During cocombustion tests up to 12 wt % of different types of electrical and electronic (E +  E) waste plastics were added to pretreated municipal solid waste (MSW) in a test incinerator. The increased heating value improved the burnout of the bottom ashes. The level of polychlorinated dibenzo‐p‐dioxins and dibenzofurans in the raw gas was not altered significantly by the co‐combustion. Even high bromine (Br) load caused only limited concentrations of bromine containing dioxins and furans in the raw gas, which did not deteriorate the emission quality. Hence MSW combustion is a beneficial disposal route for limited amounts of certain E +  E waste. Metallic components should carefully be separated prior to combustion.

No abstract

During cocombustion tests up to 12 wt % of different types of electrical and electronic (E + E) waste plastics were added to pretreated municipal solid waste (MSW) in a test incinerator. The increased heating value improved the burnout of the bottom ashes. The level of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in the raw gas was not altered significantly by the co-combustion. Even high bromine (Br) load caused only limited concentrations of bromine containing dioxins and furans in the raw gas, which did not deteriorate the emission quality. Hence MSW combustion is a beneficial disposal route for limited amounts of certain E + E waste. Metallic components should carefully be separated prior to combustion.

If there is a risk of Br2 formation, in wet scrubbing a reducing agent has to be added to the neutral scrubber for efficient abatement. Filter ashes should be disposed of in a way that enables access for recovery in the future. The exact volatilisation characteristics of the various metals have to be studied in future using specifically tailored experiments.

Hexabromocyclododecane containing polystyrene foam obtained from the building and construction market has been co-incinerated in a full-scale waste incineration plant. The co-feeding of 1 and 2 wt% of polystyrene foam had no influence on the operation of the plant. The bromine content increased the raw gas hydrogen bromide concentration slightly. The air emission, including that of dioxins and bromine, was not altered and so was the quality of the solid residues. The hexabromocyclododecane concentrations in the solid residues were almost identical, regardless of whether or not and how much polystyrene foam was added. The obtained destruction efficiency was >99.999% independent of the amount of added polystyrene foam. This finding indicates a virtually total destruction of hexabromocyclododecane.