• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.182-189
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• 2012

Co-combustion of sludge with coal is proposed as an alternative option for sludge disposal instead of ocean dumping. Because the combustion of sludge can cause emissions of various air pollutants, it is important to understand the characteristics of sludge combustion flue gases. Especially, very few studies are found to investigate mercury emissions from the co-combustion of sludge with coal. In this study, coal and sludge samples were prepared with different mixing ratios. These samples were combusted in a bench-scale combustor, and their flue gases were analyzed. Due to higher mercury content in the sludge sample, higher mercury emissions were found with an increase in a ratio of sludge to coal. Compared to the combustion flue gas of the coal sample, higher levels of mercury oxidation were found in the combustion flue gas of the samples including sludge.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2014.11a
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• pp.29-32
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• 2014

The practical route for disposal of sewage sludge becomes energy recovery by combustion after its ocean dumping is banned in 2012 in Korea. Due to the high moisture content, however, sewage sludge is required to be dried before transport and combustion. In this study, pyrolysis and combustion characteristics of dried sewage sludge was investigated in a small-scale fixed bed reactor in order to provide fundamental data for energy recovery of the fuel. As the first step of combustion, the primary products of pyrolysis were analyzed in a fixed bed reactor for the condensable volatiles (tar), non-condensable gases, and char. For the combustion characteristics, another fixed bed reactor was constructed to monitor the weight and temperature of the fuel particles during ignition and combustion under different air flow rates. The test results were used to derive the ignition and burning rates.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.8-15
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• 2011

The present study investigates the combustion phenomena in a sludge incinerator using experimental and numerical method. The temperature and gas concentration were measured at 33 points during operation of the incinerator in order to assess the mixing and combustion characteristics. Numerical simulation was also carried out using a commercial CFD code. Simplified inlet conditions were introduced in oder to predict the bulk solid combustion and the diffusion of the volatile matter released by pyrolysis of sludge. The experimental results showed that the combustion process is extremely inhomogeneous. Large variations were observed in the temperature and gas concentrations in the freeboard of the incinerator due to poor mixing performance between the air and the combustibles, which is caused by massive and bulk generation of volatile matter by fast pyrolysis of sludge particles. The boundary condition of the CFD simulation was found effective in predicting the poor mixing and combustion performance of the reactor.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.42-45
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• 2006

A new and reusable energy source is water-treatment sludges. There is a significant need for understanding the characteristics of sludge combustion related to improving efficiency and ensuring the safety of this new energy source. Because sludges are composed of solids and gas mixture, the combustion of the mixture may become quite complex. Not only decomposition of conventional organic elements but also dust explosion may be important during the process of converting sludges into a new and safe form of energy. Sludge combustion mainly involves hydrogen, methane, hydro carbons, carbon, and organic particles. Dust explosion during the gasification stage may depend on the surrounding temperature and the composition of gases. The uncertainty in the explosive behavior of energetic source is noted in this work. We study the explosion characteristics of sludge combustion while the reusability of sewage sludges as a new form of energy is also investigated.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.103-108
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• 2014

Using dried sludge as a secondary fuel of a coal-fired power plant is proposed as an alternative option for sludge disposal. Because elemental contents of sludge are different from those of coal, different levels of acidic gas emissions are expected from the co-combustion of sludge with coal. In this study, sludge samples were obtained from 7 sewage treatment plants in Korea. Each sludge sample was combusted together with coal in a lab-scale combustor, and the concentrations of nitrogen oxides ($NO_x$), sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$), hydrogen chloride (HCl), chlorine ($Cl_2$) in the flue gas were analyzed. Compared to the combustion of coal only, $NO_x$ concentration was slightly higher in the flue gas from the co-combustion of coal and sludge. $SO_2$ emission increased with the combustion of sludge due to the higher content of sulfur in sludge than in coal. For most of the tested samples, the concentrations of HCl and $Cl_2$ were varied depending on the chlorine content in the sludge sample.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.237-244
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• 2015

