Appendix C
Commercial Application of Carbon Bed Filters to Combustion Sources
Carbon bed filters are widely used in the chemical processing industry to recover low-concentration chemicals from dilute gas streams. They are also used to control volatile organic emissions from production processes, like rotogravure printing and fiberglass and plastics forming. In the mid-1980s, carbon bed filters were first used in large combustion sources, like coal-fired utility boilers, hazardous waste incinerators, and municipal waste combustors, to polish effluent-gas streams. They are used to remove residual sulfur dioxide and hydrogen chloride, mercury, organic solvents, and semivolatile organics like dioxins and furans from exhaust-gas streams. Testing indicates that the depth-filter function of the activated carbon fill separates metals and organics associated with solid particulates. Table C-1 is a partial listing of commercial activated
TABLE C-1 Partial List of Activated Carbon Bed Filter Installations
|
Location |
Type of Facility/Incinerator |
Number and Capacity of Filters |
Start-up Year |
|
Lausward, Dusseldorf, FRG |
coal power plant |
8 × 250,000 nm3/h |
1989 |
|
Flingern, Dusseldorf, FRG |
coal power plant |
2 × 250,000 nm3/h |
1989 |
|
Garth, Dusseldorf, FRG |
coal power plant |
1 × 65,000 nm3/h |
1988 |
|
Energiever Sorgung Oberfranken, |
coal power plant |
1 × 650,000 nm3/h |
1990 |
|
Arzberg, FRG |
|
1 × 45,000 nm3/h |
1989 |
|
Hoechst, Hoescht, FRG |
coal power plant |
1 × 1,330,000 nm3/h |
1990 |
|
Zavin-Dordrecht, NL |
medical waste |
1 × 13,750 sm3/h |
1991 |
|
Universitastsheizwerk, Heidelberg, FRG |
medical waste |
2 × 6,500 sm3/h |
1991 |
|
AVR Chemi, NL |
chemical waste |
1 × 77,000 sm3/h |
1992 |
|
AVT-Rotterdam, NL |
municipal waste |
6 × 155,000 sm3/h |
1992/93a |
|
RWE-Energle, Essen, FRG |
municipal waste |
4 × 168,000 sm3/h |
1995 |
|
WAV, Wels, Austria |
municipal waste |
1 × 55,000 sm3/h |
1995 |
|
RHE, Mannheim, FRG |
municipal waste |
2 × 206,000 sm3/h |
1995 |
|
RZR Herten, AGR Essen, FRG |
industrial waste |
2 × 70,000 sm3/h |
1991/96a |
|
AVI ROTEB, Rotterdam, NL |
municipal waste |
4 × 75,000 sm3/h |
1993 |
|
Rozenburg, DTO-8, AVR Chemi Rotterdam, NL |
hazardous waste |
1 × 70,000 sm3/h |
1994 |
|
MVA Neu-Ulm, FRG |
municipal waste |
2 × 57,000 sm3/h |
1996 |
|
MVA Stapelfeld, Hamburg, FRG |
municipal waste |
2 × 120,000 sm3/h |
1996 |
|
MHKW Kassel, FRG |
municipal waste |
2 × 70,000 sm3/h |
1996 |
|
AEZ Kreis Wesel, FRG |
municipal waste |
2 × 70,000 sm3/h |
1996 |
|
HKW Nord MK4, Mannheim, FRG |
municipal waste |
1 × 195,000 sm3/h |
1997 |
|
RVA Bohlen, FRG |
hazardous waste |
1 × 40,000 sm3/h |
1998 |
|
MVA Koln, FRG |
municipal waste |
4 × 95,000 sm3/h |
1998 |
|
a Multiple start-up years indicate plant expansions. |
|||
TABLE C-2 Performance of Activated Carbon Bed Filters
|
SOPC |
Control Efficiency (%) |
Detection Limit |
|
Mercury |
90-99.9 |
|
|
Particulates |
~100 |
< 1 mg/dnm3 @ 11% O2 |
|
Metals |
~100 |
< 2-200 μg/dnm3 @ 11% O2 |
|
SO2/HCl |
~100 |
< 2-6 mg/dnm3 @ 11% O2 |
|
Dioxins/furans |
99-99.9+ |
|
|
Polychlorinated phenols |
94.7-99.9 |
|
|
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons |
61.7-97.9 |
|
|
Total hydrocarbons |
41.7-96.2 |
|
|
Polychlorinated chlorobenzenes |
97.5-9+ |
|
carbon bed filters. The list includes 22 facilities and 52 carbon bed filters. Capacities range from about a quarter of the size needed for individual baseline system incineration units to more than 50 times the required capacity. The published emissions control performance for activated carbon bed filters is summarized in Table C-2. Removal efficiencies are reported as greater than a specified percentage because the outlet concentrations are below the detection limits for existing measurement techniques.
