United States Environmental Protection Agency Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory Cincinnati OH 45268 Research and Development EPA-600/S2-81-037 June 1981 Project Summary Report of the Interagency Ad Hoc Work Group for the Chemical Waste Incineration Ship Program Robert J. Johnson, Peter J Weller, Donald A Oberacker and Milton L Neighbors This publication summarizes two complete project reports: "Design Recommendations for a Shipboard At-Sea Hazardous Waste Incineration System," and "Design Requirements for a Waterfront Facility to Support Chemical Waste Incinerator Ships." These two engineering studies assess the key aspects of at-sea incineration of hazardous chemical wastes. In- cluded are evaluations of (1) several alternative shipboard incineration systems, (2) requirements for a full- service waterfront support facility, and (3) all phases of waste disposal, from waste selection to final disposi- tion of any effluent, ash, or residues produced. A preliminary evaluation was made of generic incinerators potentially applicable to shipboard operation. As a result, liquid injection incinerators were selected for de- struction of pumpable wastes, and a rotary kiln was recommended for experimental evaluations of shipboard incineration of solid hazardous wastes. Fluidized-bed, molten salt, multiple hearth, multiple chamber, and starved- air incinerators are all limited in oper- ating temperatures and/or waste type capability compared with the rotary kiln. Cost of each liquid injection inciner- ator is estimated to be $2.5 million (or $3.8 million installed). Estimated cost of rotary kiln incinerator proposed for shipboard application is $900,000 (or $1.1 million installed). One rotary kiln and three liquid injection incinerators are recommended for the ship under consideration, which has a waste capacity of approximately 8,000 met- ric tons. Required sampling, monitor- ing, and analysis equipment is esti- mated to cost approximately $261,000. These estimates are in 1980 dollars. The Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce has estimated the total cost of a new incinerator vessel (including installed incineration equipment) to be $75 to $80 million for delivery in 1985. Capital costs for a dedicated, full- service waterfront support facility (excluding dock rental and land costs) are estimated to be $19 million in 1980 dollars. Operating costs (includ- ing labor, maintenance, depreciation, power, and ash disposal) are estimated to be $4 million annually, excluding undetermined insurance costs. A review of existing U.S. terminal facilities found that 139 ports and 1,221 terminal docks, piers, or wharves on the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the continental United States have sufficient water depth and space to receive the conceptual design in- cinerator ship. These terminals are concentrated primarily in the states of ------- Texas, New Jersey, Louisiana, Cali- fornia, and New York. This Project Summary was devel- oped by EPA's Industrial Environ- mental Research Laboratory, Cincin- nati, OH, to announce key findings of the research project that is fully docu- mented in a separate report of the same title (see Project Report ordering information at back). Introduction An estimated 57 million metric tons of industrial hazardous wastes were pro- duced in the United States during 1980. Many of these wastes, particularly the organic chemicals, are mcinerable; but only a limited number of commercially available, land-based hazardous waste incinerators exist in the United States, and public opposition to additional sites is increasing. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering a demonstration project using a U.S. flag vessel for at-sea incineration of hazardous wastes This project would be conducted in cooperation with the Maritime Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Thermal destruction of chemical wastes at sea by European vessels has been shown to be an environmentally acceptable and cost effective means of disposal for many types of liquid com- bustible chemical wastes. EPA has recommended that a U.S. incinerator ship be built that is capable of destroying liquid wastes at sea and that can explore extending the capability of at-sea incin- eration to solid and semi-solid materials. The objectives of this study were to assess the key aspects of at-sea incin- eration and to issue a study report. An engineering evaluation was performed on several alternative forms of ship- board incineration systems, including waste selection and the disposition of any effluent or residues produced. Design requirements were also devel- oped for a waterfront support facility for incinerator ships This facility would receive, store, analyze, process, and