Regulatory Off-Gas Analysis from the Evaporation of Hanford Simulated Waste Spiked with Organic Compounds

Abstract

After strontium/transuranics removal by precipitation followed by cesium/technetium removal by ion exchange, the remaining low-activity waste in the Hanford River Protection Project Waste Treatment Plant is to be concentrated by evaporation before being mixed with glass formers and vitrified. To provide a technical basis to permit the waste treatment facility, a relatively organic-rich Hanford Tank 241-AN-107 waste simulant was spiked with 14 target volatile, semi-volatile, and pesticide compounds and evaporated under vacuum in a bench-scale natural circulation evaporator fitted with an industrial stack off-gas sampler at the Savannah River National Laboratory. An evaporator material balance for the target organics was calculated by combining liquid stream mass and analytical data with off-gas emissions estimates obtained using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SW-846 Methods. Volatile and light semi-volatile organic compounds (<220 °C BP, >1 mm Hg vapor pressure) in the waste simulant were found to largely exit through the condenser vent, while heavier semi-volatiles and pesticides generally remain in the evaporator concentrate. An OLI Environmental Simulation Program (licensed by OLI Systems, Inc.) evaporator model successfully predicted operating conditions and the experimental distribution of the fed target organics exiting in the concentrate, condensate, and off-gas streams, with the exception of a few semi-volatile and pesticide compounds. Comparison with Henry's Law predictions suggests the OLI Environmental Simulation Program model is constrained by available literature data.     

餐厨垃圾处理厂挥发性有机物释放特征

选择目前国内成功运营的餐厨垃圾处理厂为采样点,该厂以利用餐厨垃圾生产生物蛋白饲料和厌氧发酵为主要工艺,采用气相色谱/质谱联用(GC/MS)技术对挥发性有机物(VOCs)浓度较高的工段,如破碎室、湿热反应器、好氧发酵仓进行了定性和定量分析.结果表明,3个采样点共检测出65种物质,包括醇、醛、酮、酯、芳香烃、硫化物、卤代物、烯烃和烷烃9类.湿热反应器排放VOCs浓度最高且包含物质种类最多,其中酮、酯、芳香烃、硫化物、卤代物、烯烃及烷烃类物质浓度均高于其他检测点,需对该工段进行重点监测和控制.     

Sorption and biodegradation of vapor-phase organic compounds with wastewater sludge and food waste compost

To test the possible use of composted food waste and wastewater sludge as biofilters to treat gas-phase volatile organic compounds (VOCs), batch experiments were conducted with an isolated strain that could degrade aromatic compounds under aerobic conditions. A benzene and trichloroethylene (TCE) mixture was used as the gas-phase pollutant in experiments with composted food waste, sludge, and soil. Under aerobic conditions, benzene was degraded as a primary substrate and TCE was degraded cometabolically, with water contents varying from 6 to 60% (volume of water added/volume of solid). Optimal water content for VOC removal was 12% for the soil, 36% for the composted food waste, and 48% for the sludge. The extent of VOC sorption and biodegradation at the optimal water content was different for each material. With the same initial VOC concentration, more VOCs were removed by sorption onto the composted food waste and the sludge, while less VOCs were biodegraded in comparison with the results using soil. The reason the biodegradation in the soil was greater may be partly attributed to the fact that, due to less sorption, the aqueous-phase concentration of VOCs, which microorganisms could utilize as a carbon source or cometabolize, was higher. We also speculate that the distribution of microorganisms in each medium affects the rate of biodegradation. A large number of microorganisms were attached to the composted food waste and sludge. Mass transfer of VOCs and oxygen to these microorganisms, which appear to have been heterogeneously distributed in clusters, may have been limited, resulting in hindered biodegradation.     

Emission of organic micropollutants from waste incineration

Flue gas emission from a small, discontiniously operated, waste incinerator located in a high rise building was analysed. Sampling of particles and organic micropollutants was made during two combustion cycles. The samples were chemically analysed by HPLC-fractionating and gas chromatography. The PAH and PAH-derivatives were characterized in detail by GC/MS.     

