A Brief Primer on the Value of Rotary Kiln
Incineration Technology relating to
Pharmaceutical Waste Destruction
Presented to:
PSI Seminar Series on Pharmaceutical
Waste Management
People and Technology
Creating a Better
Environment
1
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential
Company Overview
2
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential
Rotary Kiln Incineration
Technology
3
•
Rotary Kiln Incineration Technology has been in
commercial operation since the 1960’s especially in
Europe.
•
The USEPA adopted Rotary Kiln Technology as the
Official Treatment Technology for Organic
Hazardous Wastes and for PCBs under the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act “RCRA”
in 1980 and the Toxic Substances Control Act
“TSCA” in 1978, respectively.
•
There are currently 10 commercial rotary kiln
Incinerators operating in the United States today
with a total aggregate annual treatment capacity of
approximately 650,000 tons.
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential
Typical Process Flow
Diagram for a HighTemperature Rotary Kiln
4
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential
Incineration Operating
Parameters Guaranteeing Proper
Destruction of Organic Wastes
•
•
Time, Temperature and Turbulence “The Three T’s”
serve as effective indicators of efficient and
compliant incinerator performance.
Rotary Kiln Incinerators offer superior conformance
with the Three T’s by virtue of the Kiln design which
typically employs:
• counter-current air flow coupled with high operating
temperatures ( in the range of 1800 to 2000 Degrees F)
• long waste residence time in the rotating kiln
• Excellent waste tumbling/mixing and turbulence
generated by the rotating kiln and low-NOx combustion
burner employing turbulence enhancement nozzles.
• Addition of a Secondary Combustion Chamber to enhance
organics destruction (Operating Temperature typically
1850 to 2000 Degrees F)
5
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential
Incineration Operating
Parameters Guaranteeing Proper
Destruction of Organic Wastes
•
All Commercial High Temperature Incinerators are
required to conduct periodic stack tests to assure
compliance with Federal CAA MACT Standards.
•
The Stack Tests confirm:
– Destruction/ Removal Efficiency “DRE” typically portrayed
as 99.99 or 99.9999%
– Conformance with CAA MACT Emission Standards for
heavy metals, CO, THC, Particulate Removal and Dioxin
Formation and Control
– Data from Stack Tests inputted into Statistical Risk Models
to assure compliance with cancer and non-cancer risk
avoidance levels – typically less than 1 in 100,000 risk of
cancer to humans from rotary kiln incinerator emissions.
6
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential
Advantages of Rotary Kiln
Incineration Technology versus
Stepped-Hearth Technology
7
•
The USEPA selected Rotary Kiln Technology as the
standard for destruction of solid organic hazardous
and toxic wastes under RCRA and TSCA.
•
USEPA’s Clean Air Act MACT Standards for
Commercial and Captive Hazardous Waste
Incinerators recognize Rotary Kiln Technology as
the Best Performing Incineration Technology for the
destruction of solid, organic hazardous and toxic
waste.
•
There are no commercial hazardous waste
incinerators of the hearth design operating in North
America today.
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential
Comparison of Emission
Standards
Emission Standard
Dioxin/Furan
Large Existing
Municipal Waste
Combustors1
(2006)
0.5-1.0
(ng/dscm TEQ)
PM
HW Incinerators
Phase II2
(2005)
0.20 or 0.40 plus off-gas CO; or
quench to 400F
(ppmv)
25
34
(mg/dscm)
Hg
(ug/dscm)
Semi-Volatile Metals
cadmium and lead
Emission Standard
THC
Large Existing
Municipal Waste
Combustors1
(2006)
HW Incinerators
Phase II2
(2005)
50 - 250
100
none
10
10
Facility-specific based on
air permit. Generally
10
165 - 230
Facility-specific based on
air permit
31
Facility-specific based on
air permit
none
99.99%
(ppmv)
50;
or
85% reduction of
emissions
130
435
230
Opacity
(pct)
NOx
(ppmv)
(ug/dscm)
Low Volatility Metals
antimony, arsenic,
beryllium, and
chromium
none
92
SO2
(ppmv)
(ug/dscm)
HCl and Cl2
(ppmv)
29;
or
95% reduction of
emissions
1) Source: Federal Register 05/10/2006
2) Source: Federal Register 10/12/2005
8
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential
32
Destruction/Removal
Efficiency
Clean Air Act MACT
Performance Test Burn
Results
MACT Parameter
Dioxin/Furan
Units
ng TEQ/dscm
corrected to 7%
O2
Mercury
ug/dscm
corrected to 7%
O2
Lead and Cadmium (SVM) ug/dscm
corrected to 7%
O2
Arsenic, Beryllium, Chromium
ug/dscm
(LVM)
corrected to 7%
O2
CO; or
ppmv, dry basis,
corrected to 7%
O2
Phase II Standard
(effective
10/12/2008)
0.20 or 0.40
0.20 or 0.40
provided that the
provided that the
combustion gas
combustion gas
temperature at the temperature at the
inlet to the initial inlet to the initial pm
pm control device control device is 400
is 400 degF or
degF or lower.
lower.
130
130
AG
DE
EL
KP
0.0042/0.0026
for conditions
1 and 2 during
last CPT
0.0024
0.084
Train I
<0.026
Train II
<0.007
6.8
59.4
127.2
8.1/<31.9
56.97
240
230
0.84
148.4
31.1
23/<29.0
2.2
97
92
<2.05
9.2
2.1
10/<35.4
1.83
100
100
4.93
<1.3
<0.56
32.7/3.4
NA
ppmv, dry basis,
corrected to 7%
O2
10
10
0.2
0.9
<0.29
1.8/0.6
2.37
Hydrochloric Acid and Chlorine
ppmv, dry basis,
corrected to 7%
O2
77
32
2.2
0.5
0.4
21/<16.9
19.8
0.015
0.013 (34 mg/dscm)
0.0017 (3.85
mg/dscm)
0.001
0.0005
0.0013
3.51 mg/dscm
99.99%
99.99%
100%
>99.99%
>99.99%
THC
Particulate Matter
DRE
9
Current Standard
gr/dscf,
corrected to 7%
O2
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential
>99.9999% >99.99998%
Conclusions
• Both Stepped Hearth and Rotary Kiln Incineration
Technologies have a role in managing solid waste.
• Rotary Kiln Technology offers superior DRE and “ThreeT’s” Combustion Management especially for refractory
organic compounds that are hard to destroy.
• Rotary Kiln Incinerators meet stringent USEPA, EC and
WHO emissions standards and these Standards will
become more stringent as the USEPA evaluates existing
MACT emissions limits.
• Our industry believes that Pharmaceutical Waste
Generators will find Rotary Kiln Incineration Technology,
which is the USEPA Standard for the Destruction of
Organic Hazardous and Toxic substances, to be the
destruction technology of choice for expired and
discarded pharmaceutical waste.
10
April 13, 2015 - Clean Harbors Company Confidential