Effect of incineration temperature on lead emission from a fixed bed incinerator

Environmental pollution with toxic metals has become a global phenomenon. Research on fundamental and applied aspects of wastes with heavy metals in the environment has mushroomed to the trace metal contamination emitted during various high-temperature processes. Research leading to better understanding of their behavior and better controlling of their emissions is urgently needed. An experimental scale fixed bed incinerator with a treatment capacity of 5 kg/hr was used to study the effect of incineration temperature on lead (Pb) emission from waste incineration without chlorine effect. A series of incineration experiments have been carried out. Drawn from the experimental results, the conclusion is that incineration temperature affects significantly the emission rate of lead. It is also found that the weight partition fraction of lead after incinerated is about 65-85% in bottom ash, 13-30% in flyash, and 2-5% in flue gas. Obtained by regression, a practical formula is proposed to estimate the emission of lead from a small scale fixed bed incinerator with overfire combustion as following: lnE (wt.%) = -3,083/T-1.257 + c (T: K) where c is an experimental constant dependent on combustion air distribution, typically 3.659 for the general operation with stoichiometric air as primary combustion air, and 20-50% excess air as secondary combustion air.