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Show IJ-:nuiden October 1987 - 3 - Waste Incineration Technology important to members which cannot be considered within the Panels. In these cases, Working Groups, comprised of technical experts , are formed to review the research requirements and to make recommendations regarding research which should be conducted by the members or may be executed at the Research Station. At its meeting in November 1985, the Joint Committee (the Board of Directors of the IFRF), which includes members from the nine national committees and organises future research, agreed that waste ~ncineration should be considered within the IFRF programme. It was recognised that technical and political concerns related to the disposal of wastes was increasing as traditional forms of disposal, such as landfilling, became impractical. Incineration offers an alternative method of waste disposal while generating energy for process heat or electric power. In the United States, as an example, the quantity of waste which is incinerated is expected to increase from 35 000 tons/day or 6% in 1985 to over 240 000 tons/day or 30% by 2000. Hazardous waste incineration is expected to increase ten fold in the United States in the same time period due to federal regulations limiting its land disposal (GRID, Summer 1987]. Although, as indicated above, considerable experience had been gained at IJrnuiden in the production of stable flames from "low grade fuels", none of these could be likened to the wide range of domestic and industrial wastes considered here. Nevertheless, Members were particularly interested in the role that the IFRF could perform in improving waste incineration technology. As this technology could not be considered within any of the existing Panels, it was agreed that the Members' interest in establishing a working group should be solicited. This paper reviews the results of the solicitation and the role of the working group -in recommending research to the Members. The current planning of the Working outlined and a schedule suggested. 2.1 QUESTIONNAIRE TO MEMBERS discusses directives Group is In order to determine Members' interest in a Waste Incineration Research Programme, a questionnaire was distributed at the 8th Members Conference in June 1986 and later to all members. Tn the questionnaire, members were asked to outline the types of wastes of concern in their country or organisation and to compare the various forms of waste treatment. Specific details of incineration technology were requested and the role that the IFRF may perfor~ in improving the technology solicited. |