A Canadian perspective:
...Great amounts of municipal wastes (click here) that are generated daily, lack of safe storage and processing costs cause threats to our health, drain taxpayers money and destroy delicate natural balance. These Wastes easily penetrate to ecosystem, contaminate soil, and ground water.
The Problem
Conventional waste utilisation methods certainly do not solve problems, because the harmful residues such as ash, dust, gases left behind can not be filtered off even with the usage of innovative technologies. Municipal waste problem is undoubtedly waiting for proper solutions....
...Very hot plasma is formed by ionized gas (i.e. Oxygen, under normal pressure) in the strong electrical arc with the power ranging from 2 to 20 Mega Watts. Temperature of such plasma is very high, ranging from 2 to 6 thousand degrees Celsius. In such high temperature all waste constituents, including metals, toxic materials, silicon, etc. are totally melted forming non–toxic dross. Plastic, biological and chemical compounds, toxic gases yield complete dissociation (required minimal dissociation temperature is in the range of 1500 degrees Celsius) into simpler gases mainly H2 and CO2. Simpler gases, mainly H2 can be used as ecological fuel to generate heat energy and electrical energy decreasing significantly (even to zero) cost of plasma formation and waste utilization. Regained metals from dissociation process can safely return to metallurgic industry, and slag can be used as an additive to road and construction materials.
The utilization of municipal waste using this method does not cause the emission of foul odours and does not produce a harmful ash, which is something that normally takes place in an incinerating plant....
To right:
Exterior image of 10 TPD thermal plasma gasification plant located in Cheongsong, Korea
