Relationships between congener distribution patterns of PCDDs, PCDFs, PCNs, PCBs, PCBzs and PCPhs formed during flue gas cooling

Jansson, Stina; Andersson, Patrik L.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.12.024

Research article2012Peer reviewed

Relationships between congener distribution patterns of PCDDs, PCDFs, PCNs, PCBs, PCBzs and PCPhs formed during flue gas cooling

Jansson, Stina; Andersson, Patrik L.

Abstract

The congener patterns of mono- to octa-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PC1-8DD), dibenzofurans (PC1-8DF), naphthalenes (PC1-8N), mono- to deca-chlorinated biphenyls (PC1-10B), di- to hexa-chlorinated benzenes (PC(2-6)Bz) and mono- to penta-chlorinated phenols (PC1-5Ph) in flue gas samples collected simultaneously at 450 degrees C, 300 degrees C and 200 degrees C in the post-combustion zone during waste incineration in a laboratory-scale reactor in a previous study, were in this study evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). To our knowledge this is the most comprehensive chemical and multivariate analysis to date of the thermal formation of dioxins. The PCA indicated that different formation pathways occur in the temperature regions 450-300 degrees C and 300-200 degrees C, and reflected a chlorination effect of PCDF and PCDD between 450 degrees C and 200 degrees C which could not be discerned or was less pronounced for the other compound groups. Toxic equivalents (TEQs) of PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs, as well as total TEQ values (TEQ(Total)) were also calculated, and correlations between changes in levels of specific congeners and the TEQs were explored in the PGA. Levels of four HxCDF congeners and 1,2,3,4,8-, 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDF and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF showed the strongest correlations with TEQ(Total) (R-2 >= 0.9). In addition, levels of 1,2,4-TriCBz correlated strongly with TEQ(Total) (R-2>0.7), supporting previous reports that it may be a potential indicator of the TEQ. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Congener patterns; Principal component analysis; Waste combustion; Laboratory-scale reactor

Published in

Science of the Total Environment
2012, volume: 416, pages: 269-275
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

SLU Authors

Jansson, Stina
- Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences
Ecology

Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.12.024

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/45741