title: PBDDs/Fs and PCDDs/Fs in the raw and clean flue gas during steady state and transient operation of a municipal waste combustor.
abstract: Concentrations of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and -dibenzofurans (PBDDs/Fs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and -dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs), were determined in the pre- and post-air pollution control system (APCS) flue gas of a municipal waste combustor (MWC). Operational transients of the combustor were found to considerably increase levels of PBDDs/Fs and PCDDs/Fs compared to steady state operation, both for the raw and clean flue gas; ΣPBDDs/Fs increased from 72.7 to 700 pg dscm(-1) in the raw, pre-APCS gas and from 1.45 to 9.53 pg dscm(-1) in the post-APCS flue gas; ΣPCDDs/Fs increased from 240 to 960 ng dscm(-1) in the pre-APCS flue gas, and from 1.52 to 16.0 ng dscm(-1) in the post-APCS flue gas. The homologue profile of PBDDs/Fs and PCDDs/Fs in the raw flue gas (steady state and transients) was dominated by hexa- and octa-isomers, while the clean flue gas homologue profile was enriched with tetra- and penta-isomers. The efficiency of the APCS for PBDD/F and PCDD/F removal was estimated as 98.5% and 98.7%, respectively. The cumulative TEQ(PCDD/F+PBDD/F) from the stack was dominated by PCDD/F: the TEQ of PBDD/F contributed less than 0.1% to total cumulative toxic equivalency of MWC stack emissions.
authors.affiliation: Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, E343-04, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, United States.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wyrzykowska-Ceradini
authors.forename: Brian K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Gullett
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tabor
authors.forename: Abderrahmane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Touati
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000032:analysis*; D004147:Dioxins / Q000032:analysis*; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry*; D007118:Immunoassay; D017745:Incineration; D011786:Quality Control; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; D004147:Dioxins; D005740:Gases; C023614:dibenzofuran