元素回收效果的影响。实验结果表明:Ca(OH)_2为适宜的废水pH调节剂;调节废水pH至4.00左右并投加0.05 mL/L的H_2O_2,可首先去除Fe~(2+)及Fe~(3+),得到富Fe渣(w(Fe)=51.00%);调节废水pH至6.00~6.50,先投加50 mg/L的Na_2S,去除废水中的Cu~(2+),获得富Cu渣(w(Cu)=10.89%),再将Na_2S的投加量增至100 mg/L,去除废水中的Zn与Mn,获得富Zn-Mn渣(w(Cu)=2.37%,w(Mn)=6.79%,w(Pb)=1.61%);进一步调节废水pH至8.40,可去除剩余的Zn、Mn及其他重金属。分步沉淀工艺处理后的废水可达标排放,产生的富Fe渣、富Cu渣及富Zn-Mn渣可直接出售或具有利用价值。分步沉淀工艺可实现有价金属元素的高效回收,大幅度降低废水处理的实际成本,值得工程应用与推广。     

Decolorization and estrogenic activity of colored livestock wastewater after electrolysis treatment

Livestock wastewater is treated by activated sludge treatment. Untreated livestock wastewater has high estrogen activity because animal excreta contains estrogen. When activated sludge treatment is applied, the estrogen activity declines or is lost. However, the color of treated livestock wastewater is deep brownish-red because of the decomposition of organic compounds or the synthesis of metabolites. Discharging colored wastewater to the environment could cause some problems, so it is necessary to decolorize colored wastewater before it is discharged. It has been suggested that electrolysis decolorization technology is suitable for treating colored wastewater; however, the process produces volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In fact, little research has been conducted with reference to estrogen activity in wastewater that has undergone electrolysis, especially on the contribution of the electrolysis decolorization process to estrogen activity, i.e., the possibility of resynthesis of some substance with estrogen activity due to resolved and metabolized colored components. In this study, the concentration of VOC was measured for various electrolysis conditions, and estrogen activity was examined using a yeast two-hybrid assay. From the results, decolorization of colored livestock wastewater by electrolysis was possible, and the VOC generation during electrolysis could be controlled depending on the electrolysis conditions. Estrogen activity in colored livestock wastewater disappeared on electrolysis decolorization.     

RecoPhos: Full-scale fertilizer production from sewage sludge ash

The substitution potential of sewage sludge for German primary phosphate imports has been estimated as 40%. Yet, a marketable option for the full scale recovery has been lacking. This study focuses on a full-scale process for the manufacture of a P-fertilizer from sewage sludge ash (SSA) adapted from the production of Triple Superphosphate. Given (i) conformity of the input with phosphate ores mined from sedimentary deposits, (ii) comparability of the product with a commercially available P-fertilizer regarding contaminant levels, P-fractionation and yield effects, and (iii) compliance of the output with the German Fertilizer Ordinance the RecoPhos P 38 fertilizer was discharged from the waste legislation regime. The fertilizer is currently being produced at a rate of 1000 tonnes per month and sold at a competitive price.     

Fate and behavior of selected heavy metals with mercury mass distribution in a fluidized bed sewage sludge incinerator

In this paper, emission and distribution behavior of six heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Hg), particulate matter and mass distribution of mercury within the different streams of a fluidized bed sewage sludge incinerator are presented. At the inlet of air pollution control devices (APCDs); Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb were mainly enriched in coarse particles; comparatively As content was higher in fine particles (<PM_2.5). The concentration of heavy metals in total particulate matter and PM_2.5, at the inlet of APCDs, were in the order of Cr > Ni > Pb > As > Cd. Mercury was almost always distributed in flue gas. Metals, other than mercury, were efficiently removed in APCDs and their concentrations in bottom ash, with fly ash being higher, whereas for that in wastewater, then waste sand was lesser. Overall mercury removal efficiency of APCDs was 98.6 %. More than 83.3 % of mercury was speciated into oxidized form at the inlet of APCDs, attributed by higher chlorine content in sludge. Mercury was mainly distributed in wastewater (78.4 %), wastewater from a spray dry reactor (16.8 %), fly ash in a hopper (3.4 %) and flue gas (1.4 %). This result is one of the first for data to be obtained; more experiments are required to control emission from such sources.     