load wastes onto the ship in a safe and efficient manner; it would also receive any residues from the incinerator ship for analysis and disposal Conclusions The conclusions developed from this engineering study are twofold: those concerning the shipboard incineration system and those having to do with the waterfront support facility. Shipboard Incineration System Types of Incinerators— Major characteristics of candidate incinerators for shipboard, at-sea appli- cation are compared in Table 1. The capability of each incinerator to destroy different types of waste material is noted in the table, along with maximum operating temperature, relative main- tenance requirements, and present commercial applications. The liquid injection incinerator can be used only for pumpable liquids; however, it is the most effective means of inciner- ating liquid wastes at high feed rates, and it is capable of attaining the tem- perature required (up to 1600°C) for highly efficient destruction of toxic materials. This incinerator can also serve as the afterburner for a solid waste incinerator. Maintenance re- quirements are low because there are no moving parts within the high tem- perature zone. Liquid injection incinera- tors are widely used in commercial applications and represent the only technology well proven at sea for de- struction of hazardous wastes. Rotary kilns are the most versatile incinerators available, capable of han- dling any combination of liquids, slurries, tars, or solids, including containerized Table 1 . Comparison of Candidate Liquid Item Injection Waste Capability: Pumpable Liquids Slurries, Sludges Tars Solids: Granular Irregular Containerized Maximum Operating Temperature, °C Maintenance Requirements Commercial Application X 1600 low™ Widely used,' liquid wastes Incinerators for Rotary Kiln X X X X X X 1600 medium*'*0 Widely used. all wastes Shipboard, At-Sea Fluidized- Bed X X X 980 med/'uma'c Limited use. sludges and organic wastes Application Mo/ten Salt X X X X 980 medium"'" Demon- stration tests only Multiple Hearth X X X 1100 high9 Widely used. sewage sludge Multiple Chamber X X X WOO medium" Widely used. refuse Starved- Air X X X 820 high" Resource recovery BNo moving parts in high temperature zone. tiBearing and seal modifications required. cAsh removal and bed replacement required. dSa/f recycle or replacement required. "Moving parts in high temperature zone. 'Liquid injection incinerators are the only type that have been successfully utilized for shipboard, at-sea operation. ------- wastes. Temperatures as high as 1600°C can be attained in the kiln. Rotary kilns represent well proven technology for land-based incineration but their use at sea would be a new application. Specially designed equipment will be required to withstand pitch, roll, vibration, and environmental conditions at sea. Main- tenance requirements may be higher than for a liquid injection system. The rotary kiln used in conjunction with a liquid injection incinerator is considered to be the most versatile system for thermal destruction of a wide variety of hazardous wastes. Fluidized-bed incinerators are more limited than rotary kilns in their range of feed materials (Table 1) and are not suited for irregular solids or tarry sub- stances. Maximum operating tempera- tures are limited to 980°C to avoid fusion of the silica sand bed material. Higher temperatures of 1200°C are possible using alumina refractory par- ticles at the bed materials. Maintenance includes ash removal and replacement of the bed when necessary. Pitch and roll of the ship, particularly during storms, would cause shifting of the large mass of bed material, both during incineration and when shut down. The bed will retain heat for restart during shutdowns of up to 1-day duration, beyond which reheating of the bed is required. Molten salt reactor pilot and demon- stration units have been used to destroy liquid, slurry, and granular solid waste materials, but no large commercial units are presently in operation. Opera- ting temperature of the salt bed is limited to 980°C. Pitch and roll on the ship will cause sloshing of the molten salt within the reactor. A potential advantage of this system is that it can serve as a combined incinerator/ scrubber by retaining particulates and contaminants in the bed, but salt regen- eration or replacement is then needed periodically. The salt bed must also be removed from the reactor before solidi- fication during shutdown. A spill of the hot, caustic salt that contains toxic contaminants could pose hazards aboard ship. Multiple hearth incinerators are widely used for sewage sludge disposal, but they can also accept granular solid and liquids (injected through the auxiliary fuel nozzles). Operating temperatures |are limited to 1100°C because of the internal mechanical components (ro- tating shaft, rabble arms, etc.). Main- tenance of internal moving parts would be frequent because of ship motion as well as thermal stress. Also, the pres- ence of any fusible ash could render the system inoperable until cleaned out. Multiple chamber incinerators are used extensively for industrial disposal of bulk solid wastes. Liquid wastes can be injected with the auxiliary fuel. Since slurries and sludges may fall through the incinerator grates, they are not suitable for this incinerator. Solids/air mixing is not as thorough as in rotary kilns, and high excess air rates are required, resulting in operating tem- peratures of approximately 1000°C. A number of incinerator designs, including multiple hearths, can be operated as starved-air combustors by restricting air input to less than the amount required for stoichiometric conditions. These systems may have high efficiencies, but hazardous by- products may be formed if there is insufficient oxygen for complete reaction, and an afterburner is required to burn combustible emissions. Use of this mode of, incinerator operation is usually limited to by-product recovery from sludges or solids. Emission Control Devices— Emission control devices commonly used with land-based incinerators have many limitations for shipboard opera- tion, including size, weight, and fresh water requirements. Table 2 summarizes the major advantages and limitations of emission control devices potentially suitable for at-sea incineration of haz- ardous wastes. A high-energy venturi scrubber represents the lowest weight, volume, and installed cost emission control system evaluated, if the sea water can be used for scrubbing and discharged into the sea. A closed-loop system requiring a settling tank would be impractical because of space and weight requirements. Waste Feed Systems— A shipboard waste feed system is required to retrieve the waste from storage and transport it to the incinerator without spillage under operating condi- tions of pitch, roll, and vibration. Liquid wastes and some slurries can be trans- ported to the incinerator by conven- tional pumps, piping, and valves. Solids can be loaded into sealed containers on land: either smaller fiber containers can be fed directly into the incinerator, or larger standard bulk material containers can be discharged directly into a sealed hopper. Handling of 55-gal drums (par- ticularly potential leakers) and shredding operations involve too much risk aboard ship. Waste Selection— Wastes can be selected for at-sea incineration only after a complete analysis of their physical, chemical, and thermal properties. Physical properties must be known to determine if the waste is compatible with the incinerator type and waste handling system. Chemical and thermal properties affect the com- bustion characteristics of the waste. Normally, a minimum heating value of 4400 to 5540 kcal/kg (8,000 to 10,000 Btu/lb) is necessary to sustain combus- tion, but this is only an approximate limit. The M/T Vulcanus has burned organochlorine wastes with chlorine content as high as 63% and heat content as low as 3,860 kcal/kg (6,950 Btu/lb) without firing auxiliary fuel. Monitoring— Dedicated shipboard laboratory per- sonnel are required to assure opera- tional safety by analyzing the shipboard environment for waste constituents and by verifying waste destruction efficiency. Environmental monitoring during at- sea incineration is essential to ensure personnel safety and to protect the environment. Waterfront Support Facility The waterfront facility is a critical part of the entire system for chemical waste disposal using incinerator ships. A dedicated, full-service facility must accommodate wastes in almost any physical form and in several types of containers, some of which may be old, corroded, and possibly leaking. Ideally, the facility would service waste delivery by truck, rail, and barge. The proposed facility would consecutively accommo- date up to two incinerator ships, each of which would be on a 2-week cycle. Capability m ust be provided for prepa ri ng and blending wastes for optimum trans- fer and combustion, and for unloading any ash residue from the incineration process from each ship. Figure 1 is a generalized process flow diagram for the facility. Design— The waterfront facility is designed to prevent emissions of hazardous ma- ------- Table 2. Advantages and Limitations of Selected Emission Control Devices Device Advantages Limitations Dry Electrostatic Precipitator Dry dust collection inc. heavy metals Low pressure drop and power requirement Efficient removal of fine particles No waste sludge generated Wet Electrostatic Precipitator Fabric Filter Simultaneous