LETTERS
Incineration or pyrolysis
Stapis With Polluiioo And, effective pollution monitoring isn t viable unless you can be assured of quality data on an immediate, real-time basis That s what EMRTelemetry Systems are all about We re data gathering experts (and have been for 25 years) with systems that are automatic and virtually operation free that can reduce miles of environmental data and report out-of-tolerance situations immediately systems that can automatically analyze as many as 50 parameters at locations that are many miles from your central station
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EMR Telemetry Weston Instruments, Inc. Box 3041, Sarasota, Florida 33578 813-958-081 1 Circle No. 20 on Readers' Service Card
482
Environmental Science & Technology
Dear Sir: In the feature article entitled "Solid waste disposal: incineration or pyrolysis" (ES&T, April 1973, pp 308-1 2),the author makes a statement which is not borne out by fact. On page 310, he refers to Federal regulations requiring new incinerators to emit flue gas with a particulate matter concentration not greater than 0.08 gr/scf, corrected to 12% Con. Mr. Fife does not point out that this regulation covers only dry filterable particulate matter, and does not include the solubles which are gathered by the im'pingers in the sampling train. Under previous regulations, this emission figure was higher, since it used to include all particulate, dry and soluble. Continuing on, he states flatly that "Starved-air systems meet this requirement without gas cleaning equipment, while conventional furnaces require wet scrubbers or electrostatic precipitators with 99% efficiency for compliance." This statement is misleading as well as false. Obviously, Mr. Fife did not do all his homework before making that statement. I cannot speak for other incinerator manufacturers, but I can say that we at Federal Enterprises do make a conventional, retort-type incinerator, which can and does meet the regulations referred to in the article. Our units have been tested in various sizes in locations throughout the country, and they have consistently met the codes. In addition, they have met the 0.08 gr/scf restriction not only when measured as dry particulate, but when total particulates were considered, as well. I was distressed to think that an uninformed individual reading Mr. Fife's article might pass a blanket judgment against so-called "conventional" incinerators, based on these statements. I was also distressed to see that Federal Enterprises' name was not shown on the list of incinerator manufacturers, since we manufacture what is considered by some to be the highest quality conventional-type incinerator built today.
Dear Sir: We noted, with a great deal of interest, Mr. Fife's paper entitled "Solid waste disposal: incineration or pyrolysis" (ES&T, April 1973, pp 308-12). The technical content of his paper was excellent, but omits any mention of the DEVCO system of pyrolysis. The comdete DEVCO svstem. developed over a period of h e years, includes front-end separation of corrugated fiber and mixed paper fiber -pyrolysis of the reject material then separation of the char into the inert, ferrous, nonferrous, and carbon elements. The system is capable of producing a little over 1 Ib of steam (400 psi saturated) for every pound of refuse, and recovery of storable carbon fuel. DEVCO has the largest operating pyrolysis system in the world, capable of receiving and processing refuse at the rate of 7'1; tons/hr. This system has been in operation for almost two years in Flushing, N.Y. (the front-end separation subsystems were tested,in pilot plants located in Upland, Calif., and Brookiyn, N . Y ) . The Federal EPA, New York State Environmental Conservation, New York City EPA personnel plus representatives from numerous other states and cities have visited the Flushing plant and witnessed it in operation. DEVCO is currently in negotiations for full-scale systems in several locations. We anticipate a sales volume of $18 million this year. DEVCO plans to own and operate most of its plants, under contracts with municipalities for dumping fees, in most cases, below present costs. Revenue sharing, in the form of recycled material sales rebates, is offered on a negotiated basis. Numerous studies have shown that pyrolysis is the most controllable means of refuse reduction, offering resalable by-products and low capital costs as advantages, while keeping in pace with current ecological conservation goals. Key patent claims are pending on the DEVCO system.
C. R. Ragland
W. Wayne Morgan
Vice-president Federal Enterprises, Inc. Nixa. Mo. 65714
Vice-president Devco Management Inc. New York, N . Y . 10022
