Emissions of polychlorinated compounds in combustion of biofuel

Abstract The aim of this project is to study the formation of polychlorinated organic compounds when miscellaneous packaging material is burned in order to evaluate the emission of specific toxic compounds such as chlorinated dioxins. The packaging materials have also been combusted together with waste pellets with a composition corresponding to municipal solid waste (MSW) in order to determine the contribution of the packaging material to the total emission. Exclusively model waste pellets, used packaging pellets and a pelletized biofuel have been burned with the intention of using these as references in this study. The results clearly show that the paperbased packaging material is comparable with biofuel. The emission is comparable to the emissions from the combustion of biofuel. No increase in the emission of chlorinated organic compounds could be seen even when the paperbases hold extended amounts of aluminum or copper. The results of the biofuel and model waste combustion experiments are in agreement with data from full scale incinerators, consequently the emissions from combustion of the paperbases in the pilot reactor are comparable to emissions in full scale combustors without flue gas cleaning.