gas absorption and dust removal Low energy consumption No dust resistivity problems Efficient removal of fine particles Control of tacky particles buildup Dry dust collection inc. heavy metals High efficiency at low to moderate pressure drop Efficient removal of fine particles No sludge or liquid wastes No liquid freezing problems Dry sorbent injection for removal of gaseous pollutants possible Molten Salt Scrubber Incineration and scrubbing of gaseous and paniculate emissions possible in a single device Heavy metals removal Hot incinerator gases can serve to preheat salt bath Salt bath operates as afterburner Pilot experience with chlorinated hydrocarbon wastes Simultaneous gas absorption and dust removal Suitable for high temperature, high moisture and high dust-loading applications Cut diameter of 0.5fjm is attainable Collection efficiency may be varied Commercially proven with hazardous waste incineration Resin-coated FRP materials available for halogenic gases Effective scrubbing with fresh water or sea water Relatively low weight and capital cost Simultaneous gas absorption and dust removal Suitable for high temperature, high moisture, and high dust-loading applications Collection efficiency may be varied High Energy Venturi Scrubber with Mist Eliminator Tower Spray Tower Relatively high capital cost Sensitive to change in flow rate Particle resistivity affects removal & economics Not capable of removing gaseous pollutants Fouling potential with tacky particles Primary collection of large particles required Electrical shorting possible aboard ship High corrosion damage expected with halogens Limited commercial experience for hazardous waste incineration Relatively high capital cost Low gas absorption efficiency Sensitive to changes in flow rate Dust collection is wet Demister possibly required Electrical shorting possible aboard ship High corrosion damage expected with halogens Limited commercial experience for hazardous waste incineration Gas temperatures cannot exceed 290°C although practical maximum is 95°C Fabrics may be susceptible to chemical attack Not capable of removing gaseous pollutants without modification Demister required after pre-quench Relatively large system size and costs Storage required for dry sorbent, waste cake and spent materials; disposal required for waste cake and spent materials No commercial experience with hazardous waste incineration Limited commercial experience Slip-stream testing needed Batch process with limited information on cycle times Budgetary capital costs and operating costs not available Relatively large space requirement Danger potential in case of molten salt accident Corrosion and erosion problems with metallic con- struction Additional corrosion problems with sea water Dust is collected wet Moderate to high pressure drop Only moderate removal of gaseous pollutants Settling pond required for closed-loop operation High efficiency may require high pump discharge pressures Dust is collected wet Nozzles are susceptible to plugging Requires downstream mist eliminator Design based on experience and experimental testing Settling pond required for closed-loop operation ------- Table 2. (continued) Device Advantages Limitations Plate-type Scrubbers and Packed Bed Simultaneous gas absorption and dust removal High removal efficiency for gaseous and aerosol pollutants Low to moderate pressure drop Commercially proven with hazardous waste incineration Low efficiency for fine particles Not suitable for high temperature or high dust- loading applications Requires downstream mist eliminator Corrosion and erosion problems with metallic con- struction Additional corrosion problems with sea water Sett/ing pond required for closed-loop operation For tray towers, motion of ship results in uneven weir heights terials, to contain spills, .eaks, and other accidents, and to minimize harm to personnel and the environment in the event of accidents. Ideally, the facility should be located where transportation time and distance are minimal. Structural standards must be carefully followed; these would normally be defined by the Uniform Building Code and additional location- specific building regulations. The design must also meet safety, health, and environmental criteria, which include provisions for facility monitoring, per- sonnel safety, and contingency planning in the event of both major and minor releases of chemical wastes that have the potential to pollute the land, water, or air. These criteria are generally specified in Federal regulations. A proposed layout of the facility is shown in Figure 2. Approximately 75,000 m2 (18 acres) of land will be required and a staff of approximately 40 will be needed to operate on a two-shift schedule. Waste Handling— Liquid