生活垃圾焚烧发电厂渗滤液蒸发浓缩处理

垃圾焚烧厂渗滤液因水质复杂,NH3-N、COD和电解质含量高等特点,成为一种难处理有机废水。采用负压蒸发浓缩法对渗滤液及电絮凝预处理渗滤液的处理进行了对比研究,并考查了浓缩比、pH等因素的影响。研究结果表明,电絮凝预处理不能改变渗滤液中COD、NH3-N的蒸发去除规律,即蒸发处理过程中,蒸发冷凝液中COD在蒸发前期和后期含量较高,蒸发中期较低;而NH3-N含量在蒸发处理前期较高,中后期含量较低。pH对蒸发处理影响较大,在酸性pH下COD去除率较低,但NH3-N去除率较高,可达95%以上,而在中碱性pH下,COD去除率增高,NH3-N去除率降低。渗滤液及电絮凝预处理渗滤液的一次蒸发冷凝液,经过二次蒸发处理后,冷凝液中COD和NH3-N含量均能达到一级排放标准,即分别低于100 mg/L和15 mg/L。     

利用活性炭纤维有机废气吸附回收装置治理二氯甲烷废气

文章介绍了一种化工生产过程中排出的二氯甲烷废气的治理装置———活性炭纤维有机废气吸附回收装置和治理工艺。由于采用了优越的吸附材料和先进的工艺设计 ,使吸附回收率达 97%以上 ,收到了很好的环境效益和经济效益     

Emission of organic compounds by combustion of waste plastics involving vinyl chloride polymer

Organic compounds emitted from combustion of waste plastics involving vinyl chloride polymer were investigated in an actual waste incinerator. The amounts of volatile aliphatic hydrocarbons and volatile chlorinated organic compounds decreased when the secondary combustion temperature was controlled over 900°C. On the other hand, the amounts of some aromatic hydrocarbons increased with a rise of the secondary combustion temperature.     

外循环减压蒸发工艺回收废酸技术与应用

介绍了浙江省宁波市不锈钢行业酸洗废液的产生特征,简述了外循环减压蒸发工艺回收废酸液的特点、主要参数和关键设备。从多家不锈钢企业对该工艺的应用表明,HF、HNO2的回收率达93％～96％。吨成品蒸汽消耗约1．1t,蒸汽压力为0．1～0.15MPa,真空压力88～91kPa,蒸发温度50～65C,回收效益达160元／t左右,回收的混合酸全部回用于酸洗工段,环境效益和经济效益显著。     

Secondary organic aerosol formation from the irradiation of simulated automobile exhaust

A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the potential for secondary organic aerosol formation from emissions from automotive exhaust. The goal was to determine to what extent photochemical oxidation products of these hydrocarbons contribute to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and how well their formation is described by recently developed models for SOA formation. The quality of a surrogate was tested by comparing its reactivity with that from irradiations of authentic automobile exhaust. Experiments for secondary particle formation using the surrogate were conducted in a fixed volume reactor operated in a dynamic mode. The mass concentration of the aerosol was determined from measurements of organic carbon collected on quartz filters and was corrected for the presence of hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms in the organic species. A functional group analysis of the aerosol made by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated     

Qualitative analysis of volatile organic compounds on biochar

Qualitative identification of sorbed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on biochar was conducted by headspace thermal desorption coupled to capillary gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry. VOCs may have a mechanistic role influencing plant and microbial responses to biochar amendments, since VOCs can directly inhibit/stimulate microbial and plant processes. Over 70 biochars encompassing a variety of parent feedstocks and manufacturing processes were evaluated and were observed to possess diverse sorbed VOC composition. There were over 140 individual chemical compounds thermally desorbed from some biochars, with hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and fast pyrolysis biochars typically possessing the greatest number of sorbed volatiles. In contrast, gasification, thermal or chemical processed biochars, soil kiln mound, and open pit biochars possessed low to non-detectable levels of VOCs. Slow pyrolysis biochars were highly variable in terms of their sorbed VOC content. There were no clear feedstock dependencies to the sorbed VOC composition, suggesting a stronger linkage with biochar production conditions coupled to post-production handling and processing. Lower pyrolytic temperatures (?350 °C) produced biochars with sorbed VOCs consisting of short carbon chain aldehydes, furans and ketones; elevated temperature biochars (>350 °C) typically were dominated by sorbed aromatic compounds and longer carbon chain hydrocarbons. The presence of oxygen during pyrolysis also reduced sorbed VOCs. These compositional results suggest that sorbed VOCs are highly variable and that their chemical dissimilarity could play a role in the wide variety of plant and soil microbial responses to biochar soil amendment noted in the literature. This variability in VOC composition may argue for VOC characterization before land application to predict possible agroecosystem effects.     

