HYDROCARBON DESTRUCTION IN INCINERATION PROCESSES

IN DECEMBER 1983, TSANG AND SHAUB PRESENTED RESULTS OF A THEORETICAL STUDY ON THE USE OF SURROGATES AS SUBSTITUTES FOR PRINCIPAL ORGANIC HAZARDOUS CONTITUENTS (POHC) FOR VALIDATION OF DESTRUCTION AND REMOVAL EFFICIENCY (DRE) FOR INCINERATOR OPERATIONS. THE PAPER DISCUSSED SOME OF THE PROBLEMS INHERENT IN THE USE OF THE POHC CONCEPT AS A MEANS TO VALIDATE INCINERATOR PERFORMANCE AND SUGGESTED AN ALTERNATIVE METHODOLOGY INVOLVING THE USE OF PERFLUORINATEDCOMPOUNDS AS MARKERS FOR DRE. SEVERAL FACTORS WHICH MAKE THESE COMPOUNDS SUITABLE CANDIDATES WERE EXAMINED WITH THE CONCLUSION THAT SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE (SF6) WAS RECOMMENDED ASSUITABLE SURROGATE FOR INDICATING THE DRE OF INCINERATORS FOR POHC COMPOUNDS. THE MAJOR DRAWBACK TO EPA ACCEPTING THE METHODOLOGY AS A TOOL IS THE LACK OF DATA CORRELATING THE POHC DRE'S WITH THOSE OF SF6. TRACER TECHNOLOGIES PROPOSES APHASE I PROGRAM TO CORRELATE SEVERAL POHC DRE'S WITH SF6 DREUNDER A VARIETY OF LABORATORY CONDITIONS. SHOULD THE TECH- NIQUE CONTINUE TO PROVE A SATISFACTORY METHOD, A PHASE II PROGRAM COULD BE INITIATED WHICH WOULD LEAD TO THE DEVELOP- MENT OF AN ECONOMICAL PROTOTYPE TEST SYSTEM WHICH COULD BE INSTALLED AND OPERATED ON A CONTINUOUS, REAL TIME BASIS. THESYSTEM WOULD ALSO BE TESTED ON INDUSTRIAL SIZED INCINERATORSDURING THE PHASE II PROGRAM EFFORT.