A gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) with a mass selective detector is to be purchased with this equipment grant. This will compliment and enhance existing analytical capabilities within the chemical engineering department, with specific applications to research on the combustion of chlorinated liquid and solid fuels aimed at gaining an understanding of the formation and destruction of intermediate products including dioxins and furans. The specific objectives are to acquire kinetic data on PCDD/PCDFs in spouted-bed and fixed-bed reactors in order to understand accepted formation mechanisms better; to elucidate the role of temperature residence time, precursor partial pressure, and particle size on rates and yields; to model these processes; and to identify the steps and parameters that require more intensive study. The GC/MS will greatly improve the ability to provide quantitative analyses of many samples. This in turn will enhance the likelihood that relationships to probable precursors can be better understood, and from that knowledge the role of certain operation and design parameters on products of incomplete combustion in actual incinerators can be addressed.
