Measurement of Ultrafine Particle Size Distributions from Coal-, Oil-, and Gas-Fired Stationary Combustion Sources

Abstract

Currently, we have limited knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of emitted primary combustion aerosols and the changes in those properties caused by nucleation, condensation growth of volatile species, and particle coagulations under dilution and cooling in the ambient air. A dilution chamber was deployed to sample exhaust from a pilot-scale furnace burning various fuels at a nominal heat input rate of 160 kW/h^?1 and 3% excess oxygen. The formation mechanisms of particles smaller than 420 nm in electrical mobility diameter were experimentally investigated by measurement with a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) as a function of aging times, dilution air ratios, combustion exhaust temperatures, and fuel types. Particle formation in the dilution process is a complex mixture of nucleation, coagulation, and condensational growth, depending on the concentrations of available condensable species and solid or liquid particles (such as soot, ash) in combustion exhausts. The measured particle size distributions in number concentrations measured show peaks of particle number concentrations for medium sulfur bituminous coal, No. 6 fuel oil, and natural gas at 40-50 nm, 70-100 nm, and 15-25 nm, respectively. For No. 6 fuel oil and coal, the particle number concentration is constant in the range of a dilution air ratio of 50, but the number decreases as the dilution air ratio decreases to 10. However, for natural gas, the particle number concentration is higher at a dilution air ratio of 10 and decreases at dilution air ratios of 20-50. At a dilution air ratio of 10, severe particle coagulation occurs in a relatively short time. Samples taken at different combustion exhaust temperatures for these fuel types show higher particle number concentrations at 645 K than at 450 K. As the aging time of particles increases, the particles increase in size and the number concentrations decrease. The largest gradient of particle number distribution occurs within the first 10 sec after dilution but shows only minor differences between 10 and 80 sec. The lifetimes of the ultrafine particles are relatively short, with a scale on the order of a few seconds. Results from this study suggest that an aging time of 10 sec and a dilution air ratio of 20 are sufficient to obtain representative primary particle emission samples from stationary combustion sources.     

An economic evaluation and assessment of environmental impact of the municipal solid waste management system for Taichung City in Taiwan

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is an important environmental challenge and subject in urban planning. For sustainable MSWM strategies, the critical management factors to be considered include not only economic efficiency of MSW treatment but also life-cycle assessment of the environmental impact. This paper employed linear programming technique to establish optimal MSWM strategies considering economic efficiency and the air pollutant emissions during the life cycle of a MSWM system, and investigated the correlations between the economical optimization and pollutant emissions. A case study based on real-world MSW operating parameters in Taichung City is also presented. The results showed that the costs, benefits, streams of MSW, and throughputs of incinerators and landfills will be affected if pollution emission reductions are implemented in the MSWM strategies. In addition, the quantity of particulate matter is the best pollutant indicator for the MSWM system performance of emission reduction. In particular, this model will assist the decision maker in drawing up a friendly MSWM strategy for Taichung City in Taiwan.

Implications: Recently, life-cycle assessments of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) strategies have been given more considerations. However, what seems to be lacking is the consideration of economic factors and environmental impacts simultaneously. This work analyzed real-world data to establish optimal MSWM strategies considering economic efficiency and the air pollutant emissions during the life cycle of the MSWM system. The results indicated that the consideration of environmental impacts will affect the costs, benefits, streams of MSW, and throughputs of incinerators and landfills. This work is relevant to public discussion and may establish useful guidelines for the MSWM policies.     

