Dioxins and furans releases in Iranian mineral industries

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 91; no. 6; pp. 838 - 843
• Main Authors: Rezaei, E., Farahani, A., Buekens, A., Chen, T., Lu, S.Y., Habibinejad, M., Damercheli, F., Andalib Moghadam, S.H., Gandomkar, M., Bahmani, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: aluminum; Applied sciences; Atmospheric pollution; Benzofurans - analysis; carbon; Cement; chlorine; copper; Dibenzofurans, Polychlorinated; Dioxins; Direct reduction; emissions; Environmental Pollutants - analysis; Exact sciences and technology; furans; Industry; Integrated iron & steel production; Iran; iron; Minerals - chemistry; mining; natural gas; Other pollution sources in industry; oxides; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; polychlorinated dibenzodioxins; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analogs & derivatives; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins - analysis; Primary aluminium and copper production; primary productivity; raw materials; steel; sulfur; UNEP Toolkit; United Nations Environment Programme; waste incineration; Iran; Asia; UNEP Toolkit; Dioxins; Direct reduction; Integrated iron & steel production; Primary aluminium and copper production; Cement; Dioxin derivatives; Cement industry; Metallurgical industry; Aluminium; Iron; Steel; Pollutant emission; Persistent organic pollutant; Chlorine Organic compounds; Toxic equivalency factor; X ray fluorescence spectrometry; Thermal analysis; Copper; Mining industry
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.01.064

► Emissions of PCDD/Fs of Iranian mineral industries were investigated and estimated. ► PCDD/Fs emissions from eight major metallurgical and cement plants were estimated. ► Samples from steel plant and cement plant were analysed for PCDD/Fs. ► The dioxins loads of the tested samples are unusually low. ► The result can confirm the necessity and feasibility of sampling gaseous effluents.
In this project, emissions of Poly-Chlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins and Dibenzo-Furans (PCDD/Fs) were investigated and estimated for selected Iranian mining and ore processing industries, such as integrated iron & steel plant, primary production of aluminium and copper metal, and the production of cement. As a first step of this study the annual emission of PCDD/Fs was estimated at 120gTEQannum−1 on the base of the UNEP standardised Toolkit for identification and quantification of dioxin and furan releases. Steel and cement were identified as major emission sources and earmarked for further scrutiny. For that reason, filter dust arising in these plants was sampled and analysed, as well as all raw materials employed. After extraction and clean-up according to standard methods, the resulting liquid samples were analysed and quantified by HRGC–HRMS. Complementary analyses using methods such as XRF, TGA/DTA were performed and the emission results statistically evaluated, in order to put PCDD/F emissions in perspective. It is concluded that the dioxins load of cement dust is unusually low, following the low carbon in raw materials, the use of natural gas as a fuel and the absence of waste incineration. Also the production of iron by direct reduction of ore is a low dioxins process; dioxin loads in dust are as usual – correlated with the presence of catalytic metals. Loss on ignition and chlorine are anti-correlated with the main earth elements and with sulphur oxides.