A Comparison of Gasification and Incineration of Secondary Materials

Gasification technologies meeting the definition proposed by the GTC offer an alternative process for the recovery and recycling of low-value, secondary materials by producing a more valuable commodity – syngas. The multiple uses of syngas (power production, chemicals, methanol, etc.) and the availability of gas clean-up technologies common to the petroleum refining industry make gasification of secondary oil-bearing materials a valuable process in the extraction of products from petroleum. By producing syngas, sulfur, and metal-bearing slag suitable for reclamation or use in construction materials, wastes are minimized and the emissions associated with their destruction by incineration are reduced. Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Agency is considering an exclusion for the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) listed secondary oil-bearing refinery materials when processed in a gasification system. In this paper, various gasification and hazardous waste incineration technologies are described and compared. The formation and fate of trace level substances such as organic compounds and trace elements are addressed. In addition, current regulatory issues related to gasification of secondary materials are discussed, and the status of applicable sampling/analytical methods for gasification systems is summarized.