This objectives of research are to figure out combustion characteristics with increasing temperature with petrochemical sludge by adding wasted organic matters which are waste electric wire, anthracite coal and sawdust, and to exam heating value and ignition temperature for using refused derived fuels(RDFs). After analyzing TGA/DTG, petrochemical sludge shows a rapid weight reduction by vaporing of inner moisture after $170^{\circ}C$. Gross weight reduction rate, ignition temperature and combustion rates represent 68.6%, $221.9^{\circ}C$ and 54.1%, respectively. In order to assess the validity of the RDFs, the petrochemical sludge by adding wasted organic matters which are waste electric wire, anthracite coal and waste sawdust. The materials are mixed with 7:3(petrochemical sludge : organic matters)(wt%), and it analyzes after below 10% of moisture content. The ignition temperatures and combustion rates of the waste electric wire, anthracite coal and waste sawdust are $410.6^{\circ}C$, $596.1^{\circ}C$ and $284.1^{\circ}C$, and 85.6%, 30.7% and 88.8% respectively. In heating values, petrochemical sludge is 3,600 kcal/kg. And the heating values of mixed sludge (adding 30% of the waste electric wire, anthracite coal and waste sawdust) each increase up to 4,600 kcal/kg, 4,100 kcal/kg and 4,300 kcal/kg. It improves the ignition temperatures and combustion rates by mixing petrochemical sludge and organic matters. It is considered that the production of RDFs is sufficiently possible by using of petrochemical sludge by mixing wasted organic matters.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.165-172
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• 2004

Co-incineration of coal and wastewater sludge was r;erfonn:rl in a O.lMWth bench scale circulating fluidized bed combustor(CFBC) Sludge was received from a wastewater treatment plant in a dye industrial complex in Busan. Metropolis. Moisture content of received sludge was 80%. Coal and sludge mixture was prepared with weight ratio of 90/10, 85/15 and 80/20. Co-combustion characteristics of the coal and sludge mixture demonstrated stable combustion conditions. Component analysis, incineration characteristics, boiler performance was measured before and after the test and application for commercial 59MWth CFBC boiler. The release of hazardous components such as $SO_2$ and Cl was suppressed by the presence of inherent minerals of Ca, Na, K in coal and sludge mixture. Pre-drying was not essential but it was recommended for the benefits of manageability of sludge.

• 한국연소학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.06a
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• pp.199-203
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• 2002

In this paper, the effects of water contents on combustion characteristics of paper sludge and capacity of fluidized bed combustor(FBC) were investigated using 0.26m diameter, 1.75m height pilot-plant scale combustor. Combustion tests of paper sludge containing water contents between 40wt% and 50wt% were performed. The temperature and emission variation, the pressure inside combustor were measured to monitor the fluidization quality. The experimental results showed that 30kg/hr feeding rate of sludge containing water up to 45wt% was preferable for this system. Sludge loading rate, heat release rate were calculated from experimental data as major parameters showing FBC capacity. Comparsion with sludge loading rate from other source was also performed

• Journal of the Korean Society of Combustion
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.16-22
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• 2002

Combustion performance of an internally cycloned circulating fluidized bed for paper sludge was discussed through a series of batch type experiments. Operation parameters such as water content, feeding mass of sludge and secondary air injection rate were varied to find out the effect on the combustion performance, which was examined with carbon conversion rate and pollutant emission such as CO and NOx. A conventional solid fuel reaction was observed in the experiments of varying water content and feeding mass of the sludge, which is characterized with kinetic limited reaction zone, diffusion limited reaction zone and transition zone. Secondary air injection with swirl enhances the mixing of the gas phase as well as the solid phase, and improves combustion efficiency accompanied with higher carbon conversion rate and lower pollutant emission rate.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.473-479
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• 2017

This study was designed to understand characteristics of oxy-combustion of coal, dried sewage sludge and solid refuse fuel (SRF). Thermogravimetric analysis was conducted by burning the fuels with air, 21% oxygen ($O_2$)/79% carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) and 30% $O_2/70%$ $CO_2$. Heating rates were varied as 5, 10, 25, 40 and $100^{\circ}C/min$. Complete coal combustion was found at the heating rates of 5, 10, 25 and $40^{\circ}C/min$, and different combustion behavior was found with the gas composition at the heating rates of 10, 25, 40 and $100^{\circ}C/min$. Coal combustion with 30% $O_2/70%$ $CO_2$ showed the highest while coal combustion with 21% $O_2/79%$ $CO_2$ showed the lowest combustion rate. On the other hand, the combustion of dried sewage sludge and SRF showed similar combustion behavior with respect to the combustion gas composition. This suggests that oxy-combustion of dried sewage sludge and SRF which contain a large amount of volatile matter may show similar combustion behavior to their air combustion.