Emissions of metals and organics from municipal waste-water sludge incinerators. Volume 8. GC/MS tapes review report. Final report, 1987-90

Emissions of metals and organics from a series of four municipal wastewater sludge incinerators were determined. Three multiple hearth units and one fluidized bed combustor were tested. Emissions were controlled with a combination of venturi and/or tray impingement scrubbers. One site incorporated an afterburner as well. In order to obtain additional data on organics emissions, test results from both the Volatile Organic Sampling Trains (VOST) and the semi-volatile trains were retrieved. The gas chromatographic/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) tapes containing the original chromatograms for the scrubber outlet flue gas samples from all four test sites were reviewed. A screening analysis of the tapes was performed in which peaks meeting a minimum area criteria were identified by computer. From the peak areas, flue gas concentrations and emissions were determined. At the majority of sites, greater than 60 additional volatile compounds were detected. The majority of these were simple saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons. As with the initial test results, fewer additional semivolatiles than volatiles were detected. With three of the four test sites, fewer than 40 additional semi-volatiles were detected.