TRACE-METAL ANALYSIS OF FLY-ASH FROM COMBUSTION OF DENSIFIED REFUSE-DERIVED FUEL AND COAL

Analysis of the trace metals in fly ash produced from the combustion of quicklime binder enhanced densified refuse derived fuel (bdRDF) with coal is discussed. In 1987 a full-scale cofiring of bdRDF and high sulfur coal was conducted at Argonne National Laboratories. About 567 tons of bdRDF pellets were cofired with coal at 0 to 50 percent bdRDF by Btu content and 0, 4, and 8 percent binder. Analysis has continued on the samples acquired at Argonne. The fly ash was dissolved in a mixture of aqua-regia and hydrofluoric acid in a Parr bomb using a microwave dissolution method . The solution was then analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) for As, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Tl, V, and Zn. Results indicated that some trace elements decreased in fly ash with the increase in dRDF percentage while others increased.