Characterization of gases from a municipal sludge incinerator (AA8)

ISSUE

A municipal wastewater treatment plant burns its dewatered sewage sludge into an incinerator. In order to comply with new environmental regulations, the plant had to consider the addition of a gas treatment equipment to treat more efficiently the incinerator off-gas. The plant contacted STS Canada to assist them with an off-gas sampling campaign that would provide the input for an engineering study of the most suited gas treatment equipment to put in place.

The off-gas sampling campaign had to be made under the incinerator operating conditions that produce the highest level of pollutants in terms of dust, hydrochloric acid, dioxins and furans. The level of pollutants was the highest when the incinerator was fired with fuel oil.

RECOMMENDED SOLUTION

STS Canada developed the methodology to be used during the gas sampling campaign and was responsible for the analysis of the results obtained. The objective of the sampling campaign was to determine the main parameters of the gas to be treated (flow, temperature) and the concentration in this gas of the various pollutants such as dust, hydrochloric acid, carbon monoxide, mercury, dioxins and furans.

RESULTS

The results of the gas sampling campaign have been used by STS Canada in a follow-up engineering study. The follow-up engineering study aimed at the evaluation of the various technologies that could be installed to meet the new environment regulations and to help the plant with the selection of the most appropriate equipment.