Demonstration plasma gasification/vitrification system for effective hazardous waste treatment

Plasma gasification/vitrification is a technologically advanced and environmentally friendly method of disposing of waste, converting it to commercially usable by-products. This process is a drastic non-incineration thermal process, which uses extremely high temperatures in an oxygen-starved environment to completely decompose input waste material into very simple molecules. The intense and versatile heat generation capabilities of plasma technology enable a plasma gasification/vitrification facility to treat a large number of waste streams in a safe and reliable manner. The by-products of the process are a combustible gas and an inert slag. Plasma gasification consistently exhibits much lower environmental levels for both air emissions and slag leachate toxicity than other thermal technologies. In the framework of a LIFE-Environment project, financed by Directorate General Environment and Viotia Prefecture in Greece, a pilot plasma gasification/vitrification system was designed, constructed and installed in Viotia Region in order to examine the efficiency of this innovative technology in treating industrial hazardous waste. The pilot plant, which was designed to treat up to 50kg waste/h, has two main sections: (i) the furnace and its related equipment and (ii) the off-gas treatment system, including the secondary combustion chamber, quench and scrubber.     

Incineration and gasification technologies completed with up-to-date off-gas cleaning system for meeting environmental limits

It is shown how gasification can be used for processing wastes including “waste to energy” system. First, an analysis of incineration of wastes taking into account environmental limits is performed. This analysis is aimed at a typical arrangement of a conventional oxidizing incineration plant consisting of waste storage and feeding systems, two-stage incinerator (primary and secondary combustion chambers), heat recovery system involving co-generation and off-gas cleaning system. It is also focused on a new arrangement where the primary combustion chamber (rotary kiln) is substituted by gasification reactor. The proposed concept with a fluidised bed reactor utilizes results of experimental research with various mixtures of wastes (e.g. shredded textile and rubber) considering typical conditions of operation. Experiments provide us with various important characteristics (heat value of produced syngas vs. temperature in the gasification reactor, temperature in the secondary combustion chamber vs. oxygen concentration in outlet flue gas and heat value of syngas, etc.). Then it is possible to make a comparison of conventional incineration and gasification for a concrete industrial process involving a unit for thermal treatment of hazardous industrial waste mixed with municipal solid wastes with capacity of 10,000 t/year. The application of gasification technology brings about the whole range of benefits like minimizing the consumption of auxiliary fuel and decreasing size of the secondary combustion chamber and other subsystems of the incineration plants. Involving such a system with energy and investment cost reduction into an industrial process contributes to meeting cleaner production and environmental legislation regulations.     

Pyrolysis of waste using a hybrid argon–water stabilized torch

An experimental plasmachemical reactor equipped with the novel IPP-ASCR hybrid gas–water stabilized DC torch (160 kW) has recently been started at IPP Prague for the innovative and environmentally friendly plasma treatment of waste streams with a view to their sustainable energetic and chemical valorization and to a reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases. Since the process energy is provided by direct heat transfer from plasma, gases of widely varying chemical composition may be used. The use of electrical energy also reduces the gas flows and requirements for exhaust-gas treatment, and offers control over the chemistry. Pyrolysis of biomass was experimentally studied using wood chips as a model substance. Syngas with a high content of hydrogen and CO was produced. The influence of adding CO₂ for increase of oxygen content in the reactor was investigated.     

