Hazardous Waste Fired Steam Generator: A New Concept

The Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) regulates the performance of hazardous waste incinerators. Other combustion devices such as fired boilers, whose primary purpose is to produce energy but happen to be partially fired by hazardous wastes are exempt from RCRA. The destruction efficiency required for incinerators can be achieved by fuel fired boilers operated at a reduced firing rate and fired boilers designed to fire a specific hazardous waste. Firing at a reduced rate is objectional because of reduced steam production. Firing a hazardous waste other than the design waste and not achieving the design destruction efficiency does not present a problem at the present time but does violate the spirit of RCRA. It is difficult to present an argument other than economic to continue the exempt status for fired boilers. Strong arguments for regulating all combustion devices under RCRA are the same as those used which caused its implementation for incinerators. A new concept, the Hazardous Waste Steam Generator is a cost efficient method which offers the heat recovery efficiency of a fired boiler, the destruction efficiency of an incinerator and the ease of retrofitting an existing fuel fired boiler to achieve its destruction capability.