Observation of behavior of dioxins and some relating elements in iron ore sintering bed by quenching pot test

Understanding of the formation mechanism of dioxins in the sintering bed is of importance in developing countermeasures to reduce the emission of dioxins from sintering plants. This research has clarified the behavior and the possible mechanism of dioxin formation and the relation to CI and Cu components in the sintering bed by conducting a series of quenching tests utilizing sintering pots. The progress of flame front was quenched by terminating the air supply, then introducing N ₂ gas in the reverse direction when the sintering process progressed halfway through the test pots, specifically to the position of the thermocouples. The primary specimens were obtained from the raw mixture zone situated beneath the combustion interface for chemical analysis. Concentrations of dioxins, Cl and Cu were found at the depth of 10-20 mm beneath the combustion interface in raw mixture zone. This was considered to be the site of dioxin synthesis. Slight increase of dioxins in the wet zone was related to dioxin vaporizing from the site of the synthesis, then to be trapped in this zone. Significant amounts of dioxins escaping into the outlet gas at and after burn through point could be explained by both the releasing of trapped dioxins and the acceleration of the synthesizing process attributable to the increased concentration of Cl and Cu.