Evaluation of air pollution control equipment for mass burn resource recovery facilities

The disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) is a problem of mounting concern to communities across the nation. Landfilling is currently the most commonly used MSW disposal technique, although the use of alternative technologies, such as recycling and resource recovery, is increasing. Both recycling and resource recovery contain inherent limitations. Current estimates of the amount of MSW which can be effectively and economically recycled fall in the range of 15 to 25 percent. Resource recovery facilities reduce MSW to approximately 10 to 15 percent of its preincineration volume, however, they also result in concerns regarding air emissions. This paper presents an evaluation of the air pollution control equipment used to control particulate matter and acid gas emissions resulting from the incineration of MSW. The evaluation includes a discussion of the respective advantages and disadvantages of the various equipment, and provides some suggested minimum operating temperatures for some of the combined systems.