CHLORINATED PLASTICS SEPARATION FROM MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE (MSW) PROVIDES A WASTE FUEL SOURCE HAVING POTENTIAL RECOVERABLE ENERGY OF OVER 1.5 QUADS PER YEAR.EXPANDED USE OF THIS FUEL SOURCE THROUGH ENERGY RECOVERY IN-INCINERATION OF MSW IS THREATENED BY THE PRESENCE OF CHLO- RINE IN MSW. CHLORINE IS A PRIMARY FACTOR IN THE FORMATION OF TOXIC CHLORINATED ORGANICS SUCH AS DOXINS AND FURANS. CHLORINE IS ALSO A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO ACID GAS EMISSIONS FROM MUNICIPAL WASTE INCINERATORS. THERE ARE PRESENTLY NO AUTOMATED METHODS FOR THE REMOVAL OF PVC PLASTICS FROM MUNICIPAL WASTE STREAMS. RECENT DATA FROMTHE NATIONAL RECOVERY TECHNOLOGIES (NRT) PREBURN MATERIALS RECOVERY SYTEM INDICATES THAT THE NRT PROCESS REMOVES UP TO ONE QUARTER OF PVC'S FROM MSW. ONE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSEDRESEARCH IS TO DETERMINE FEASIBILITY FOR UTILIZING THE NRT SYSTEM AS PVC SEPARATOR AND DETERMINATION OF POSSIBLE MODIFICATIONS TO THE SYSTEM WHICH CAN IMPROVE ITS PVC SEPARATION CAPABILITIES. ANOTHER OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE FEASI-BILITY FOR UTILIZINGX-RAYS AND/OR ULTRAVIOLET FLUORESCENCE TECHNIQUES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A SEPARATOR SPECIFIC TO REMOVAL OF PVC'S FROM MSW AND OTH- ER INDUSTRIAL WASTE STREAMS. IT IS ANTICIPATED TAHT THE PHASE I RESEARCH WILL ESTABLISH FEASIBILITY FOR PAHASE II DEVELOPMENT AND PHASE II APPLICA- TION OF A PROCESS FOR SYSTEMATICALLY SEPARATING CHLORINATED PLASTICS FROM MSW AND OTHER INDUSTRIAL WASTE STREAMS. THE U.S. PROVIDES A POTENTIAL MARKET FOR OVER 1,000 MUICIPAL WASTE-TO-ENERGY FACILITIES RECOVERING APPROXIMATELY 1.5 QUADS OF ENERGY ANNUALLY. BENEFITS FROM THE RESEARCH WOULD BE REDUCED POLLUTION FROM MUNICIPAL INCINERATORS, IMPROVED INCINERATOR MAINTENANCE, AND RECOVERY OF PVC PLASTICS FOR RECYCLING.