On-line transient infrared analysis of processed waste streams
- Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)
Transient Infrared Spectroscopy (TIRS) is a technique that has been developed to obtain useful transmission or emission spectra of moving optically thick solids and viscous liquids. The application of TIRS as a real-time, on-line monitor for processed waste streams has been demonstrated on-site using surrogate waste materials and a lab-scale waste processor. During the processing the surrogate waste is mixed with polyethylene pellets, heated and extruded as a molten stream. The TIRS system captures the real-time infrared spectrum of the molten stream as it exits the extruder. The waste to polymer ratio is of critical importance. Too much waste will lead to a waste form with inferior resistance to leaching while too little waste is inefficient and not cost effective. The TIRS system is able to monitor the waste to polymer ratio with a standard error of prediction of 0.7 weight percent. Several processing parameters have been shown to have a substantial effect on the TIRS measurements. These parameters include: linear velocity of the molten stream, mass throughput of the processor and temperature of the processed stream. A method has been developed to substantially reduce or eliminate these effects. Results of these experiments and thoughts of future work will be discussed.
- OSTI ID:
- 191739
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941098--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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