37    INCINERATION TREATABILITY RESULTS FOR
CONTAMINATED SOIL AND DRUMMED WASTES
FROM A SUPERFUND SITE
David W.R. Shultz, Senior Program Manager
Susan Roberts Shultz, Department Head,
Hazardous Waste Engineering
RUST Environment & Infrastructure, Inc.
Sheboygan, Wisconsin 53083
John G. Pinion, Project Engineer
Cross/Tessitore & Associates
Orlando, Florida 32812
Craig Pennell, Project Manager
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Omaha, Nebraska 68102
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
An Incineration Treatability study was successfully completed on contaminated material from a
Superfund site located in Michigan. The purpose of this treatability test was to: (1) determine the
thermal treatment conditions required to successfully volatilize organic contaminants from the waste
stream(s), (2) develop an estimate of the quality and quantity of treatment residues generated, (3)
determine the volatility and fate of metals in the waste stream(s) and the effect of thermal treatment
on metals remaining in the treated residue, and (4) develop an estimate of the quality of incinerator
off-gases to determine air pollution control system loadings.
The treatability test apparatus was successful in achieving the specified time and temperature test
conditions in 100% of the test runs. A sufficient volume of sample was produced to complete the
required physical and chemical analyses of the ash residue. Analysis of the treated samples showed
that thermal conditions of 1,200°F at a waste residence time in the primary chamber of 30 minutes, at
temperature, was adequate to remove the volatile and semivolatile organic contaminants to non-
detectable levels in the bench scale apparatus. However, based on the results of a mass and energy
balance for a full-scale incinerator treating these wastes, a minimum operating temperature of
1,400°F with a solids retention time of 30 minutes is recommended.
The waste material contained significant Btu value and ignited after reaching its self-ignition
temperature. A thermal mass and energy balance prepared for a rotary kiln treating the identified
waste types at the specified conditions, indicates that the feed rate for a full-scale thermal treatment
unit, designed for typical contaminated soils, would be severely limited due to the high Btu and
moisture content of the waste. Based upon a typical design heat release (25,000 Btu/hr/cf of kiln
volume) for contaminated soils, initial estimates show that a full-scale incinerator burning the identified wastes would be limited to 30% to 60% of its design mass feed rate. This will have obvious
impacts on the costs and schedule for remedial action. The high waste moistures content (17% for
soils and up to 44% for drummed waste) will require special feed preparation steps to blend the two
waste streams to reduce or control the moisture content of the drummed wastes prior to feeding to the
incinerator.
Mass and volume reduction showed that thermal treatment of contaminated soils will result in a
mass reduction of approximately 20% with an average volume reduction of 42%. Thermal treatment
of drum wastes will result in a mass reduction of approximately 60% with an average volume
reduction of 79%. No significant increase in mass or volume reduction was noted at treatment
conditions exceeding 1,200"F at 30 minutes solids retention time.
Analysis of the treated residue for TCLP metals indicated that the contaminated soil and drummed
waste from the site will require no further treatment.
48th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1993 Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan 48118. Printed in
U.S.A.