A comparative assessment of waste incinerators in the UK

The uptake in Europe of Energy from Waste (EfW) incinerator plants has increased rapidly in recent years. In the UK, 25 municipal waste incinerators with energy recovery are now in operation; however, their waste supply chains and business practices vary significantly. With over a hundred more plant developments being considered it is important to establish best business practices for ensuring efficient environmental and operational performance. By reviewing the 25 plants we identify four suitable case study plants to compare technologies (moving grate, fluidised bed and rotary kiln), plant economics and operations. Using data collected from annual reports and through interviews and site visits we provide recommendations for improving the supply chain for waste incinerators and highlight the current issues and challenges faced by the industry. We find that plants using moving grate have a high availability of 87–92%. However, compared to the fluidised bed and rotary kiln, quantities of bottom ash and emissions of hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide are high. The uptake of integrated recycling practices, combined heat and power, and post incineration non-ferrous metal collections needs to be increased among EfW incinerators in the UK. We conclude that one of the major difficulties encountered by waste facilities is the appropriate selection of technology, capacity, site, waste suppliers and heat consumers. This study will be of particular value to EfW plant developers, government authorities and researchers working within the sector of waste management.     

A preliminary investigation into the physical and chemical properties of biomass ashes used as aggregate fillers for bituminous mixtures

Fly and bottom ashes are the main by-products arising from the combustion of solid biomass. Since the production of energy from this source is increasing, the processing and disposal of the resulting ashes has become an environmental and economic issue. Such ashes are of interest as a construction material because they are composed of very fine particles similar to fillers normally employed in bituminous and cementitious mixtures. This research investigates the potential use of ash from biomass as filler in bituminous mixtures. The morphological, physical and chemical characteristics of 21 different ashes and two traditional fillers (calcium carbonate and “recovered” plant filler) were evaluated and discussed. Leaching tests, performed in order to quantify the release of pollutants, revealed that five ashes do not comply with the Italian environmental re-use limits. Experimental results show a wide range of values for almost all the investigated properties and a low correlation with biomass type in terms of origin and chemical composition. Furthermore, sieving and milling processes were found to improve the properties of the raw material in terms of grading and sample porosity. The effectiveness of these treatments and the low content of organic matter and harmful fines suggest that most of the biomass ashes investigated may be regarded as potential replacements for natural filler in bituminous mixtures.     

Municipal solid waste management: Identification and analysis of engineering indexes representing demand and costs generated in virtuous Italian communities

The definition and utilisation of engineering indexes in the field of Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is an issue of interest for technicians and scientists, which is widely discussed in literature. Specifically, the availability of consolidated engineering indexes is useful when new waste collection services are designed, along with when their performance is evaluated after a warm-up period. However, most published works in the field of MSWM complete their study with an analysis of isolated case studies. Conversely, decision makers require tools for information collection and exchange in order to trace the trends of these engineering indexes in large experiments. In this paper, common engineering indexes are presented and their values analysed in virtuous Italian communities, with the aim of contributing to the creation of a useful database whose data could be used during experiments, by indicating examples of MSWM demand profiles and the costs required to manage them.     

石油工业废弃物处置及其生物治理趋势

鉴于我国石油工作者对石油工业废弃物的普遍关注，现在介绍生物治理的基本概念及ＳＰＥ石油工程师协会中有关含油污泥生物处置的途径及其突出优越性。生物液／固处理工艺（ＬＳＴ）是目前含油污泥处置现场最经济可行的处置方案。这种好氧的ＬＳＴ工艺过程，能够比较充分地代谢和降解石油污泥中的油和脂并大量除去多环芳烃类（ＰＡＨ）化合物及其它有机化合物，明显地降低了石油废弃物对人、畜的毒害程度。其工艺较简单，操作也简易，凡经此工艺处理后的废弃物不留残毒和后患，因此早已被世界上先进国家的炼油业视为处理含油污泥的有效选择了。石油工业废弃物的生物防治和生物降解工艺较大程度地领先于目前我国现场正在执行的各种处理含油废弃物的处理工艺。     

对钻井废物污染的全过程控制

在钻井作业过程中控制废物的排放量和毒性，变末端处理为全过程控制，采取各种措施预防钻井废物的污染是近年来国外油气田环保工作的一项重要内容。本文就采用小井眼钻井工艺；减少井眼冲蚀；强化环境管理；提高钻井液固控系统的处理效率；开发各种合成基钻井液；采用低毒无害的钻井液化学添加剂等６个方面讨论了减少钻井废物产生量的途径和降低钻井液及添加剂对环境的影响     

钻井废水的处理

本文针对钻井废水的处理，综述了现有的处理方法、处理药剂以及处理装置，并对钻井废水的处理、排放提出了一些意见和建议。     

高含盐水样中悬浮物的准确测定

通过理论分析和大量实验工作，找出了现行国家标准的悬浮物测定方法在测定高含盐污水时的不足之处，并且提出了准确的测定方法。新方法不仅能很好地反映水样的实际状况，而且可以推广应用于各种复杂水样的悬浮物的测定。     

交流电凝聚技术及其在油田污水处理方面的应用研究

交流电凝聚（ACE）技术能有效地从稳定的悬浮液和乳浊液中凝聚并分离出固相、重金属和油。电压缩和电絮凝促进凝结、快速沉淀及脱水，且不使用昂贵的高分子电解质和化学药品，也不需使用复杂且易于被超细微粒堵塞的过滤系统。木文介绍了ACE技术的初步原理及其在国外油田污水处理方面的应用，并与传统的污水净化方法进行了比较。     

Liquid household hazardous wastes in the United States: Identification,disposal, and management plan

Present methods of disposal of today's hazardous household chemicals in the United States are frequently not acceptable because of pathways to groundwater, surface water, and the atmosphere. This report identifies potentially hazardous liquid waste in the household, notes current disposal practices, and recommends an improved management plan that utilizes consumer education, manufacturer cooperation, and governmental intervention. Laws requiring uniform disposal labeling on packaging are critical. Local, county, and state governments must be encouraged to coordinate the necessary infrastructure. Managing hazardous household wastes now will mitigate potential disposal problems.     

A research on dioxin generation from the industrial waste incineration

By using fluidized-bed furnace and rotary-kiln+stoker furnace and four different kinds of industrial wastes such as waste wood, coffee mill, waste oils and waste plastics, we have drawn the following conclusions:

(1) A relationship between H6CBz and DXN is acquired, which is DXN=0.34×H6CBz^1.1.

(2) The following means of emission reduction can be considered. (a) Reduction of DXN and Cl accumulation within the furnace, (b) control by the incinerated object, (c) control through the precursors of H6CBz, (d) improvement through operational control, (e) ammonia injection into the high-temperature zone of the furnace seems to be effective in reducing DXN and (f) DXN concentration is high with CO above 1800 ppm, though it decreases with CO below ≈10 ppm.