MODULE 16 - 2:

The Stockholm Convention

Guidelines
Incineration and the Stockholm Convention
• Most countries have ratified the Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants
• Under Article 5 of the Convention:
Countries have to take measures to further reduce releases
of dioxins and furans “with the goal of their continuing
minimization and, where feasible, ultimate elimination.”
• Annex C of the Convention:
– Medical Waste Incinerators are a major source with “the
potential for comparatively high formation and release” of
dioxins & furans
 Incineration and the Stockholm
Convention
• Incinerator emissions should comply with
national standards and be in accordance with
the Convention’s BAT (best available
techniques) and BEP (best environmental
practices) if the country has signed the
convention
 Best Available Techniques Guidelines under
the Stockholm Convention
• On Incinerator Design

– Single-chamber, drum and brick incinerators are not

acceptable

– An incinerator should consist of:

• Furnace or kiln (primary combustion chamber)
• Afterburner chamber (secondary chamber)
• Flue gas cleaning system
• Wastewater treatment if wet flue gas cleaning is
used
 Best Available Techniques Guidelines under
the Stockholm Convention
• BAT air emissions performance level:
– 0.1 nanograms I-TEQ/Normal cubic meter at
11% oxygen
• BAT wastewater performance level for effluents
from treatment of gas treatment scrubbers:
– 0.1 nanograms I-TEQ/liter
• To be achieved by a suitable combination of
primary and secondary measures
 Best Available Techniques Guidelines under
the Stockholm Convention
• General measures
– Operation by trained, qualified personnel
– Use of personal protection equipment
– Periodic maintenance including cleaning of the
combustion chamber and declogging of air flows and
fuel burners
– Auditing and reporting systems
– Routine inspections of the furnace and air pollution
control systems by the regulatory authorities
 Best Available Techniques Guidelines under
the Stockholm Convention
• Primary measures
– Introduction of waste at 850ºC or higher;
automation to avoid introducing waste below
850ºC
– Avoidance of temperatures below 850ºC and
no cold regions
– Auxiliary burners
– Avoidance of starts and stops
– Control of oxygen input
 Best Available Techniques Guidelines under
the Stockholm Convention
• Primary measures
– Minimum residence time of 2 seconds at
1100ºC in the secondary chamber after last
addition of air and 6% O2 by volume (for
waste with >1% halogenated substances)
– High turbulence of exhaust gases and
reduction of excess air
– On-line monitoring for combustion control (T,
oxygen, carbon monoxide, dust), and
regulation from a central console.
 Best Available Techniques Guidelines under
the Stockholm Convention

• Secondary measures

– Dedusting
• Fabric filter operating below 260ºC
• Ceramic filter used between 800 to 1000ºC
• Cyclones for pre-cleaning
• Electrostatic precipitators around 450ºC
• High performance adsorption units with
activated carbon
 Best Available Techniques Guidelines under
the Stockholm Convention
• Secondary measures

– Techniques for further emission

reduction
• Catalytic oxidation
• Gas quenching
• Catalyst-coated fabric filters
• Different types of wet or dry
adsorption systems using mixtures
of activated charcoal, coke, lime
and limestone solutions
 Best Available Techniques Guidelines under
the Stockholm Convention
• Disposal of Residues (bottom and fly ash)

– Ash should be handled, transported (using covered

hauling) and disposed of in an environmentally friendly
manner
– Catalytic treatment or vitrification of fabric filter dusts

– Disposal in safe dedicated landfills (e.g., landfilling in

double-walled containers, solidification, or thermal
post-treatment)
 Best Available Techniques Guidelines under
the Stockholm Convention

• Monitoring

– Routine monitoring of CO, oxygen,

particulate matter, HCl, SO2, NO2, HF, air
flows, temperatures, pressure drops, and pH
– Periodic or semi-continuous measurement of:
polychlorinated dioxins and furans
 Examples of Other Environmental Requirements
Pollutant Units US EPA emission limits EU emission limits

