EMISSIONS OF FLUORINATED COMPOUNDS FROM THE COMBUSTION OF CARPETING

摘要

One of the emerging waste streams that will likely be disposed of in combustors is carpet, due to its high heating value and combustibility. Some of the stain-resistant coatings that carpeting is treated with contain perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and their corresponding homologues (C_6 - C_(14) acids) as well as fluorotelomer alcohols and fluoropolymers. PFOA has recently been implicated as a chemical of concern due to its toxicity. It is unknown as to whether PFCs can be released from combustion, or formed as by-products in combustors. This paper reports on a study in a 0.73 kW pilot-scale rotary kiln incinerator simulator to qualitatively and, where applicable; quantitatively assess the potential for emissions of fluorinated compounds from combustion devices. In this study, a limited number of PFCs were found in trace levels in the stack, and the concentrations were relatively independent of kiln feed, suggesting that PFCs are effectively destroyed even under mild combustion conditions, and the trace levels that were found were due to either trace contamination of the sampling duct with fluorinated compounds due to historical use of Teflon and other fluorpolymers, or sampling artifacts.