河湖疏浚淤泥的表征、絮凝和脱水

以无锡锡山湿地公园河道淤泥及太湖贡湖湾疏浚底泥为研究对象,对比分析了两种淤泥的矿物组成、粒径分布及泥微粒表面基团、ζ电位等理化特性。以聚丙烯酰胺类聚合物(polyacrylamide,PAM)为絮凝剂,对比分析了其在2种底泥絮凝分离、真空抽滤脱水过程中的作用特征,并对相关影响因素进行了探讨。结果表明,两种淤泥样具有相近的主体矿物组分、有机基团及ζ电位值,但有机质含量稍高的淤泥样中大颗粒所占比例相对较高。相比阳离子型PAM,阴离子型PAM在较少用量下即可获得较大絮团,但上清液浊度较高。絮凝泥在抽滤过程受絮团尺寸影响较大,PAM不同类型基团间的差异对其影响较小,但对趋于平衡后的泥饼含水率略有影响。     

基于密相半干法脱硫工艺的生石灰消化及改性

以某公司生产的生石灰作为脱硫剂,密相半干法脱硫工艺在某炼铁厂烧结烟气脱硫工程的应用为例,对生石灰的消化反应和调质改性进行实验,考察其满足脱硫要求的最佳消化条件和烧结机头灰作为改性剂的比重。实验表明,当水灰比在1.5～1.7、生石灰粒径在200μm以下、消化温度在55℃左右、搅拌轴转速在15～25 r/min的范围内,可以保证生石灰有最佳的转化率,烧结机头灰占比重的5%时为最佳改性剂量;同时对实验的工程运行成本和脱硫效果进行分析,使用自制改性脱硫剂即可以节约运行成本和水电资源,又能提高脱硫效果,为脱硫设备的长期稳定运行提供了可靠依据。     

Development and Pilot Plant Evaluation of Silica- Enhanced Lime Sorbents for Dry Flue Gas Desulfurization

EPA’s efforts to develop low cost, retrofitable flue gas cleaning technology include the development of highly reactive sorbents. Recent work addressing lime enhancement and testing at the bench-scale followed by evaluation of the more promising sorbents in a pilot plant are discussed here.

The conversion of Ca(OH)₂ with SO₂ increased several-fold compared with Ca(OH)₂ alone when Ca(OH)₂ was slurrled with fly ash first and later exposed to SO₂ in a laboratory packed bed reactor. Ca(OH)₂ enhancement increased with the increased fly ash amount. Dlatomaceous earths were very effective reactivity promoters of lime-based sorbents. Differential scanning calorimetry of the promoted sorbents revealed the formation of a new phase (calcium silicate hydrates) after hydration, which may be the basis for the observed Improved SO₂ capture.

Fly ash/lime and diatomaceous earth/lime sorbents were tested in a 100 m³/h pilot facility incorporating a gas humidifier, a sorbent duct injection system, and a baghouse. The inlet SO₂ concentration range was 1000-2500 ppm. With once-through dry sorbent injection into the humidified flue gas [approach to saturation 10–20°C (18–36°F) in the baghouse], the total SO₂ removal ranged from 50 to 90 percent for a stoichiometric ratio of 1 to 2. Recycling the collected solids resulted in a total lime utilization exceeding 80–90 percent. Increased lime utilization was also investigated by the use of additives.     

TiO_2/PTh/Fe_3O_4催化剂制备及光催化与磁回收性能

以聚噻吩磁性微珠PTh/Fe3O4(PF)为载体,采用低温水热法(170℃,pH=7±0.2)在其表面负载TiO2,制备了壳/壳/核结构的磁载光催化剂TiO2/PTh/Fe3O4(TPTF)。用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、傅里叶红外分光光度计(FT-IR)、振动样品磁强计(VSM)对催化剂的形貌、物相组成、表面性质、磁学性质进行了表征。以苯酚为模拟污染物,评价其光催化活性;通过自制的磁回收装置,考察其磁回收特性。结果表明,TiO2晶粒大小在4~6 nm之间,具有混晶结构(锐钛矿型占93.6%,金红石型占6.4%);当nTiO2∶n噻吩单体∶nFe3O4=75∶2.5∶1时,TPTF的催化活性最佳;P25、纯TiO2、TPTF(nTiO2∶n噻吩单体:nFe3O4=75∶2.5∶1)和TiO2/Fe3O4(TF)光催化降解苯酚的速率常数分别是0.0371、0.0302、0.0253和0.0106 min-1;TPTF循环使用5次,其反应速率常数、饱和磁化强度以及磁回收率为0.0205 min-1、1.59emu/g和89.3%,比第1次的0.0253 min-1、1.85 emu/g和94.7%略有降低。     

羽毛角蛋白海绵材料对亚甲基蓝的吸附去除

以羽毛角蛋白提取后产生的残渣为原料,采用简单物理法制得角蛋白海绵材料,通过扫描电镜和红外光谱对其表观形貌和表面结构进行表征,同时以亚甲基蓝染料作为实验对象,考察制得的海绵材料对其吸附特性和去除效果。结果表明,当吸附平衡时间为1 440 min、亚甲基蓝溶液初始浓度为100 mg/L、海绵材料投加量为0.06 g、反应温度为25℃、溶液pH为7.0时,海绵材料对亚甲基蓝的吸附去除率可达98%以上,同时由Langmuir等温吸附模型拟合结果可知,海绵材料对亚甲基蓝的最大吸附量可达151.5 mg/g。因此,将羽毛角蛋白提取后产生的残渣可制备良好的染料吸附剂,取得良好的环境效益。     

混合液回流比对改良A~2O工艺效果的调控作用

考察了不同混合液回流比(Ri)条件下,改良A2O工艺的效果。COD去除率受Ri的影响较小,Ri=200%、300%和400%时的COD去除率分别为83.3%、79.9%和84.3%。氮的去除率受其影响明显。不同Ri所引起的缺氧池硝态氮负荷以及实际水力停留时间的变化,使得TN和NH3-N的去除率呈现相互制约的关系。此外,硝酸盐作为反硝化除磷过程的电子受体,Ri为200%和300%时,其浓度较高,对应的TP平均去处率可分别高达73.3%和85.3%;而缺氧池硝酸盐浓度相对较低时(Ri=400%),TP平均去处率仅为54.4%。应对不同进水水质情况对系统脱氮除磷效率提出的要求,可选择适当的Ri,协调工艺对TN、NH3-N以及TP的去除能力,同时,满足较高出水标准的要求。     

Fine particulate speciation profile and emission factor of municipal solid waste incinerator established by dilution sampling method

In this study, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) emitted from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) was collected using dilution sampling method. Chemical compositions of the collected PM_2.5 samples, including carbon content, metal elements, and water-soluble ions, were analyzed. Traditional in-stack hot sampling was simultaneously conducted to compare the influences of dilution on PM_2.5 emissions and the characteristics of the bonded chemical species. The results, established by a dilution sampling method, show that PM_2.5 and total particulate matter (TPM) emission factors were 61.6 ± 4.52 and 66.1 ± 5.27 g ton-waste^?1, respectively. The average ratio of PM_2.5/TPM is 0.93, indicating that more than 90% of PM emission from the MSWI was fine particulate. The major chemical species in PM_2.5 included organic carbon (OC), Cl^?, NH₄⁺, elemental carbon (EC) and Si, which account for 69.7% of PM_2.5 mass. OC was from the unburned carbon in the exhaust, which adsorbed onto the particulate during the cooling process. High Cl^? emission is primarily attributable to wastes containing plastic bags made of polyvinyl chloride, salt in kitchen refuse and waste biomass, and so on. Minor species that account for 0.01–1% of PM_2.5 mass included SO₄^2-, K⁺, Na, K, NO₃^?, Al, Ca²⁺, Zn, Ca, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Mg. The mean ratio of dilution method/in-stack hot method was 0.454. The contents of water-soluble ions (Cl^?, SO₄^2-, NO₃^?) were significantly enriched in PM_2.5 via gas-to-particle conversion in the dilution process. Results indicate that in-stack hot sampling would underestimate levels of these species in PM_2.5.

Implications: PM_2.5 samples from a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) were collected simultaneously by a dilution sampling technique and a traditional in-stack method. PM_2.5 emission factors and chemical speciation profiles were established. Dilution sampling provides more reliable data than in-stack hot sampling. The results can be applied to estimate the PM_2.5 emission inventories of MSWI, and the source profile can be used for contribution estimate of chemical mass balance modeling.