Nanoparticle recovery using a fume collector comprised of carbonized refuse-derived fuel

A breakthrough use of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), i.e., as a dust/fume collector, is proposed in this article. In the experiments, RDF was first carbonized under different thermal conditions and then its ability to recover nanoparticles was studied using thermogravimetry with a gas analyzer, and compared with other carbonaceous materials for cleaning combustion waste gas. The recovery property of various samples was monitored by suing smoke of joss stick, with a size of 400 nm. As a result, due to its unique structure, carbonized RDF was observed as being the most effective for recovering the particles among various samples. The filtering property of carbonized RDF significantly depended on the thermal conditions followed during carbonization. Its recovery property was improved when it underwent preheating for a shorter period of time and at a higher carbonizing temperature. These results present the possibility of carbonized RDF being used as an efficient nanoparticle collector. This study was initiated to examine whether carbonized RDF can be used as a packed material for recovering fine iron powder generated in an electric arc furnace (EAF).