Volatile organic compounds and bioaerosols in the vicinity of a municipal waste organic fraction treatment plant. Human health risks

Purpose  

The aim of this study was to analyze air concentrations of chemical and microbiological pollutants in the vicinity of an organic waste treatment plant, Ecoparc-2, located in Montcada i Reixac (Catalonia, Spain), as well as to determine the seasonal trends. The human health risks due to the presence of those agents were also assessed.     

Air sampling and analysis of volatile organic compounds with solid phase microextraction

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) presents many advantages over conventional analytical methods by combining sampling, preconcentration, and direct transfer of the analytes into a standard gas chromatograph (GC). Since its commercial introduction in the early 1990s, SPME has been successfully applied to the sampling and analysis of environmental samples. This paper presents an overview of the current methods for air sampling and analysis with SPME using both grab and time-weighted average (TWA) modes. Methods include total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), formaldehyde, and several target volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Field sampling data obtained with these methods in indoor air were validated with conventional methods based on sorbent tubes. The advantages and challenges associated with SPME for air sampling are also discussed. SPME is accurate, fast, sensitive, versatile, and cost-efficient, and could serve as a powerful alternative to conventional methods used by the research, industrial, regulatory, and academic communities.     

Estimation of the volatilization of organic compounds from soil surfaces

Several simple models for the estimation of the half-life (t(1/2)) for the depletion of an organic chemical from a soil surface to air were examined. For moist surfaces, two models are proposed: the first requires knowledge of the soil/organic carbon partition coefficient (K(oc)) and the Henry's law constant (H) and the second the vapor pressure (P(s)) of the chemical involved. Due to uncertainties in the experimental K(oc) values those ones predicted by the group-contribution model of Meylan et al. [Environ. Sci. Technol. 26 (1992) 1560]-and proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-should be used. If reliable experimental P(s) values are not available, the first model is proposed, where in cases when H values are not available, predicted ones by the Bond-Contribution method of Meylan and Howard [Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 10 (1991) 1283]-and also proposed by EPA-can be used. In general, the agreement of the predicted t(1/2) values with the measured ones is within a factor of 3-5. Similar expressions, but with somewhat poorer results, are presented for dry field soils. In all cases, the obtained results represent a substantial improvement over those obtained with the currently used Dow method: t(1/2) = 1.58 x 10(-8)((K(oc) x S)/P(S)), where S is the solubility of the compound in water.     

Analysis of volatile organic compounds in water,waste water and an industrial effluent

Three analytical methods have been evaluated for the determination of volatile organic compounds in water. These techniques have been subsequently applied to the study of a trade effluent discharge problem.     

A model to assess the rate of evaporation of chemical compounds from surface waters

A model has been developed to assess the rate of evaporation of chemical compounds from surface waters. It is based on the two-boundary-layer model of Lewis and Whitman, on critically evaluated literature data and on specific experiments. The rate of evaporation is assessed as a function of the diffusion coefficient in air and water and of Henry's coefficient in water, being the physico-chemical parameters, and as a function of the wind speed, the water temperature and the water depth, being the environmental parameters.     

