Toxic oxide deposits from the combustion of landfill gas and biogas

Abstract

Oxide deposits found in combustion systems of landfill gas fired power stations contain relatively high concentrations of elements which form volatile species such as P, As, Sb and Sn. These deposits should be handled with care because of their potential toxicity. By contrast, deposits in biogas system engines were found to contain much lower levels of such elements. The enrichment of these elements can be attributed to a hypothetical multistage process. The elements form volatile species in the landfill body. They are selectively transported as part of the landfill gas into the gas-burning devices. Inside the burners, they are immobilized as nonvolatile oxides.