Investigation of Heavy Metal Evaporation in a Pilot Plant Scale Municipal Solid Waste Incinerator by Radiotracers

This paper deals with the introduction of short-lived radioactive isotopes of selected heavy metals in order to detect the location, time and amount evaproated during the combustion of municipal waste in a pilot plant-scale forward -acting grate system. During this process, 69mZn(13.8 h holf.life) and 64Cu (12.7 h half-life) proved relatively good representatives of isotope species. Since the isotopes used are gamma-emitters, all measured data could be collected without direct contact and sampling-free. The determination of the evaporation location took place using 11 Nal(TI)-scintillation detectors positioned detector located within an absorber positioned to wah the flue gas flow