On-line measurement of chlorobenzene in waste incineration flue gas as a surrogate for the emission of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (I-TEQ) using mobile resonance laser ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Mobile resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (REMPI-TOFMS) was applied for on-line detection of surrogates for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/F) in the flue gas of an industrial hazardous waste incineration plant (thermal power: 22 MW). Conventional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) measurements have been performed to establish an indicator relation between the best suited surrogate (monochlorobenzene) and the PCDD/F concentration in the flue gas (measured in international toxicity equivalents, I-TEQ). The indicator relation allows the estimation of the actual PCDD/F emission from the on-line registered MCBz signal. Furthermore, several other aromatic components have been measured on-line. During transient instabilities of the combustion conditions, e.g. due to barrel uptake, highly dynamic changes in the emission profiles of substituted benzenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were observed.