Brush and Trunk Burning Plant in the City of Detroit

For many years the City of Detroit was a flagrant violator of its own air pollution laws by the indiscriminate open burning of Dutch Elm diseased trees, brush and trunks. Cited for violation under the city’s air pollution control code as well as under threat of a private legal suit, the City administration approved a $250,000 expenditure for the design and installation of a unique six ton per hour brush and trunk burning incinerator plant. This plant was conceived by engineering personnel of the City Engineer’s office in consultation with engineering staff members of the Air Pollution Control Bureau. Information is provided on the basic plant layout and design, wet fly ash collector configuration, operating and maintenance experience, and recommended changes for any future similar installations. Stack emission test data are also reported. Due to the success of this plant, a similar plant is in the process of being constructed in another part of the city upon completion of which the City of Detroit will no longer be required to burn brush and trunk waste in open fires. The new plant has incorporated some design changes which should enable it to perform even more efficiently than the prototype unit and handle a wider variety of waste such as Christmas trees and wrecking waste. Because this plant is the first of its kind in the U. S. and the disposal of Dutch Elm diseased brush and trunks is a major problem in many urban areas, the experience of the City of Detroit should be of vital interest to many municipal officials.