Yaghoub Hajizadeh - Faculty of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan
Paul T. Williams - ۲Energy and Resources Research Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS۲ ۹JT, UK

Recycling and reusing of municipal solid waste (MSW) has become one of the costbeneficial strategies in waste management.Refuse derived fuel (RDF) generated from waste can be used either as a fuel or as a raw material for activated carbon (AC) production, which is widely used as an adsorbent in removing organic pollutant from environmental matrices. The presence of dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) in waste incinerator flue gas is of public concern due to their adverse health effects. The application of AC for PCDD/F adsorption from the flue gas streams of waste incinerators has become one of the most commonly used methods for their emission control. In the present study the RDF was carbonized at ٦٠٠ ºC to produce char and the char was then steam activated at ٩٠٠ ºC to generate AC. The PCDD/F removal efficiency of the produced AC from simulated flue gas was investigated using a bench scale static-bed reactor. Experiments were conducted under flue gas stream at ٢٧٥ ºC using a standard flyash (BCR-٤٩٠) as a source of PCDD/F. The PCDD/F content of the exhaust gas was trapped by XAD-II resin, and after extraction and clean-up processes, were analyzed using a Varian ٤٥٠-GC coupled with a Varian triple quadrupole ٣٢٠-MS. The results showed an overall reduction of ٨٥% and ٤٣% in the flue gas concentration of PCDD and PCDF respectively, which compared favorably with a commercial AC. In addition, reduction was varied throughout the congener groups of these compounds. The AC derived from the pyrolysis of RDF therefore shows potential as a control material for dioxins and furans in waste combustion process.

MSW, Activated Carbon, RDF, PCDD/F, incinerator, flue gas,