Estimativa das emissões de dioxinas e furanos na incineração de resíduos perigosos em diferentes regiões de Minas Gerais

Abstract

Incineration of hazardous waste emits great amount of dioxins and furans every year in the atmosphere. Dioxins and furans (PCDD/F) are substances classified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which cause negative effects to human health and to ecosystems. The aim of this study was to estimate PCDD/F emissions from hazardous waste incineration in different regions in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil). Data related to process and production was extracted from the environmental license documents of the companies, which incinerate healhcare and industrial waste, listed by the Integrated Environmental Information System of Minas Gerais in 2015. The results evidenced that PCDD/F emissions from incineration of healthcare and industrial waste in different regions of Minas Gerais increased in about ten times between 2008 and 2015. The evaluation of different sceneries presented estimates in the range of 54,21 and 71,92 g t -1 TEQ for about 97 thousand tons of incinerated waste. Such alarming results may be explained not only by the raise in the number of incineration plants within the state, which is four times higher in 2015, but also because the technology employed in this activity is not able to keep emissions at low levels during the entire operation. The res ults of this study also indicate the necessity of investments in new environmental technologies in order to reduce PCDD/F emissions from waste incineration and; therefore, achieve the reduction goals as preconized by Stockholm Convention 2001 on POPs, which was signed by Brazil.