Organic atmospheric pollutants: polycyclic hydrocarbons from coal atmospheric fluidised bed combustion (AFBC)

Abstract

The work deals with coal combustion in a pilot-plant fluidised bed (7 cm i.d.) under atmospheric conditions. The aims are to capture and analyse qualitatively as well as quantitatively the volatile polycyclic hydrocarbons emitted by using coal as energy source under various combustion conditions. After establishing the sampling procedure, the emissions are caught in five different traps (two cyclones, nylon and teflon filters, and XAD-2). The contribution of each of the sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as priority pollutants is analysed, and their emissions as a function of the combustion variables (combustion temperature, percentage of excess oxygen, air flow and fluidising agent) are reported. Synchronous Fluorescence Spectroscopy is the analytical tool used for identification and quantification of the PAH emissions.