title: Fate of trace elements during the combustion of phytoremediation wood.
abstract: We investigated the fate of trace elements (TE) in poplar wood on the conversion of biomass to heat in a 0.2 MW combustion unit equipped with a fabric filter. The phytoremediation wood was harvested from a TE-contaminated agricultural site planted with a high-density poplar stand. The combustion technology used in the present experiment allows for an efficient separation of the various ash fractions. The combustion process concentrates Cu, Cr, and Ni in the bottom ash, heat exchanger ash, and cyclone ash fractions. Therefore, the impact of the fabric filter is negligible for these elements. Conversely, Cd, Pb, and Zn are significantly recovered in the emission fraction in the absence of the fabric filter above the emission limits. The use of a fabric filter will allow the concentration of these three TEs in the ashes collected below the filter, thus complying with all regulatory thresholds, i.e., those from the large combustion plant EU directive. Because the TE concentrations in the different fractions differed significantly, it is recommended that these fractions be treated separately, especially when recycling of ashes from phytoremediation wood through application in agriculture is envisaged.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Chrono-Environnement, Université de Franche-Comté, UMR 6249, Place Leclerc, 25030 Besançon, France. michel.chalot@univ-fcomte.fr
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chalot
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blaudez
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rogaume
authors.forename: Anne-Sonia
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Provent
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pascual
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D060729:Coal Ash / Q000032:analysis; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D006358:Hot Temperature; D032107:Populus / Q000737:chemistry; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D014934:Wood / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D060729:Coal Ash; D004391:Dust; D014131:Trace Elements