waste, solid waste, and ash residue from incineration will be pro- cessed and stored separately. Liquid waste in drums and other containers will be sent through a shredder in the dedrumming facility. Liquid from both the containers and the decontamination of the containers will be blended to optimize transfer and combustion pro- cesses and pumped to storage tanks. Liquid waste arriving in tank trucks or tank cars will also be blended and pumped to the storage tanks along with the tanker decontamination rinse. Solid waste arriving at the site will be ^unloaded at the unloading rack, prepared incineration by shredding, and placed In bulk material containers to be loaded onto the ship. Any ash residue from the at-sea burn will be returned to the waterfront facility and kept in the residue storage area until removed for ultimate disposal, probably in a landfill approved for hazardous waste disposal Review of Existing Terminal Facilities— A review of existing terminal facilities in the United States was conducted by Diversified Maritime Services, Inc , as part of this study. Facilities that regularly accommodate vessels similar m length and draft to the conceptual incineration vessel were identified, without regard to the type of commodity or material being handled. Only those terminals having a minimum water depth at loading berths of 7.6 M (25 ft) were included. This list of terminals was then •limited to those that are handling either liquid and/or dry cargoes that are hazardous or commodities that possess physical and chemical characteristics that are similar to those anticipated for hazardous wastes (ignitability, corro- Sivity, reactivity, toxicity). The latter group of terminals was evaluated from the standpoint of their potential for conversion to a liquid and/or solid hazardous waste marine terminal. Ma- rine terminal and materials handling experts were consulted regarding rea- sonable and practical alternatives in the development of a hazardous waste marine terminal. On the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the continental United States, there are 139 ports and 1,221 terminal docks, piers or wharves that have sufficient water depth and space to receive the chemical waste incineration vessel as designed. Of the 1,221 terminal docks, piers and wharves, 381 handle refined petroleum products or liquefied chemi- cals (and allied products). These termi- nals are concentrated primarily m the states of Texas, New Jersey, Louisiana, California, and New York Except for military terminals, ownership of these facilities is predominantly private. Most of the major and many of the smaller bulk liquid terminal companies that offer services to the public are members of the Independent Liquid Terminal Association, established m 1974. Through that association, they are relatively well informed of environ- mental rules and regulations that are being developed in compliance with congressional legislation. Accordingly, these companies are not only familiar with long-existing local, state, and Federal regulations for handling com- mercial bulk liquid commodities (which are mainly concerned with fire, explo- sion, and safety matters), but they are also acquainted with recent EPA regula- tions for implementing the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Several of these companies have filed or plan to file "Notification of Hazardous Waste Activity" (EPA Form 8700-1 2) to qualify their terminals for interim status. The knowledge and expertise of such firms could contribute to the development of a waterfront facility. Recommendations The recommended incineration sys- tem for destruction of both solid and liquid hazardous wastes at sea is a rotary kiln coupled to a liquid injection incinerator. Two or more identical liquid injection incinerators (depending on size of the ship selected) should be used for the destruction of liquid wastes. A single rotary kiln should be installed in combination with one of the liquid injection incinerators for evaluation before additional kilns are added. ------- Transportation Pool T Tankers 1 Tankers Incoming Liquid ' — v, Inco W?"t<> fn pr,,rr,* Decontamination f Liquid and Containers Containerized , , Waste norinimminrj Liquid Facility Waste Y n • Liquid Waste 1 Metal Scrap < i \ ' \ in Ta i Liquid Receiv Waste Testl • Waste ( nkers *" Liquid Solid l/l/ ^ Waste ng1 TanA > ' Blending and/or Fuel Storage Sh Other Preparation •*• Tanks Off \ Blended , Liquid Waste ''nntainf>ri7f>rl Storage Blended ^ Solid Tanks Liquid Waste i i ^Waste ' \ ' Ship • 1 At-Sea Incineration Ash i ' Residue Onshore Storage iAsh Residue Ultimate Disposal Incoming Solid Waste rized] 'asie f Unloading Rack \ ' redding and/or ler Preparation Prepared Solid ' ' Wastes Bulk Containers itoring the liquid waste feed rate to each incinerator burner. Solid material should be processed on land and loaded into sealed bulk material carriers or mciner- able containers compatible with ship- board safety requirements to minimize hazards of waste handling on board ship. Use of 55-gal drums and shredding operations on board are not recom- mended Environmental monitoring during at- sea incineration must be conducted to ensure personnel safety and protection of the environment A shipboard labora- tory should be provided for analysis and identification of effluent waste samples and verification of destruction efficiency. A waterfront facility is essential to support the operation of incinerator ships. The facility must be designed to receive, store, analyze, process, and load wastes aboard the ship in a safe and efficient manner, and to receive any residues from the incineration process for ultimate disposal. Some existing private and military terminals may be used for this purpose. A U.S. incinerator ship can serve two broad functions: first, it can be used for the destruction of hazardous wastes in a location minimizing the risk to public health and the environment; second, it can provide a safe site to continue EPA research and development efforts in hazardous waste incineration. Further- more, an incineration vessel would provide needed experience in the large- scale processing of hazardous waste materials. The effects of process varia- tions in a commercial-scale incinerator on hazardous waste destruction effi- ciencies needed to be further investi- gated, along with many types of wastes not yet tested. In addition to destroying hazardous wastes, the proposed incin- eration vessel could effectively test incinerator designs, emission control concepts, and improved sampling/ monitoring equipment and methods. Figure 1. Waterfront facility process flow. The ship layouts shown in Figure 3 indicate some of the ways that incinera- tion systems can be integrated on board ships to provide desired incineration capacity and operational time at sea. Studies should be made for each ship size under consideration to determine the optimum number of incinerators and incineration time versus ship loading and transit times. A high-energy venturi scrubber with a pre-quench and a mist eliminator tower utilizing sea water should be considered for shipboard evaluation. Marine environmental effects of single- pass sea water scrubbing system must be evaluated, however. Ideally, liquid wastes should be stored in inert, gas-blanketed, lined tanks. Flowmeters are recommended for mon- ------- 300m ' (WOO ft) Rolling i /r » « Gate r m « * * — Tanker Unloading _ and Decontamination Rolling Gate 1 (2000 bbl)- (800 ft) m ft) j J « i * ( K • 1 ft 7200 m3 . 7200 bbl) Water Treatment C Vapor Storage and Disposal (Blending) f Ora/7* St ^J uu DO OO O\& Container rocessing)i orage-^ 3000 m3 18000 bbl o o /o" Waste Preparatio Solvent ) V_/ S^\ 5 Solvent oc 6 (Ship-Container i^Bx^Loading)^—* olid and Containerize Liquid Storage iRamp c n Maintenance \ Equipment Fire and Safety Equipment 700m Drainage Channels Expansion Dikes rShip Loading*— PI \Controls Incinerator Ship -140 m (450 ft)— Support I \Building * 460 m2 , Administration \—Lab-lf Fence\ Expansion 60 m (200 ft) Fuel O o Residue Receiving and Loading Ramp •0- - 60 m - -(200 Ill- x-. 25 m .--' (82ft) Figure 2. Waterfront facility layout. US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1981-757-012/7157 ------- -Liquid Incinerators (2) ' Deck 4000 MT House ' Waste Storage -Rotary Kiln 100 m .Liquid Incinerators (3) I I 8000 MT | Deck j Waste Storage | House 130 m Liquid Incinerators (6) Rotary -Kilns (2) 72000 MT Waste Storage Deck House 160 m Figure 3. Alternative incinerator ship configurations. Robert J. Johnson and Peter J. Weller are with TRW. Inc., Redondo Beach, CA 90278; Milton L. Neighbors is with Diversified Maritime Services, Washington, DC 20005. Donald A. Oberacker is the EPA Project Officer (see below). The complete report, entitled "Report of the Inter agency Ad Hoc Work Group for the Chemical Waste Incineration Ship Program," (Order No. PB 81 -112 849; Cost: $20.00, subject to change] will be available only from: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 Telephone: 703-487-4650 The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at: Industrial Environmental Research Laboratory U.S Environmental Protection Agency Cincinnati, OH 45268 United States Environmental Protection Agency Center for Environmental Research Information Cincinnati OH 45268 Postage and Fees Paid Environmental Protection Agency EPA 335 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 USS ENVIR2PRGTt;CTION REGION 5 LIBRARY 230 S DEARBORN SIRtlET CHICAGO IL 60604 ------- |