Mercury, dioxin, and furan removal system and method for reducing GAC fires on new high temperature municipal sludge incinerators

A method of constructing a municipal sludge incinerator, comprising:

• providing centrifuge decanter, wherein the centrifuge decanter is configured to dewater a municipal sludge;
• attaching a feed pump to the centrifuge decanter, wherein the feed pump is configured to pump the dewatered sludge;
• attaching a fluid bed reactor to the feed pump, wherein the fluid bed reactor includes a sand bed that is configured to subject the dewatered sludge to a temperature of at least 1250° F. in the sand bed and to produce a flue gas;
• attaching an air preheater to the fluid bed reactor, wherein the air preheater is configured to cool the flue gas;
• attaching a fluidizing air blower to the air preheater, wherein the fluidizing air blower is configured to introduce air into the air preheater which interacts with the flue gas to decrease a temperature at which the flue gas exits the air preheater;
• attaching a waste heat boiler and economizer to the air preheater, wherein the waste heat boiler and economizer is configured to interact with the flue gas that exits the air preheater to remove a portion of ash contained with the flue gas;
• attaching a turbine generator to the waste heat boiler and economizer, wherein the turbine generator is configured to interact with a steam to create electricity;
• connecting a building heat supply to the turbine generator, wherein the building heat supply is configured to receive electricity from the turbine generator;
• attaching a gas reheater to the waste heat boiler and economizer, wherein the gas reheater is configured to lower a temperature of the flue gas;
• attaching an adsorber to the gas reheater, wherein the adsorber further comprises:
• at least a removable first layer having an amount of activated carbon, wherein the first layer is configured to remove dust from the flue gas,
• a removable second layer located below the first layer and having an amount of sulfur impregnated activated carbon, and
• at least a removable third layer located below the second layer and having an amount of sulfur impregnated activated carbon, wherein the second and third layers are configured to remove mercury, dioxin, and furan from the flue gas;
• connecting an exhaust stack to the adsorber, wherein the exhaust stack is configured to exhaust the flue gas into the atmosphere;
• attaching a quencher to the gas reheater, wherein the quencher is configured to reduce a temperature of the flue gas;
• attaching a wet electrostatic precipitator to the quencher and the gas reheater, wherein the wet electrostatic precipitator is configured to remove particulate matter, cadmium, and lead from the flue gas;
• attaching a scrubber operatively to the quencher, the wet electrostatic precipitator, and the gas reheater, wherein the scrubber is configured to reduce a temperature of the flue gas and remove particulates from the flue gas;
• and
• connecting a plant water supply to the wet electrostatic precipitator and the scrubber, wherein the plant water supply is configured to supply water to the wet electrostatic precipitator and the scrubber.

A method of using a municipal sludge incinerator, comprising:

• dewatering sludge by a centrifuge decanter;
• conveying the dewatered sludge by a feed pump from the centrifuge decanter to a fluid bed reactor having a sand bed;
• heating the dewatered sludge in the sand bed of the fluid bed reactor to a temperature of least 1250° F. to produce a flue gas
• transporting the flue gas to an air preheater, wherein the air preheater is configured to cool the flue gas;
• introducing air into the air preheater by a fluidizing air blower to decrease a temperature at which a waste flue gas exits the air preheater;
• heating the air by the flue gas in the air preheater;
• transporting the flue gas and the heated air to a waste heat boiler and economizer;
• removing a portion of ash contained in the flue gas by the waste heat boiler and economizer;
• transporting a portion of the flue gas to a turbine generator to create electricity and provide a building heat supply, wherein the building heat supply is configured to receive electricity from the turbine generator;
• transporting a remainder of the flue gas to a gas reheater;
• introducing clean flue gas into the gas reheater;
• interacting the clean flue gas with the remainder of the flue gas;
• increasing a temperature of the clean flue gas and decreasing the temperature of the waste flue gas that is discharged from the air preheater;
• transporting the waste flue gas to a quencher and a scrubber;
• removing particulates and acid gas from the remainder of the flue gas;
• transporting the remainder of the flue gas back to the gas reheater to reheat the remainder of the flue gas;
• transporting the clean flue gas to an adsorber, wherein the adsorber further comprises;
• at least a removable first layer having an amount of activated carbon, wherein the first layer is configured to remove dust from the flue gas,
• a removable second layer located below the first layer and having an amount of sulfur impregnated activated carbon, and
• at least a removable third layer located below the second layer and having an amount of sulfur impregnated activated carbon, wherein the second and third layers are configured to remove mercury, dioxin, and furan from the flue gas;
• transporting the remainder of the flue gas to an exhaust stack;
• monitoring for oxygen, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide in the remainder of the flue gas in the exhaust stack;
• and
• exhausting the remainder of the flue gas into the atmosphere.