Continuous Sampling VS Periodical Sampling

Dioxins and Furans, produced unintentionally during combustion of chlorinated organics, are very dangerous for human health. Such emissions are present in all urban or industrial waste incinerators or co-incineration plants. All modern plants are equipped with variety of flue gas filtration processes to reduce the emissions of dioxin to levels of the concentration lower than 0,1ng/m3, limit in force in the European Union.

The technology to detect the dioxins is still based on sampling and chemical adsorption technique, with consequent analysis with HRGCMS. The dioxin in emission is present in the particles as well as in the gas, therefore in the past years US EPA and CEN developed respectively method M23 and EN 1948, which describe the entire process to detect the dioxins from sampling to analysis. The result is typically obtainable in 10-15 days after a snapshot measurement with sampling technique on stack with a duration of 6-8 hours. The periodical sampling is an effective method to test the plant performance at operation regime. It is a different if we wish to know what is the total environmental impact of a plant concerning the immission of dioxins in the neighbourhood territory. In other words: how many grams per year of dioxins an incineration plant disperse in his territory, during his operation including the transients? That is why Dioxins continuous samplers are developed. TCR Tecora (Italy), designed and produce DECS, a Dioxin Emission Continuous Sampler, which is an in-site isokinetic system for stack sampling. The system sample continuously from 8hrs to 6 weeks to capture particles isokinetically and to provide chemical adsorption with XAD2 of the dioxins in the gas phase. Several test were performed to prove the capture efficiency of the DECS. DECS is mCerts certified. See us at CEM Stand 32.