Incineration processes
Incineration is the safest and most secure way to treat
hazardous organic chemical waste. Ekokem's treatment facility is
among the most advanced in the world. Our modern treatment facility
recycles and renders harmless more than 100,000 tonnes of different
types of hazardous waste each year. Ekokem uses four kilns. Two of
them are high temperature kilns for incineration of chemical waste
and other materials that are hazardous due to organic compounds. In
high-temperature process the waste is incinerated in rotating kilns
at a temperature above 1 300 °C. The energy produced by the
incineration process is recovered and utilized for district heating
and electricity. The flue gases are always purified using the
optimal available technology.
Incineration line 1
The core of Ekokem's incineration process consists of
12-metre long, slowly rotating kiln. The incineration of waste
takes place in the kiln at a temperature of about 1300 ºC. This
ensures complete incineration. The heat is recovered in the steam
boiler. The slag produced in the process can be utilized in
landscaping or earth construction works. The technology used for
the cleaning of flue gases is the best available and under constant
development. The flue gas purification system comprises the cooling
of flue gases, pre-scrubbing, the drying of scrubber sludge,
particle removal, the scrubbing of gaseous substances and the
removal of dioxin and mercury residues. Electrostatic and fibre
filters, gas scrubbers and the deployment of auxiliary filtering
have been dimensioned for the incineration of demanding waste,
which ensures that emissions are well below licence limits. The
heat from the incineration process is recovered as electricity and
district heating.
Incineration line 2
Compared with incineration line 1, the rotary kiln and
the after-burning chamber of the incineration line 2 are slightly
smaller. The flue gases are led through the waste heat boiler into
a semi-dry purifying process. Here a district heating heat
exchanger cools it down to a temperature of 155 °C that is more
suitable for the purification process. The flue gas canal is
supplied with lime hydrate and activated carbon that react with
acidic or otherwise hazardous compounds. Particles are removed with
a fabric filter. The flue gas flow is regulated with a blower
and a control valve so that part of the gas can be circulated
back to the purification process.
Medium temperature kiln
The medium temperature kiln is used in the treatment of
solid waste that requires a lower temperature. With temperatures of
500 - 950 °C, this kiln is suitable for the cleaning of, for
example, soil contaminated with organic substances. Medium
temperature incineration improves waste utilisation as the cleaned
soil can be reused. The heat produced in the waste incineration
process is recovered in a steam boiler from which the flue gases
are led into the common flue gas purification system of
Incineration line 2 and the medium temperature kiln.
For further information
Incineration line 1 (pdf-file, 105 KB)
Incineration line 2 (pdf-file, 72 KB)
Medium temperature kiln (pdf-file, 76 KB)