Assessment of a new carbon tetrachloride destruction system based on a microwave plasma torch operating at atmospheric pressure

A new system for destroying volatile organic waste based on a microwave plasma torch that operates at atmospheric pressure and is coupled to a reactor affording isolation of output gases and adjustment of the plasma discharge atmosphere is proposed. The system was assessed by using carbon tetrachloride as the target volatile organic compound (VOC) and argon as the main gas in a helium atmosphere. Under optimal conditions, a microwave power of less than 1000 W was found to reduce the CCl(4) concentration at the reactor outlet to the parts-per-billion level and hence to virtually completely destroy the VOC. With high argon flow-rates and CCl(4) concentrations, the energy efficiency can reach levels in excess of 3000 g/kWh. Output gases and species in the plasma, which were identified by gas chromatography and light emission spectroscopy, respectively, were found to include no halogen-containing derivatives resulting from the potential cleavage of CCl(4). In fact, the main gaseous byproducts obtained were CO(2), NO and N(2)O, in addition to small traces of Cl(2), and the solid byproducts Cl(2)Cu and various derivatives depending on the particular reactor zone.     

Bury,burn, or gasify: assessing municipal solid waste management options in Indian megacities by exergy analysis

With increasing consumption propelled by economic prosperity, waste generation per capita in developing countries is growing quickly. Traditional approaches of open dumping and landfilling are encountering physical constraints, particularly in megacities, and the need for alternate municipal solid waste (MSW) management strategies is urgent. Among alternatives that are commonly considered are waste-to-energy technologies including incineration and plasma gasification. Previous studies convey the benefits of such technologies, but most do not consider the waste and environmental conditions in tropical megacities such as Mumbai, India, making these studies of limited use to developing countries. This article evaluates the exergetic potential of converting MSW to useful work by thermal and biochemical conversion technologies in the Indian context, considering the facts that the scale of production, composition, climate, segregation practices, moisture content of MSW, etc. in a developing tropical country like India differ significantly from those in developed societies in temperate climate locations. Both, exergy and economic analysis find gasification to be attractive in terms of its monetary return and thermodynamic efficiency. However, this analysis also identifies major hurdles in adopting advanced waste-to-energy technologies including lack of waste segregation, high moisture content, and high capital cost of the most thermodynamically efficient technology.     

100 kW steam plasma process for treatment of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) waste

Non-transferred DC steam (H₂O) plasma working with 100 kW was applied to minimize production of the toxic byproducts such as dioxins and furans of which formation is not avoidable in the conventional incineration. In the steam plasma process of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) mixture waste, content of combustible gas that can be used as gaseous fuel was about 30% based on wet gas. For the mixture of 27% PCB and 73% CCl₄, total toxic equivalent concentration of PCDD/PCDF was about 0.056 ng TEQ/N m³. It is concluded that the steam plasma torch process was more effective for waste-to-energy and hazardous waste treatment than the air plasma torch process injected steam and the conventional incineration process.     

Numerical analysis and experiments on transferred plasma torches for finding appropriate operating conditions and electrode configuration for a waste melting process

Thermal plasma characteristics of transferred plasma torches are numerically and experimentally investigated under atmospheric conditions to find the effects of operating variables and electrode arrangements on them. A control volume method and a modified SIMPLER algorithm are used for numerical analysis, and the temperature distributions of argon plasma are calculated in different torch operating conditions of a typical transferred arc torch. Transferred plasma torches are designed and fabricated, which have six different electrode arrangements, respectively, consisting of a conical rod cathode and a nozzle in the torch, and a distant anode material. The dynamic behaviors of arc voltage are measured to obtain stable arc conditions, and a similarity criterion is determined to analyze static behaviors of arc voltage. For predicting the heat transfer rate to melted material from arc column, measurements are made for the heat loss at the anode material and fractions of input power transferred to the anode. Furthermore, thermal plasma temperatures are measured by the optical emission spectroscopy of an Ar I line. As a result of the present work, an appropriate electrode configuration and operating conditions for waste melting process are presented for the optimization of transferred plasma torches.     

