Combustion Devices

Hazardous waste is thermally treated, or burned, in incinerators, boilers, or industrial furnaces. These combustion devices fall into the following two categories:

1. Hazardous waste incinerators
2. Boilers and industrial furnaces (BIFs)

These devices heat materials to high temperatures. However, with regard to hazardous waste, they have different functions:

• Incinerators are used primarily to destroy organic hazardous waste.
• Boilers are used to recover energy from hazardous waste.
• Industrial furnaces are used to recover energy and certain materials from waste.

An incinerator, like a boiler, uses controlled flame combustion. Incinerators are subject to unit-specific regulations. The main focus of this unit is the use of BIFs for the combustion of hazardous waste.

To learn more about RCRA safety standards visit our RCRA Refresher Online Training web page.