Results of the ASME/U.S. Bureau of Mines residue verification

Results of the ASME/Bureau of Mines Investigative Program on Vitrification of Residue from Municipal Waste Combustion Facilities will be presented in this paper. The Programs's purpose was to resolve many of the engineering and economic issues associated with this new technology in the hope of finding a commercially competitive and environmentally acceptable treatment methodology one that could not only reduce the volume of residue but also convert it into a marketable product. The study involved the collection, characterization and vitrification of several, 20-ton lots of combined residue from various state-of-the-art facilities in the northeastern part of the country. Vitrification was carried out in a newly designed, electric arc furnace. Details are provided regarding the characteristics of the residue (both as received and after processing), the engineering problems encountered, the operating costs, and possible uses for the resulting products