United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5102G)
v-xEPA A Citizen's Guide to
Incineration
EPA 542-F-01-018
February 2002
www.epa.gov/superfund/sites
www.cluin.org
The Citizen's Guide Series
I
EPA uses many methods to clean up pollution at Superfund and other sites. If you live, work, or go to school near
a Superfimd site, you may want to learn more about these methods. Perhaps they are being used or are proposed
for use at your site. How do they work? Are they safe? This Citizen's Guide is one in a series to help answer your
I questions.
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What Is incineration? Q
Incineration is the process of burning hazardous materials to destroy harmful chemicals.
Incineration also reduces the amount of material that must be disposed of in a landfill.
Although it destroys a range of chemicals, such as PCBs, solvents, and pesticides, incin-
eration does not destroy metals.
How does it work?
An incinerator is a type of furnace. It burns material, such as polluted soil, at a controlled
temperature, which is high enough to destroy the harmful chemicals. An incinerator can be
brought to the site for cleanup or the material can be trucked from the site to an
incinerator.
The material is placed in the incinerator where it is heated. To increase the amount of
harmful chemicals destroyed, workers control the amount of heat and air in the incinerator.
As the chemicals heat up, they change into gases, which pass through a flame to be heated
soil/ash to
- landfill or
buried on site
air pollution
control
equipment
metals,
acids, and
ash particles
to proper
disposal
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For more
information
write the Technology
Innovation Office at:
U.S.EPA(5102G)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave.,
NW
Washington, DC 20460
or call them at
(703)603-9910.
Further information also
can be obtained at
www.cluin.org or
wvv*v.epa.gov/
superfund/sites.
further. The gases become so hot they break down into smaller components that combine
with oxygen to form less harmful gases and steam.
The gases produced in the incinerator pass through air pollution control equipment to remove
any remaining metals, acids, and particles of ash. These wastes are harmful and must be
properly disposed of in a licensed landfill. The other cleaner gases, like steam and carbon
dioxide, are released outside through a stack.
The soil or ash remaining in the incinerator after the burning may be disposed of in a landfill or
buried on site. The amount of material that requires disposal is much less than the initial
amount of waste that was burned.
Is Incineration safe?
An incinerator that is properly designed and operated can safely destroy harmful chemicals. It
can also run without producing odors or smoke. EPA tests the incinerator before and during
operation to make sure that gases are not released in harmful amounts.
How long will it take?
The time it takes for incineration to clean up a site depends on
several factors:
• size and depth of the polluted area
• types and amounts of chemicals present
• whether or not the waste must be trucked to the incinerator
Larger incinerators can clean up several hundred tons of waste each day.
Why use Incineration?
Incineration can destroy some types of chemicals that other methods can't. It is also quicker
than many other methods. This is important when a site must be cleaned up quickly to prevent
harm to people or the environment. On-site incineration can reduce the amount of material
that must be moved to a landfill. Incinerators have been used to clean up 136 Superfund sites
across the country.
NOTE: This fact sheet is intended solely as general guidance and information to the public. It is not intended, nor can it be relied
upon, to create any rights enforceable by any party in litigation with the United States, or to endorse the use of products or services
provided by specific vendors. The Agency also reserves the right to change this fact sheet at any time without public notice.
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