Heat and mass transfer during in-flight nitridation of molybdenum disilicide powder in an induction plasma reactor

The present study reveals some of the important parameters which control the in-flight nitridation of molybdenum disilicide (MoSi₂) powders when carried out in an induction thermal plasma reactor. Initially, gradients of temperature, velocity and concentration were evaluated, using an enthalpy probe system, for the plasma flow without injection of MoSi₂ powders. Radial profiles were then measured at the torch exit to examine the mass and energy transfer mechanisms occurring under different nitridation conditions. These measurements were performed using an induction plasma torch connected to a 50 kW radio-frequency (r.f.) power supply, the torch being attached to a water cooled cylindrical reactor. The process operating conditions studied were plasma plate power, chamber pressure, sheath gas composition, composition and flow rate of quench gas. The effect of last named parameter on the nitridation of the powders was found to be the most important parameter in the nitridation process. The results show that there is an optimum flow rate value for each type of quench gas and the temperature and concentration mapping demonstrates that the combination of high temperatures and high concentrations of N₂ are necessary to reach maximum nitridation levels in MoSi₂.     

Chemical and physical properties of plasma slags containing various amorphous volume fractions

In this study, municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash was vitrified using a plasma torch. The fly ash contained rich Ca, causing a high basicity of 2.43. Pure quartz was used as an additive to adjust the basicity. BET surface area analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and a scanning electron microscope were used to examine the physical properties of slags. The chemical stability and the acid resistance of slags were evaluated using the toxicity characteristics leaching procedure and tests of acid bathing. The results indicate that the plasma torch effectively vitrified the fly ash. Anthropogenic metals with low boiling points, such as Cd, Pb, and Zn, were predominately vaporized into flue gas. Most of the metals with high boiling points, such as Cr, Cu, and Mn, remained in the slag. After the vitrification, hazardous metals were noticeably immobilized in all slags. However, the slags with higher amorphous volume fractions were more effective in metal immobilization and in resisting acid corrosion. This indicates that SiO(2) enhanced the formation of the glassy amorphous phase and improved the resistance of acid corrosion and the immobilization of hazardous metals.     

Application of microwave air plasma in the destruction of trichloroethylene and carbon tetrachloride at atmospheric pressure

In this study, the destruction rate of a volatile waste destruction system based on a microwave plasma torch operating at atmospheric pressure was investigated. Atmospheric air was used to maintain the plasma and was introduced by a compressor, which resulted in lower operating costs compared to other gases such as argon and helium. To isolate the output gases and control the plasma discharge atmosphere, the plasma was coupled to a reactor. The effect of the gas flow rate, microwave power and initial concentration of compound on the destruction efficiency of the system was evaluated. In this study, trichloroethylene and carbon tetrachloride were used as representative volatile organic compounds to determine the destruction rate of the system. Based on the experimental results, at an applied microwave power less than 1000 W, the proposed system can reduce input concentrations in the ppmv range to output concentrations at the ppbv level. High air flow rates and initial concentrations produced energy efficiency values greater than 1000 g/kW h. The output gases and species present in the plasma were analysed by gas chromatography and optical emission spectroscopy, respectively, and negligible amounts of halogenated compounds resulting from the cleavage of C(2)HCl(3) and CCl(4) were observed. The gaseous byproducts of decomposition consisted mainly of CO(2), NO and N(2)O, as well as trace amounts of Cl(2) and solid CuCl.     

Pyrolysis/gasification of biomass for synthetic fuel production using a hybrid gas-water stabilized plasma torch

An experimental plasma-chemical reactor equipped with a novel hybrid gas-water stabilized torch is available at IPP Prague for the innovative and environmentally friendly plasma treatment of waste streams with a view to their sustainable energetic and chemical valorization and to a reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases. Gasification/pyrolysis of biomass was experimentally studied using crushed wood as a model substance. The experimental results demonstrate homogeneous heating of the reactor volume and proper mixing of plasma with treated material in spite of the low plasma mass flow rate and constricted plasma jet. The conditions within the reactor ensure complete destruction of the tested substance. The economical viability, environmental performance and safety of biofuels/hydrogen produced from syngas resulting from the plasma-thermochemical gasification of a very broad range of second generation biomass feedstock will be investigated. The performance of several types of plasma torches and of possible combinations of torches will be compared. The final biofuels will be tested in the existing Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) test stands.     

