Carrying out an Investigation into the Refining of Phosphides/Phosphine in Different German Waste Incineration Plants

Project Number 223

In principle, the refining of phosphides/phosphine in waste incineration plants cannot be avoided. When metals (preferably aluminium) and phosphate carriers come together on the incineration griddle, phosphides are formed that react with the deslagging water to form phosphine. This stochastic process is promoted by the quantitative increase of the aluminium or phosphate being fed into the firing system. At this time, no technical process measures can be identified by means of which this process could be influenced.

In connection with this project, therefore, the formation of phosphides/phosphine is investigated in different German waste incineration plants. The investigation structure focuses on:

• Same type investigation program at technically different waste incineration sites.
• Inclusion of waste incineration sites that use fuels enriched by phosphates and/or aluminium at the time of investigation.
• Inclusion of waste incineration sites with proven action requirement for checking the phosphine concentration in specific room air areas.
• Inclusion of waste incineration sites where it is proven that measurable phosphine concentrations are not reached (that is < 0.01 ppm) in specific room air areas.
• Inclusion of various different technical deslagging solutions.
• The following waste incineration plant sites are included in the investigation: Augsburg, Darmstadt, Hamburg (Rugenberger Damm), Ingolstadt, Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, and Schwandorf.

In addition to the investigations at waste incineration plant sites, the transferability of the results to power plants (coal firing/co-incineration) is discussed.

The project is processed from 1 May to 30 June 2002 by CheMin GmbH, Augsburg, directed by Dr. Wolfgang Spiegel, and accompanied by a working group of the VGB Working "Panel Thermal Waste Utilisation".