Hazardous waste disposal is vitally important as industrial production increases. Grate furnaces are a common means to incinerate hazardous waste. In this present work, a fixed bed assembly is used to experimentally model combustion within grate furnaces. Combustion characteristics are examined and the effects of primary air rate, moisture, bed height and particle size on burning rate, ignition-front speed and temperatures in the bed are also investigated. The results indicate that a rising temperature front descends through the bed while weight loss remains constant during the main combustion stage. Primary air rates and moisture content are shown to have significant effects on burning rates and average ignition-front speeds. Bed height has no effect on burning rates but does have an effect on average ignition-front speeds. Particle size is found to have slight effects on burning rates while having no effect on average ignition-front speeds. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.