Correlation of low-volatile organic chlorine (LVOCl) and PCDD/Fs in various municipal waste incinerators (MWIs)

Medium- and low-volatile organic chlorine (M/LVOCl) and PCDD/Fs in flue gas from various municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) were monitored. The sample for M/LVOCl was collected in an adsorption tube which was thermally desorbed and the amount of chlorine was measured by atomic emission spectrometry (AES) detection using radiofrequency helium plasma. The helium plasma excited chlorine having an optical emission line of 837.6 nm was monitored. The MVOCl and LVOCl were organic chlorine groups whose boiling points (bp) ranged from 70–120 °C and 170–270 °C, respectively. The compounds having bp 120–170 °C were distributed in two tubes. LVOCl correlated well with PCDD/Fs (ng/Nm3, r = 0.81) in a wide range of 0.01–100 ng/Nm3 of PCDD/Fs, while the correlation of LVOCl vs. TEQ was less related (r = 0.69). These results agreed with the fact that LVOCl monitored the amount of organic chlorine without molecular structure information, which is critical to toxicity. Since the bp of LVOCl was not identical with that of PCDD/Fs, the regression was effected by the conditions of the gas treatment devices. Because most data of 2001 were collected just after the installation of PCDD/Fs in MWIs, the regression of 2001 was slightly differrent from that of 2002–2003. Eliminating these initial unsteady data, the regression of LVOCl vs. PCDD/Fs became better, giving r =  0.86. Besides having PCDD/Fs as surrogates, M/LVOCl is valuable as a versatile element-selective organic chlorine monitor to improve thermal process control.