Application of Radioisotopes to Optimize Enviromental Technology Processes at Example of the Determination of Heavy Metal Release at Thermal Waste Treatment

The present paper deals with the application of short-lived radioisotopes to optimize environmental technology processes. The unique features of the radiotracer method are demonstrated at example of the determination of heavy metal release at a municipal solid waste incineration process. Zinc was chosen as a representative of a more or less volatile heavy metal and copper as a representative of a hardly evaporable one for the prupose of investigations. With the help of the short-lived isotopes 69mZn(13.8 h holf.life) and 64Cu (12.7 h half-life) of the selected heavy metals it was possible to detect the location, time and amount evaporated. Since the isotopes used are gamma-emitters, all measured data could be collected without direct contact and sampling-free. The determination of the evaporation location took place using 11 Nal(TI)-scintillation detectors positioned detector positioned along the forward-acting grate; the acquisition of the evaporation rate data ensued with the help of detector located within an absorber positioned to wash the flue gas flow. The measuring results are discussed regarding to the influence of different processing conditions on the evaporation behavior. An outlook is given on upcoming applications of the radiotracer technique in the field of the exploitation and optimization of environmental technology processes. In order to detect the location, time and amount evaproated during the combustion of municipal waste in a pilot plant-scale forward -acting grate system. During this process, 69mZn(13.8 h holf.life) and 64Cu (12.7 h half-life) proved relatively good representatives of isotope species. Since the isotopes used are gamma-emitters, all measured data could be collected without direct contact and sampling-free. The determination of the evaporation location took place using 11 Nal(TI)-scintillation detectors positioned detector located within an absorber positioned to wah the flue gas flow.