Small Medium Large Daily 0.5-hour 0.5-8 hour

average average average

Particulates mg/m3 50 17 14 10 10, 30

CO mg/m3 18 1.6 9.8 50 100, 100

Dioxins/furans ng TEQ /m3 0.0099 0.011 0.027 0.1

HCl mg/m3 17 8.9 5.9 10 10, 60

SO2 mg/m3 2.8 2.8 16 50 50, 200

Mercury mg/m3 0.011 0.0027 0.00099 0.05

Lead mg/m3 0.24 0.014 0.00053

All reference conditions: 273°K, 101.3kPa, 11% O2, dry; Small ≤ 200 lbs/hr, medium > 200 to 500 lbs/hr, and large > 500
lbs/hr.
For half hour averages, at least 97% of concentrations must meet the first value and 100% must meet the second value.
National Regulations Pertaining to
Incineration
 Maintenance of Air Pollution Control
• Example of a wet scrubber maintenance schedule
– Daily: check scrubber pump, liquid lines, fans
– Weekly: check oil levels and damper air purge
– Monthly: inspect duct work, fan and motors; clean fan
blades and internal housing, pipes and manifolds;
check drain chain drive, dampers, spray bars,
pressure gauges and main body
– Semi-annual: check fan, pump, motor, bearings, flow
meters, damper drive, seals
 Maintenance of Air Pollution Control
• Example of a baghouse filter maintenance schedule
– Daily: check stack, pressures, compressed air, damper valves,
dust removal system, subsystem operations
– Weekly: check filter bags, hoppers, and cleaning system
– Monthly: check shaker mechanism, monitors
– Quarterly: inspect inlet plenum, gaskets, shaker mechanism
– Semi-annually: lubricate all motors and fans
– Annually: check bolts and welds, inspect whole system
 Troubleshooting Incinerators
• Symptom: Black smoke from the stack
• Possible Causes:
– Incomplete burning of waste, not enough air,
overcharging of waste or volatile material, poor mixing
in the secondary chamber, burner failure, primary
chamber temperature too high
• Possible Solutions:
– Increase secondary chamber air, decrease underfire or
overfire air, ensure secondary chamber temperature is
above the minimum, decrease charge rate, check
burners, install or check air pollution control system
 Troubleshooting Incinerators
• Symptom: Steady white or blue-white smoke from stack
• Possible Causes:
– Aerosols in the stack gas, too much air entering the
incinerator, secondary chamber temperature is too low
• Possible Solutions:
– Check secondary chamber burner, ensure that
secondary chamber temperature is above 1000ºC,
decrease underfire air, decrease secondary chamber
air, check if waste contains pigments or metallic
oxides, install or check air pollution control system
 Troubleshooting Incinerators

• Symptom: White smoke or white haze appears a short

distance from the stack
• Possible Causes:
– Condensation of hydrochloric acid
• Possible Solutions:
– Reduce amounts of chlorinated materials in the waste,
eliminate chlorinated plastics in the hospital, install a
scrubber or check the efficiency of the gas scrubber
 Troubleshooting Incinerators