兼氧技术应用于有机污泥的处理

应用兼氧技术处理有机污泥，对处理过程中挥发性脂肪酸的生成、N元素的变化、兼氧微生物的种群进行了检测，结果表明，有机污泥经过24h兼氧反应后，污泥中的有机物得到降解，酸化反应生成了质量浓度的2531mg/L的乙酸；系统中NH3－N含量略有上升；兼氧反应过程中的微生物以异养型的产酸细菌为优势菌种。污泥被水解酸化后回流到废水处理系统，系统基本无剩余污泥排放。     

Hydrometallurgical recycling of cobalt from zinc plants residue

A large amount of hot filter cake (HFC) is annually generated in Iranian zinc plants. It contains 1% zinc, 16–30% manganese, 5–25% calcium and 1–4.5% cobalt. Usually, zinc is selectively leached by an alkaline medium and its residue is known as alkaline leached HFC (ALHFC). In the present study, the possibility of cobalt extraction from ALHFC was investigated using a creative hydrometallurgical process. At the first stage, zinc and cadmium were selectively removed with sulfuric acid. At the second stage, it was deeply focused on the possibility of selective reductive leaching of cobalt by H₂O₂ as a reductant in the presence of manganese. As results, several differences were found between the mechanism of cobalt and manganese leaching. Accordingly, cobalt leaching was more affected by acid concentration and manganese leaching was more affected by reductant concentration. Consequently, with manipulating these important parameters, it was made possible to selectively separate cobalt from manganese. Based on the obtained results, 90.9% of cobalt and only 10.04% of manganese were leached with 1% of H₂O₂. At the third stage, pregnant cobalt solution was successfully purified through a solvent extraction process with D2EHPA. Finally, cobalt hydroxide as our final product with a purity of more than 99% was precipitated from the pure pregnant solution at 70 °C.     

Production of technical grade phosphoric acid from incinerator sewage sludge ash (ISSA)

The recovery of phosphorus from sewage sludge ash samples obtained from 7 operating sludge incinerators in the UK using a sulfuric acid washing procedure to produce a technical grade phosphoric acid product has been investigated. The influences of reaction time, sulfuric acid concentration, liquid to solid ratio and source of ISSA on P recovery have been examined. The optimised conditions were the minimum stoichiometric acid requirement, a reaction time of 120 min and a liquid to solid ratio of 20. Under these conditions, average recoveries of between 72% and 91% of total phosphorus were obtained. Product filtrate was purified by passing through a cation exchange column, concentrated to 80% H₃PO₄ and compared with technical grade H₃PO₄ specifications. The economics of phosphate recovery by this method are briefly discussed.     

Recovery of biomass cellulose from waste sewage sludge

In our previous work, the primary sludge from wastewater treatment plants was shown to contain a considerable amount of cellulose (about 20%, based on suspended solids) owing to the discharge of toilet paper. For the purpose of using the cellulose as a biomass resource, this study examined a simple method for its recovery. When fibrous cellulose was suspended in 0.3% sulfuric acid and autoclaved at 130°C for 60 min, 85%–88% of the initial solids remained without dissolving. Under these conditions, an activated sludge sample not containing cellulose was strongly hydrolyzed and only 7% of the initial solids remained. The prescribed amounts of cellulose added to the activated sludge sample were quantitatively recovered by the autoclaving treatment. In the treatment of primary sludge containing >20% cellulose, residual solids with relatively high levels of cellulose (>69%) could be obtained. The results indicate that the method proposed here could recover cellulose practically from waste sewage sludge for biomass utilization. Received: July 17, 2000 / Accepted: July 4, 2001     

萃取法回收钛白水解废酸中的硫酸

提出了以三异辛胺作萃取剂、H2O作反萃取剂从钛白水解废酸中萃取回收硫酸的新工艺。考察了萃取剂浓度、相调节剂浓度、相比及温度对萃取和反萃取的影响，并进行了模拟试验。在以40％三异辛胺、25％仲辛醇和35％航空煤油(均为质量分数)为萃取有机相，相比为2，以H2O为反萃剂，相比为1．5的条件下，质量浓度为146．02g/L的废酸经8级萃取和6级反萃取，硫酸回收率达到91．81％，产品酸质量浓度达119．73g/L。     

电镀污泥中铜和镍的回收

采用硫酸酸浸#x02014;铜镍分离#x02014;净化除杂#x02014;沉淀制取硫酸镍的工艺从电镀污泥中回收铜和镍，分别采用硫化钠沉淀法和铁粉置换法研究电镀污泥酸浸液中铜和镍的分离效果。实验结果表明，硫化钠沉淀法对铜和镍的分离效果较好，其最优工艺条件为：硫化钠加入量为理论需求量的1.2倍，硫化钠沉淀温度60℃，硫化钠沉淀时间30min。利用本回收工艺制得的硫酸镍产品中镍的质量分数为18%，镍的回收率达80%以上，铜的回收率达90%以上。     

用CO_2改性碱渣废水强化炼油废水的硝化效能

针对炼油废水缺乏碱度而硝化效能受限问题,以CO_2曝气处理后的改性碱渣废水为碱度补充剂,按一定配比加入炼油废水好氧阶段以强化硝化效能。实验结果表明:经流量为1 L/min的CO_2连续曝气处理5 h后,碱渣废水p H可降至7.2~7.8,钙元素质量浓度可降低90.65%,并去除了部分汞、砷等有毒重金属;将该改性碱渣废水以1∶99的体积比加入炼油废水并进行生化处理,COD去除率可达90.2%;相较于未补充碱渣的炼油废水,出水ρ(NO3--N)提高25%~30%,硝化细菌菌群密度增加52%,污泥絮体形态结构未发生改变。     

