The APERG program is funded by the Reuben and Alice Wasser A.P.C. Education and Research Charitable Remainder Unitrust.
2003 APERG Scholar: Zhihua Chang
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Project Title: PCDD/F Formation on Fly Ash Using Realistic Concentrations of Chlorophenols
Abstract
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/F) are a group of toxic
pollutants emitted from many thermal processes such as municipal solid waste incineration and sintering. Such emissions have hindered the continued acceptance of incineration as a viable solid waste treatment method. While much progress has been made over the past decade in the engineering control of these air pollutants, quantitative understanding of their formation continues to lag. This project seeks to quantify the pathway of PCDD/F formation from chlorophenols (CPs) on fly ash. A differential reactor approach is used to obtain the kinetic data under realistic concentrations of CPs. A database with a large range of concentrations of CPs for PCDD/F formation on fly ash is being established and global kinetic models will be constructed to help explain formation under different operation conditions.
