Organic emissions from co-combustion of RDF with wood chips and milled peat in a bubbling fluidized bed boiler

Refuse derived fuel (RDF) has been burned with wood chips and milled peat in a 4 MW bubbling fluidized bed boiler. Emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) in flue gases expressed as TCDD-equivalents were significantly below the emission limit 0.1 ng/m3n I-TEQ (11 % O2). Also the PCDD/F-concentrations of fly ashes separated by an electrostatic precipitator are significantly below the 1 ng/g I-TEQ limit for agricultural soil in Germany. The carbon monoxide content was rather high, but typical for many small district heating plants. The concentrations of other chlorinated aromatic compounds were also low, in some tests below the detection limit. The concentrations of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were rather high. The leachable metal content of the fly ash generated were analyzed using U.S. EPA TCLP test (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure). All concentrations fell below boundary levels. (author)