Study on the degradation characteristics of PCDD/Fs using Non-thermal Plasma (NTP) technology in full-scale medical waste incineration

Tongzhe Wang; Jianbo Guo; Kaiyue Wang; Liyuan Liu; Yang Chen

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137866

Study on the degradation characteristics of PCDD/Fs using Non-thermal Plasma (NTP) technology in full-scale medical waste incineration

J Hazard Mater. 2025 Mar 5:491:137866. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137866. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tongzhe Wang¹, Jianbo Guo¹, Kaiyue Wang¹, Liyuan Liu¹, Yang Chen²

Affiliations

¹ College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
² College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: chenyang@ucas.ac.cn.

PMID: 40120260
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137866

Abstract

Flue gas from medical waste incineration is a major source of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Conventional treatment technologies exhibit limited effectiveness in purifying PCDD/Fs in flue gas, indicating the need for further research. Improvements to the existing medical waste incineration flue gas treatment process were implemented based on Non-thermal Plasma (NTP) technology. This study investigated the effectiveness of PCDD/Fs removal and selectivity of NTP reactions in a full-scale medical waste incineration process. The research indicates that: (1) The primary components of PCDD/Fs pollutants in flue gas from medical waste incineration are P₅CDFs (predominantly 2,3,4,7,8-P₅CDF) and H₆CDFs (predominantly 1,2,3,4,7,8-H₆CDF, 1,2,3,6,7,8-H₆CDF, and 2,3,4,6,7,8-H₆CDF). (2) Application of NTP technology can significantly improve the removal efficiency and stability of all PCDD/Fs, achieving a maximum removal rate of 98 %. However, the reaction selectivity of NTP for T₄CDDs, T₄CDFs, and P₅CDFs is relatively lower. (3) In P₅CDFs, the predominant component is 2,3,4,7,8-P₅CDF, which constitutes 93 %-96 % of the total. Enhancing the treatment efficiency of NTP technology for 2,3,4,7,8-P₅CDF represents a promising area for future research optimization. This study clarifies the emission patterns of PCDD/Fs in flue gas from medical waste incineration and identifies the advantages and limitations of the NTP process in PCDD/Fs treatment.

Keywords: Flue Gas; Medical Waste Incineration; Non-thermal Plasma; PCDD/Fs.