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Repercussions of clinical waste co-incineration in municipal solid waste incinerator during COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT: During coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the exponential increase in clinical waste (CW) generation has caused immense burden to CW treatment facilities. Co-incineration of CW in municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) is an emergency treatment method. A material flow model was developed to estimate the change in feedstock characteristics and resulting acid gas emission under different CW co-incineration ratios. The ash contents and lower heating values of the feedstocks, as well as HCl concentrations in flue gas showed an upward trend. Subsequently, 72 incineration residue samples were collected from a MSWI performing co-incineration (CW ratio <10 wt%) in Wuhan city, China, followed by 20 incineration residues samples from waste that were not co-incineration. The results showed that the contents of major elements and non-volatile heavy metals in the air pollution control residues increased during co-incineration but were within the reported ranges, whereas those in the bottom ashes revealed no significant changes. The impact of CW co-incineration at a ratio <10 wt% on the distribution of elements in the incineration residues was not significant. However, increase in alkali metals and HCl in flue gas may cause potential boiler corrosion. These results provide valuable insights into pollution control in MSWI during pandemic.

SUBMITTER: Lan DY

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8440058 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) ash is often managed through co-disposal with unburned wastes in landfills, a practice previously reported to result in enhanced leaching of pollutants (e.g., heavy metals) in landfill leachate. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of co-disposed unburned wastes on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in MSWI ash landfill leachate. Leachate was collected from four landfills containing MSWI ash, either as a sole waste stream or co-disposed of with sewage sludge and MSW screenings. Samples of ash and unburned materials were collected and assessed separately for leachable PFAS in the laboratory. All samples were analyzed for 26 PFAS. Results showed that greater ash content was associated with lower leachate PFAS concentrations. The pure ash monofill exhibited the lowest PFAS in landfill leachate (290 ng L-1) while the landfill contained a large amount of unburned waste had the highest PFAS (11,000 ng L-1). For laboratory leaching tests, average ∑26PFAS concentration in lab ash leachate (310 ng L-1) was 10 and 24 times lower than observed in lab sewage sludge leachate (3,200 ng L-1) and lab MSW screenings leachate (7,500 ng L-1), respectively. Leachate from the ash-only landfill had ∑26PFAS concentration similar to what was measured in the ash itself. On the contrary, ∑26PFAS concentration in co-disposal landfill leachates were similar to those in PFAS-rich unburned waste itself, regardless of the percentages of landfilled unburned wastes. We hypothesize that leachate generated in co-disposal scenarios preferentially flows through PFAS-rich unburned materials and that biotransformation of precursors enhanced by unburned waste degradation further contributes to higher concentrations of terminal PFAS in ash co-disposal sites. Landfill operators should expect PFAS in leachates to be higher when PFAS-rich unburned wastes are disposed of alongside MSWI ash, even if the unburned fraction is small.

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Repercussions of clinical waste co-incineration in municipal solid waste incinerator during COVID-19 pandemic.

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