Cleaner Technology Projects in Denmark 1996
Plant for Pre-Treatment of Refrigerators and Freezers from Households before Incineration
Plant for pre-treatment of Refrigerators and Freezers from Households before
Incineration
Arbejdsrapport nr. 56, 1996, Miljøstyrelsen
To remove refrigerating units most environmentally sound and in accordance with The Copenhagen Municipality Waste Programme a model with a central installation was prepared. This report includes a description of the project experimenting with treatment of refrigerating units according to the prepared model.
In 1989 the Agency of Environmental Protection, City of Copenhagen prepared an action programme to limit derivation of CFC in the atmosphere. With a view to reach an environmentally sound handling of CFC when scrapping refrigerating units, one of the areas focused upon was collection of discarded refrigerating units from households. In the Copenhagen Municipality Waste Programme from October 1990 resolutions for the development of techniques for recycling or destruction of waste involving CFC, were included.
Collection of refrigerating units from households was initiated by establishing an arrangement at recycling stations, where the refrigerating units were tapped for CFC-12. Concurrently a treatment possibility was developed, which should not only include drawing from the coolant circuit but also destruction of CFC-1 I in the insulation foam.
In April 1992 a work group consisting of representatives from I/S Amagerforbrænding, Renholdningsselskabet af 1898 and the Agency of Environmental Protection in the City of Copenhagen was set up to develop models for treatment of discarded refrigerating units. The work group went through the removal methods that existed at the time and examined three alternative models for removal. The result appears from the report of October 4 1993 made by the Agency of Environmental Protection, in the City of Copenhagen.
Model no. 1 described a way of treatment, which has been put into effect at the recycling plant Dansk CFC-Genvinding in Århus where the refrigerating unit is tapped for CFC-12. Then it is cut up in such a way that CFC-1 1 from the insulation foam can be rolled out and collected.
Model no. 2 includes a minor pre-treatment with removal of recycling and mercury parts. Afterwards the refrigerating units go to incineration without being cut up. In this way CFC-12 in the cooling system and CFC-1 1 in the insulation foam are destroyed.
Model no. 3 - the combination model - implies a more extensive treatment than model no. 1. All recycling parts, single parts and environmentally burdening parts are removed. Then the cabinet is cut up and sent to the incineration plant for incineration.
The work group recommended model no. 3 in respect of an environmental and recycling assessment.
The most essential reasons stressed were:
 | All CFC from the coolant circuit and oil can be collected and CFC from the cooling system can be recycled. |
| Recyclable parts can be separated, including metal, glass and plastic. |
| Environmentally burdening fractions can be separated, including electrical components containing mercury and oil from compressors. |
| Incineration tests in 1990 show a high level of destruction of CFC-11 in the insulation foam (99,9 %) and CFC-12 in the coolant circuit (98,4 %) respectively. |
| Iron from the refrigerating units can be collected with the help of a magnet after incineration. |
| The model is significantly better than other existing alternatives in The Copenhagen Municipality. |
| With this in mind a plant for the tests to pre-treat refrigerating units from households was established |
The established plant has proven the capability of the method as more than 6,000 units have been treated, which is equivalent to approximately 270 tonnes in the initial period of 8 months.
With an average content of 60 g CFC-12 and 220 g CFC -11 in a refrigerating unit, the total handling equals 360 kg CFC-12 and 1,320 kg CFC-11.
The treatment price per refrigerating unit has been calculated to DKr. 193 per piece in chapter 4.2. This calculation is based upon a careful estimate, which means that, other things being equal, this must be considered the maximum treatment price.
The greatest advantage of this method is the use of a simple technology, which does not demand large investments and at the same time gains the requested environmental result. Furthermore the plant has a flexible capacity which can be increased for market demands through automation and flexible working hours.
Because of the low investment demand a decentralisation of this type of treatment plant could be a solution in which transportation over long distances can be reduced.
Equally, a cleaner technology in connection with the production of refrigerating units will change the demands for treatment of discarded refrigerating units. Fulfilment of these demands is possible with this method because of the simple construction of the plant, which can be adjusted to the changed demands.
A basic condition for the described method is of course that additional incineration capacity is available on a modern refuse incineration plant.
Author/ institution
Cathrin Dunker, Miljøkontrollen
Niels Møller Pedersen, I/S Amagerforbrænding
Claus H. G. Jensen, Renholdningsselskabet af 1898
The report is subsidised by the Danish Department of the Environment’s evelopment programme for reduction of the CFC consumption.
ISSN no. 0908-9195
ISBN no. 87-7810-655-9