Behaviour of inorganic constituents of municipal sewage sludge during fluidized-bed combustion

The fate of main heavy metals in municipal sewage sludge (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn) was investigated using a fluidized-bed reactor. The behaviour of metals in the incinerator was explored by comparing metal contents in the two main ash streams: bottom (in-bed) ash and ash separated by a cyclone (cyclone-catch ash). All metals showed enrichment in the cyclone ash. The ash originating from sewage sludge is thermally quite stable consisting of quartz, hematite, spar(s), mica(s), apatite, and anhydrite. It does not soften nor becomes sticky and does not tend to agglomerate at temperatures up to 950°C.