Comparison of organic emissions from laboratory and full-scale thermal degradation of sewage sludge

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5607306

Tirey, D A; Striebich, R C; Dellinger, B; Bostian, H E

Samples of sewage sludge burned at one fluidized-bed and three multiple-hearth incinerators were subjected to laboratory flow reactor thermal decomposition testing under both pyrolytic and oxidative atmospheres. The laboratory test results indicated that biomass decomposition products, not toxic industrial contaminants, comprised the majority of the emissions. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, acrylonitrile, and acetonitrile were consistently the most environmentally significant products of thermal exposure. Comparison of the results from in the study with those obtained in the field was complicated by an apparent loss of volatile chlorocarbons from the sludge samples received for laboratory testing. However, quantitative comparison of emission factors derived from lab and field results for those compounds observed in both studies showed excellent correlation for the pyrolysis testing.

• Research Organization: Dayton Univ., OH (United States). Research Inst.
• OSTI ID: 5607306
• Report Number(s): PB-92-136852/XAB; CNN: EPA-68-03-3346
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACETONITRILE
ACRYLONITRILE
AIR POLLUTION MONITORING
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AROMATICS
BENZENE
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL WASTES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DECOMPOSITION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVALUATION
FIELD TESTS
HYDROCARBONS
INCINERATORS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MONITORING
NITRILES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PYROLYSIS
SEWAGE
SEWAGE SLUDGE
SLUDGES
TESTING
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TOLUENE
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES