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Variability of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions continuously measured in solid waste incinerators

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Abstract

Nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide were continuously measured and variability of emission factors (EFs) was evaluated in five municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) and four industrial waste incinerators (IWIs) from 24 to 86 days between 2008 and 2011. N2O EFs were calculated by Monte Carlo simulation and mean N2O EFs were 7.1, 107, 127, 219 g N2O/ton waste combusted in MWIs with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for NOx control, MWIs with selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR), IWIs with SNCR, and a MWI using fluidized bed with SNCR, respectively. Climate-relevant CO2 EFs ranged from 0.45 to 0.72 ton CO2/ton waste combusted in MWIs. Maximum values of upper limit for 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of N2O EFs estimated in each MWIs with SCR, MWIs with SNCR, IWIs with SNCR were 185, 94, 101% of mean N2O EFs, respectively. Meanwhile, maximum values of upper limit for 95% CIs of CO2 EFs were much lower as between 18 and 36% in those facilities. 84% CIs of mean N2O EFs in MWIs with SNCR and IWIs with SNCR were overlapped indicating those values are not significantly different.

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Acknowledgements

The publication was made possible, in part, by a Korea Environment Corporation. This study was supported by the Korean Ministry of the Environment as part of the “Project of Environmental Technology Development for Responding to Climate Change.” Funding was provided by Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, Pokhara University, Lekhnath-12, Dhungepatan, Kaski, 427, Nepal

    Eunhwa Choi

  2. Asian Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea

    Eunhwa Choi & Seung-Muk Yi

  3. Department of Environmental Health, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea

    Heesang Eum & Seung-Muk Yi

  4. Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea

    Yong-Seok Seo

  5. Korea Environmental Corporation, Hwangyeong-ro, Seo-gu, Incheon, 404-708, Korea

    Hyeyoung Lee

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  1. Eunhwa Choi
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Correspondence to Eunhwa Choi.

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Choi, E., Eum, H., Seo, YS. et al. Variability of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions continuously measured in solid waste incinerators. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 20, 832–843 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-017-0644-y

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