Swedish project first to measure PFAS in flue gases from waste incineration

At present, we do not know whether PFASs are released from incinerators because there has been a lack of standardized measurement methods, as well as analytical methods for gaseous PFASs. Based on laboratory experiments, it is believed that PFASs combust if sufficiently high temperatures are reached, but this project will provide a first indication of whether this is also the case at full scale, says Johan Strandberg, project manager at IVL.

Per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFASs) are found in a wide range of everyday products. They are not readily degradable in the environment and can be technically difficult to degrade by incineration. Previous studies conducted by IVL and Avfall Sverige at Swedish waste incineration plants show that PFASs can be found in various residual product flows, from both household and industrial waste. The results also show that there is still much to learn about how the substances react during incineration, if and when they break down, or if they are converted to other compounds.

We need more knowledge about PFAS and what happens to the substances during combustion. With this project, we hope to gain that, as well as practical experience of how to measure PFASs in flue gases, says Åsa Benckert at Umeå Energi, who is also chair of Avfall Sverige's emissions group.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has developed two methods for measuring different forms of PFASs in flue gases, but this is the first time that both are being tested in real, large-scale environments at waste incineration plants. In addition, a method developed by researchers at Umeå University will be tested in parallel.

In the long term, it is conceivable that some form of regulatory requirement will be implemented for incineration plants with regard to controls on these substances. The project will hopefully help authorities to determine whether these methods are reliable enough to be used for that purpose, says Johan Strandberg.

During the summer, the project has worked on installing sampling equipment and developing an analytical method for measuring gaseous PFASs at IVL's laboratory in Gothenburg. In the autumn, tests will be conducted at Umeå Energi, and subsequently at waste incineration plants in Linköping and Kumla.

For more information, contact:
Johan Strandberg, johan.strandberg@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 65 98
Klas Svensson, klas.svensson@avfallsverige.se, tel. +46 (0)40-35 66 16

The project includes the waste and recycling company Fortum Waste Solutions, Umeå Energi, Tekniska Verken in Linköping and the instrument manufacturer Waters. The reference group includes the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The project is funded by the IVL Foundation and Avfall Sverige.