Evaluation of hazardous waste incineration in lime kiln: Rockwell lime company

During a one-week test burn, hazardous waste was used as supplemental fuel and co-fired with petroleum coke in a lime kiln in eastern Wisconsin. Detailed sampling and analysis was conducted on the stack gas for principal organic hazardous constituents (POHCs), particulates, particulate metals, HCl, SO₂, NO_x, CO, and THC and on process streams for metals and chlorine. POHCs were also analyzed in the waste fuel. Sampling was conducted during three baseline and five waste fuel test burn days. Results show average destruction and removal efficiences (DREs) greater than 99.99% for each POHC and little change in pollutant emissions from baseline to waste fuel test conditons. In addtion, material balance results show that 95% of chlorine enters the process from the limestone fed and the chlorine exits the kiln in the baghouse dust and lime product at 61% and 38%, respectively.     

Analysis of results from the operation of a pilot plasma gasification/vitrification unit for optimizing its performance

Plasma gasification/vitrification is an innovative and environmentally friendly method of waste treatment. A demonstration plasma gasification/vitrification unit was developed and installed in Viotia region in order to examine the efficiency of this innovative technology in dealing with hazardous waste. The preliminary results from the trial runs of the plasma unit, as well as the study of the influence of certain parameters in the system performance are presented and analyzed in this paper, contributing to the improvement of the operation performance. Finally, data on the final air emissions and the vitrified ash toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) results are provided in order to assess the environmental performance of the system. The produced slag was found to be characterized by extremely low leaching properties and can be utilized as construction material, while the values of the polluting parameters of the air emissions were satisfactory.     

Numerical simulation of argon twin torch plasma arc for high heating efficiency

Plasma arc heating technology has been applied for volume reduction through melting of bottom and fly ash, and for producing slag. Recently, a twin torch plasma arc, which has two torches at the cathode and anode, has been anticipated for application to disposal of medical waste because it can treat a wide area and can treat non-conductive materials. For this study, a numerical simulation model of a twin torch plasma arc at opposite electrodes was developed to elucidate high-efficiency heating using a twin torch plasma arc. It is defined as Local Thermal Equilibrium (LTE) and calculated in Magneto-Hydro-Dynamic (MHD) equations. Furthermore, the temperature distribution and conditions of high heating efficiency with the radiation loss were addressed and compared to those of a single torch. The heating efficiency decreases with increasing radiation efficiency because of the temperature increment caused by the current and input power. The radiation efficiency of a twin torch is about 5% higher than that of single torch.     

Decomposition of benzene in the RF plasma environment. Part I. Formation of gaseous products and carbon depositions

This study employed radio-frequency (RF) plasma for decomposing benzene (C6H6) gas, and examined both gaseous products and solid depositions after reaction. The reactants and products were analyzed mainly by using both an on-line Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer and a gas chromatography. The analyses for solid deposition included electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), element analysis and heat value analysis. The C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, CH4, CO2 and CO were detected and discussed. The analytical results demonstrate that in the C6H6/Ar plasma, C2H2 is the sole gaseous product being detected. The fraction of total carbon input converted into C2H2 YC2H2 increased with increasing C6H6 feed concentration, but decreased with increasing input power. In the C6H6/H2/Ar system, besides C2H2, CH4, C2H4 and C2H6 were also detected, and their yields increased with increasing H2/C6H6 ratio. The above results indicated that the addition of H2 (auxiliary gas) achieves the benefit of creating hydrogen-rich species like CH4, C2H4 and C2H6. In the C6H6/O2/Ar system, C6H6 could be totally oxidized into CO2, CO and H2O, and no measurable phenol was found. Analyses of solid depositions revealed that the carbon depositions were similar to those of Anthracite. The carbon deposition has a heat value of 7000 kcal/kg. Additionally, the possible reaction pathways were also built up and discussed.     

