Destruction efficiency of catalytic filters for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofurans in laboratory test and field operation — insight into destruction and adsorption behavior of semivolatile compounds

Catalytic destruction of chlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans for environmental protection is one of the key subjects of applied catalysis in combustion facilities. For catalytic filters, the removal and destruction efficiencies (RE and DE) for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and dibenzofurans (PCDF) were tested in the laboratory and compared with data from field operation. The comparison shows very similar values of laboratory measurements and actual field measurements for fresh samples, used samples without catalyst deactivation, and used samples with varying degrees of deactivation. n-poisoned catalytic filter showed destruction and removal efficiencies for PCDD/PCDF and the “toxic equivalents” (TEQ) of more than 99%. The laboratory comparison confirmed this activity did not decrease after 2 years of operation in a municipal waste incinerator. boratory test provides a deep insight into the dependence of both the removal and destruction of semivolatile compounds in relation to their physical and chemical properties because it excludes any interfering adsorption effect of dust particles from the flue gas stream. The catalytic decomposition of PCDD/PCDF strongly depends on their volatility and oxidative behavior, both related to the degree of chlorination. ition, four different non-chlorine containing polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) varying in their number of rings and boiling points were tested. For these, the destruction was dependent only on the volatility of the respective molecule and was in the similar order of magnitude as the PCDD/F.