• Symptom: Smoke coming out of the primary chamber

• Possible Causes:
– Positive pressure in the primary chamber, too much
underfire air, too many highly volatile substances in the
waste, problem with the draft damper or induced draft
fan, primary chamber temperature too high
• Possible Solutions:
– Check damper or fan operation, decrease undefire air,
decrease feed rate, check charging door seals
 Troubleshooting Incinerators
• Symptom: Incinerator uses too much fuel
• Possible Causes:
– Not enough heat input from the waste, inconsistent charging,
insufficient or poorly distributed underfire air for controlled-air
incinerators, too much secondary chamber air, too much air
infiltration, fuel leaks, high moisture content in the waste,
excessive draft, burning setting too high
• Possible Solutions:
– Charge waste at regular intervals, avoid charging wet waste all at
one time, increase underfire air or check air ports for controlled-air
incinerators, reduce secondary chamber air, reduce draft, check
door seals, check burner settings, check fuel lines and burners
 Troubleshooting Incinerators
• Symptom: A lot of combustible materials remaining in the ash
(poor ash quality)
• Possible Causes:
– Not enough undefire air; improper waste charging;
insufficient burndown time
• Possible Solutions:
– Check underfire air setting and clean underfire ports;
charge waste at regular intervals not to exceed the rated
capacity of the incinerator, avoid charging all wet waste at
one time; allow longer burnout period, maintain primary
chamber temperature during burndown
 Troubleshooting Air Pollution Control Devices
• Symptom: Corrosion of wet scrubber parts
• Possible Causes:
– Acid build-up in the scrubbing liquid
• Possible Solutions:
– Maintain the pH of the scrubbing liquid, check the
system for adding alkali, check pH monitor, perform
preventive maintenance on the scrubber
 Troubleshooting Air Pollution Control Devices
• Symptoms:
– Fan vibration, stuck dampers, or poor nozzle spray patter in the wet scrubber
– Erosion of fans, dampers and duct work (dry components of the wet scrubber)
– Erosion of scrubber and spray nozzle (wet components of wet scrubbers with
recirculating systems)
• Possible Causes:
– Scaling and plugging
– Droplet carryover due to poor mist eliminator performance
– Suspended solids in the scrubber liquid
• Possible Solutions:
– Conduct preventive maintenance to clean the wet scrubber, repair the mist
eliminator, or purge the system
 Troubleshooting Air Pollution Control Devices
• Symptoms:
– Unusually high pressure readings of the baghouse filter
– Unusually low pressure readings of the baghouse filter or high opacity
• Possible Causes:
– High resistance to airflow, filter bags not cleaned properly, high
condensation at the filter bags
– Low resistance to airflow, holes in the filter bags, improper bag installation
• Possible Solutions:
– Conduct preventive maintenance, adjust temperatures of the inlet gas
and baghouse, check installation of filter bags, check the cleaning system
 Resources
• Guidelines on best available techniques and provisional guidance on
best environmental practices, to be posted on the Stockholm
Convention website

http://www.pops.int/
• Reference document on the best available techniques for waste
incineration: BAT reference document (BREF), European Commission,
2008; available in the European IPCC Bureau website

eippcb.jrc.es/pages/FActivities.htm
o “Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emissions
Guidelines for Existing Sources: Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste
Incinerators – Final rule amendments,” 40 CFR Part 60, US
Environmental Protection Agency, 2011
 Some Trends in Medical Waste Incineration (MWI)
United States Canada
8000 6200 219
250
6000 200
MWIs

4000 150

MWIs
2400
100 56
2000 50
72
0 0
1988 1997 2006 1995 2003

554 Germany Portugal

600
50 40
400 40
On-Site MWIs

30

MWIs
200 20
0 10 1
0 0
1984 2002 1995 2004
Ireland
200
150
150
MWIs

100
50
0
0
1990s 2005
 Treatment Technologies
That Do Not Generate Dioxins/Furans
(covered in Module 15)
• Non-Burn Thermal Technologies
– Autoclaves
– Hybrid Steam Systems
– Microwave Units
– Frictional Heat Treatment
– Dry Heat Systems
• Chemical Technologies
– Alkaline Hydrolysis
 Discussion
• What regulations or policies exist in your country or region regarding treatment and
disposal methods?
• What are viable options for disposal of healthcare waste available in your facility or
country?
• What are some factors that your facility considers when deciding on a waste treatment
method? What do think is important when evaluating which method would be most
appropriate?
• Does your facility use incineration, or have they used it as a treatment method in the
past? What are some of the cost and benefits of incineration?
• Discuss air emissions and dioxin formation in relation to incinerators.

• Does your incinerator meet the Stockholm Convention guidelines and national
regulations?

• What are the barriers to implementing non-incineration treatment and disposal methods?