A Review on Technologies of Removal of Dioxins and Furans from Incinerator Flue Gas

The demands of our society generate wastes that tend to increase in quantity as the standard of living increases. The most effective means of dealing with the problem is to reduce the amount of wastes generated. Incineration is one of the oldest technologies to reduce the amount of generated waste. But one serious drawbacks of this process is the emission of dioxins and furans in flue gas. Dioxins and Furans are regarded as very harmful chemicals which can have serious health effect causing cancer, reducing immunity. Various techniques are available for the treatment of flue gas emission depending upon the type of feed stocks. Some popular and effective methods are using sulphur compounds namely (NH4)2SO4, pyrite (FeS2), changing the operating conditions of incinerations etc. The main aim of this paper is to suggest a cost effective, efficient and a long lasting method to treat the flue gas so that the concentration of dioxins and furans can be reduced effectively as well as to eradicate the challenges associated with the process. The present review discusses the current views on methods to minimize dioxins and benzo-furans, namely polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzo-furans (PCDFs), formation in different types of incineration systems. Municipal solid waste incineration system, hazardous solid waste incineration system and Bio medical waste incineration system has been considered in this case. This paper briefly introduces with the formation mechanism and the various sources including the precursors of PCDD/Fs formation so that it can be controlled during the combustion and later it discusses about an effective method to reduce the formation and fight with the associated challenges. The findings of this paper will help the stakeholders in decision making process in establishing a sustainable future of waste management and will set future directions for better and innovative research addressing the problems.