Treatment of tar pond sludge in a circulating fluidized bed combustor

A series of tests to burn mixtures of tar pond sludge and coal was carried out using a mini‐circulating fluidized bed combustor (mini‐CFBC). During the tests, carbon dioxide, oxygen, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides in the flue gas were monitored continuously. Stack gas sampling was carried out for hydrochloric acid, metals, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), total hydrocarbons, semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Results showed that hydrochloric acid, mercury, particulate matter, PCDD/F, and metal concentrations were all below both the current limits and the gas‐release limits to be implemented in 2008 in Canada. The new 2008 emissions limits will reduce the maximum allowable concentrations of most pollutants by half. Thus, the maximum concentration for particulate matter will be 5 mg/m³ (from the current maximum concentration of 10 mg/m³);the maximum concentration for hydrochloric acid will be 5 mg/m³ (from 10 mg/m³); and the‐maximum concentration for dioxins and furans will be 0.032 ng/m toxic equivalent (from 0.08 ng/mcurrently). Sulfur capture efficiency was 89–91 percent. The percentage of fuel nitrogen converted to nitrogen oxides was of the order of 4.7 to 6.1, which is significantly lower than that of conventional pulverized coal‐fired boilers and well within the normal range for fluidized bed combustors (FBCs). PCB and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emissions levels were comparable or lower than levels reported in the literature for industrial‐scale FBCs. VOC concentrations were low except for benzene, for which the concentration was higher than that reported for pulverized coal‐fired utility boilers. In addition, carbon monoxide concentration was high at 1,200 to 2,200 parts per million. However, these carbon monoxide concentrations are typical of the mini‐CFBC firing coal. The trials showed that for 10 percent by weight tar pond sludge mixed with 90 percent by weight coal, the combustion was both stable and efficient. The tests demonstrated that CFBC technology is an environmentally sound option for eliminating tar pond waste sludge. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

锌冶炼烟气制酸废水中汞的测定

采用冷原子吸收光度法测定经石灰乳和铁盐处理后的锌冶炼烟气制酸废水中汞的浓度时,可按废水中汞浓度与其pH的关系,从试样pH的高低大致估计其汞浓度范围,由此确定其稀释倍数和取样量。试样用KBrO3-KBr消解法消解,用直接法稀释,这样可以减少操作步骤、缩短测定周期、减少样品中汞的损失、提高监测结果的可靠性和准确性,同时可减少人力、物力浪费,降低监测成本。     

Life cycle assessment of sewage sludge co-incineration in a coal-based power station

A life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the environmental and economic effects of sewage sludge co-incineration in a coal-fired power plant. The general approach employed by a coal-fired power plant was also assessed as control. Sewage sludge co-incineration technology causes greater environmental burden than does coal-based energy production technology because of the additional electricity consumption and wastewater treatment required for the pretreatment of sewage sludge, direct emissions from sludge incineration, and incinerated ash disposal processes. However, sewage sludge co-incineration presents higher economic benefits because of electricity subsidies and the income generating potential of sludge. Environmental assessment results indicate that sewage sludge co-incineration is unsuitable for mitigating the increasing pressure brought on by sewage sludge pollution. Reducing the overall environmental effect of sludge co-incineration power stations necessitates increasing net coal consumption efficiency, incinerated ash reuse rate, dedust system efficiency, and sludge water content rate.     

大型磷铵工程磷石膏制硫酸联产水泥装置的三废治理及利用

介绍了大型磷铵工程磷石膏制硫酸联产水泥装置排出的废水，废气和废渣的利用及治理情况，并对生产过程的磷、硫和氟的转化及损失量进行了衡算。     

矿山含铜酸性废水硫化沉淀过程中硫化氢产生量的控制

对矿山含铜酸性废水硫化沉淀的过程进行了理论分析和实验研究,并提出了控制硫化氢气体产生量的措施。实验结果表明:在矿山含铜酸性废水硫化沉铜过程中,硫氢化钠被Fe³⁺还原成单质硫的反应最容易发生,其次为硫氢化钠与Cu²⁺生成CuS沉淀的反应,产生硫化氢气体的趋势很弱,而生成FeS的趋势最弱;当反应终点电位控制在200 mV时,铜基本上沉淀完全,铁沉淀率很小;硫氢化钠的过剩量较小,可在最大程度上减少硫化氢气体的产生量;随着溶液酸度增加,硫化氢气体的产生量逐渐增加。硫化沉淀反应体系的硫酸质量浓度宜控制在小于4 g/L。