钛氧化物的蒸发特性

试验以Ti2O3、Ti3O5和TiO2作为初始膜料，在ZZS7OO—6／G型真空镀膜机上采用O^2-离子束辅助蒸发制备氧化钛薄膜。用XRD检测方法确定各种膜料和薄膜的相成分，并全面的分析了各种膜料的蒸发特性和薄膜；用分光光度计测量薄膜的透射率，并分析薄膜的光学性能。试验表明，在采用Ti2O3、Ti3O5和TiO2作为蒸发制备氧化钛薄膜时，在钛的氧化物中存在Ti3O5固态同一蒸发相；各种膜料在蒸发时，发生分解，熔池中的物质的成分逐渐转变并晟终完全成同一蒸发相成分。     

变压吸附技术在合成氨厂的应用

简单介绍变压吸附技术的原理及发展,说明了变压吸附技术在合成氨厂弛放气等制氢、变换气脱碳等方面的应用、技术进展和主要工艺流程,以及将变压吸附脱碳后放空气回收利用生产液体CO2的工艺和技术特点。     

锂源对LiFePO4组织结构及电化学性能的影响

利用不同的锂化合物Li2CO3、LiOH.H2O、LiNO3、LiF作为锂源,采用二步固相法合成了LiFePO4/C,研究了不同锂源对LiFePO4组织结构和电化学性能的影响。结果表明,在相同的合成工艺条件下,采用4种不同锂源合成的LiFePO4的电化学性能表现出明显差异。采用LiOH.H2O合成的LiFe-PO4的电化学性能最佳,0.1C下的放电比容量为161mAh/g,1C下的放电比容量达117mAh/g,且0.5C下循环容量无衰减。采用不同锂源合成的LiFePO4电化学性能差异的原因与LiFePO4的颗粒大小、粒径分布、团聚程度及是否存在杂相有直接关系。     

Possibilities of application of plasma technologies to recycle organic-containing substances: Particularities of the processes in the arc chambers of plasma torches

The processes in the arc chambers of AC plasma torches, of 1–2 MW power, with rod electrodes, designed to run on nitrogen, hydrogen, and argon, as well as with rail electrodes to work on oxidizing media, are considered. The possibility (the efficiency) of application of such plasma torches for gasification and pyrolysis of organic-containing substances in plasmochemical reactors is analyzed. A comparison of this application with the free burning arcs directly in the plasmochemical reactors is made. The advantage of the plasma torch application for these purposes is shown.     

Effective abatement of VOC and CO from acrylic acid and related production waste gas by catalytic oxidation

Waste gasses containing volatile organic compounds (VOC) are arising mainly form industrial production in which organic materials are processed. These VOC must be treated to levels so that they meet the local applicable legislation limits. Momentive specialty chemicals is a company which produces acrylic acid, acrylic acid esters, and acrylate polymers in Sokolov (Czech Republic). A mixed waste stream which contains 6,000–10,000 mg TOC/Nm³ of VOC is treated. The management would like to lower the operating costs of the thermal incineration unit used. It seems suitable in this case to replace the existing incinerator with a catalytic oxidation unit with use of a Pt–Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst for VOC abatement. A full-scale unit was designed according to the waste gas composition and flow. Mass and energy balances were carried out, and it was discovered that the catalytic bed must be divided into two parts to prevent the reactor overheating and irreversible damage to the catalyst. A pilot plant was designed and implemented due to the potential threat of catalyst fouling by solid impurities and to confirm the expected conversion of VOC and CO. It also proves the long-term reliability of the catalytic reactor. The performed pilot tests confirmed that catalytic oxidation is suitable for the disposal of waste gas from acrylic acid and acrylates production (for this application and treated inlet concentration of VOC). VOC and CO removal efficiencies during pilot trials were 98.3 and 98.5 %, respectively.