Speciation of volatile organic compounds from poultry production

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from poultry production are leading source of air quality problems. However, little is known about the speciation and levels of VOCs from poultry production. The objective of this study was the speciation of VOCs from a poultry facility using evacuated canisters and sorbent tubes. Samples were taken during active poultry production cycle and between production cycles. Levels of VOCs were highest in areas with birds and the compounds in those areas had a higher percentage of polar compounds (89%) compared to aliphatic hydrocarbons (2.2%). In areas without birds, levels of VOCs were 1/3 those with birds present and compounds had a higher total percentage of aliphatic hydrocarbons (25%). Of the VOCs quantified in this study, no single sampling method was capable of quantifying more than 55% of compounds and in several sections of the building each sampling method quantified less than 50% of the quantifiable VOCs. Key classes of chemicals quantified using evacuated canisters included both alcohols and ketones, while sorbent tube samples included volatile fatty acids and ketones. The top five compounds made up close to 70% of VOCs and included: 1) acetic acid (830.1 μg m^?3); 2) 2,3-butanedione (680.6 μg m^?3); 3) methanol (195.8 μg m^?3); 4) acetone (104.6 μg m^?3); and 5) ethanol (101.9 μg m^?3). Location variations for top five compounds averaged 49.5% in each section of the building and averaged 87% for the entire building.     

微生物还原浸出法回收废旧电池粉末中的金属锰

驯化培养K1、K2、K3 3株锰还原异养微生物,使微生物耐受电池重金属离子的能力提高.通过微生物的还原作用将二氧化锰还原成二价锰离子回收利用.微生物利用MnO2作为代谢呼吸链最终电子受体,传递氧化有机物产生的电子,还原溶浸锰于介质中.与其他菌株相比,K1菌株表现出很强的金属耐受性,最终浸出率可达93%.     

微生物还原浸出法回收废旧电池粉末中的金属锰

驯化培养K1、K2、K33株锰还原异养微生物,使微生物耐受电池重金属离子的能力提高。通过微生物的还原作用将二氧化锰还原成二价锰离子回收利用。微生物利用MnO2作为代谢呼吸链最终电子受体,传递氧化有机物产生的电子,还原溶浸锰于介质中。与其他菌株相比,K1菌株表现出很强的金属耐受性,最终浸出率可达93%。     

Volatile organic compounds from Italian vegetation and their interaction with ozone

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted from vegetation (particularly isoprenoids) represent an important source of atmospheric hydrocarbons almost double the anthropogenic source. When biogenic VOC mix with NO_x in the presence of UV radiation, ozone (O₃) is formed. In Italy, optimal conditions for O₃ formation in terms of VOC/NO_x ratios and abundance of UV radiation occur for long periods of the year. Moreover, Italian vegetation includes several species that are strong and evergreen isoprenoid emitters, and high temperatures for part of the year further stimulate these temperature-dependent emissions. We review emission of isoprenoids from Italian vegetation, current knowledge on the impact of rising O₃ levels on isoprenoid emission, and evidence showing that isoprenoids can increase both the O₃ flux to the plant and protection against oxidative stress because of their antioxidant functions. This trait not only influences plant tolerance to O₃ but also may substantially alter the flux of O₃ between atmosphere and biosphere.     

Dioxins and furans formation in pilot incineration tests of sewage sludge spiked with organic chlorine

The factors affecting polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) formation were studied in sewage sludge incineration tests carried out on a demonstrative plant. The plant includes a circulating fluidised bed furnace (FBF) and a rotary kiln furnace (RKF), operating alternatively. During the tests sewage sludge was spiked with chlorinated hydrocarbons and the operating parameters of the afterburning chamber were varied. PCDD/F were sampled in each test before the bag filter, thus collecting the above contaminants before abatement systems. From the tests it appeared that PCDD/F were always produced in more abundance in the tests carried out by FBF than by RKF. The higher PCDD/F concentrations in the tests by FBF were reached when sewage sludge was spiked with a high dosage of a surrogate organic mixture of chlorinated hydrocarbons and when the afterburning chamber was used only as transit equipment with the burner off. The distribution of the different PCDD/F homologues was compared. P5CDFs were generally the prevalent fraction, with very few exceptions for the tests by RKF at high temperature of the afterburning chamber. As for FBF tests, it was found that the PCDD/F homologue profile depends on the afterburning chamber temperature.