The Destruction of PCBs in a Coal Fired Boiler

PCBs

• PCB stands for polychlorinated biphenyls. These are organic chemical families that are created during manufacturing processes, particularly processes that use fossil fuels to produce different materials. They tend to be liquids or solids. Although they were used as lubricants or insulation materials, few PCBs are manufactured in the United States today. Reports have shown that PCBs can cause pregnancy-related problems and a number of other health issues.

Coal Issues

• PCB byproducts tend to be burned away according to United States regulations, but some small amounts of the chemicals are still created, especially when fuels are reused. Coal boilers are responsible for a small amount of PCB emission. Because coal is an original fuel material, PCB content of coal exhaust stays very low and is generally allowed under regulation. This does not mean that coal is always environmentally sound, but coal boilers can be used to destroy PCBs without contributing to the problem.

Major Contributors

• While materials like coal and oil have low natural PCB emission, other materials and processes cause far more problems. Electrical equipment production and paint production, for example, create a high amount of PCBs through both leakage and normal emission. This is especially true when plastics and similar synthetic materials are incinerated after production and use. The goal of many types of incineration is then to burn away PCBs into smaller molecules rather than letting the compounds escape.

Burning in Coal Boilers

• Because coal boilers do not produce many PCBs themselves, they can be used an a cheap incinerator for goods that might produce PCBs themselves if burned in low-quality furnaces. The United States requires that a high-efficiency power boiler or boiler especially designed to incinerate PCBs must be used. This means that not all coal boilers can be used for destroying PCBs, but high-efficiency versions rated for incineration typically qualify.