PLASMA TECHNOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN THE

CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL SCENARIO

Receipt No: 287

Team Members:

Abhay Amin

Parashar Thanki

College:

Nirma University

Phone Numbers:

Abhay (9974408270)

Parashar (9925664286)

Email IDs:

Abhay (abhay.amin@gmail.com)

Parashar (parashar.me@gmail.com)

I
 INDEX

1. Introduction

2. The Problem: Global Waste Management and Sources of Energy

3. The Answer

4. Introduction To Plasma Technology

5. Plasma Technology In Waste Management

6. Plasma-Arc Waste Disposal And Its Working

7. The Residue

8. Applications

9. Comparison and Conclusion

10. Bibliography

II
 LIST OF FIGURES

1. Block Diagram of Plasma Waste Converter

2. Plasma Torch

3. Plasma Furnace

4. Air Cooled Slag

5. Rock Wool

6. Tile Product

7. Roadbed Aggregate

8. Roofing Granules

9. Rock Wool

10. Landfill Remediation Technique

III
INTRODUCTION
This paper aims at highlighting the uses of
plasma technology in the current
environmental scenario, where we are facing
problems of waste disposal and alternate
fuels. Here is where, the question arises:
why plasma technology? So, let us first take
a look at the problems that we face in the
world today, and then we will look at how
plasma technology provides us with an
effective solution for the same.
THE PROBLEM
In today’s world, we humans are developing
at an astounding rate. Be it in the industrial
sector or in the financial sector, our growth
knows no bounds. In our quest for maximum
benefit at minimum cost, we have focused
only on the material aspects of things
without caring about the future implications.
The disposal of garbage waste is a problem
that grows with industrialization and
population. We have always needed a
method of disposing our wastes. According
to ResearchAndMarkets.com, the amount of
municipal solid waste (MSW) generated
worldwide in 2006 was 2.02 billion tons.
Conventional methods of waste disposal do
not address the serious issue of
contamination, as the harmful residues left
behind cannot be treated further.
Incineration, for example, generates gaseous
pollutants that are harmful for the
environment. Also, pumping of wastes into
IV
deep wells has apparently lead to explosions
and minor earthquakes.
Another major problem that we face today is
the ever-increasing usage of conventional
sources of energy. The earth has a limited
supply of fossil fuels. Hence, it should not
be the case that when we run out of these
conventional sources, the progress of the
human race stops suddenly. Even the
development in the usage of non-
conventional sources of energy is not
sufficient to solve this problem.
THE ANSWER
However, we believe that we have the
solution to this problem - Plasma
Technology. We can make use of plasma arc
disposal methods that uses plasma
technology. So, let us take a look at how
plasma technology establishes a link
between waste management and a source of
alternative fuel.
INTRODUCTION TO PLASMA
Plasma is essentially an ionized gas. It is
widely touted as the fourth state of matter.
Plasma is a gas with free-roaming electrons
that carries a current and generates a
magnetic field.
Plasma can be produced by applying a high
potential across two electrodes in the
presence of a gas. This ionizes the gas
molecules. On Earth, we can see natural
displays of plasma fields in lightning.
Plasma has an endless number of
applications. It finds its applications in fields
ranging from etching grooves on computer
chips, to improving the strength of materials.
However, looking at the present
environmental scenario, where waste
management and sources of alternate fuel
are the main concern, plasma comes to the
rescue.
PLASMA TECHNOLOGY IN WASTE
MANAGEMENT
Looking at waste management techniques,
conventional methods of waste disposal do
not address the serious issue of
contamination, as the harmful residues left
behind cannot be treated further.
Incineration, for example, has serious issues
such as the emission of gaseous pollutants. It
also produces dioxins, which may have
serious environmental consequences in the
general vicinity of the incinerator.
Incineration also leaves behind fly ash,
which can be hazardous and has to be
further treated.
Besides, none of the presently available
waste disposal methods can generate
commercially useful byproducts. Plasma arc
waste disposal is unique in that it not only
gets rid of garbage and generates electricity,
V
but it also produces byproducts that are
valuable commodities themselves.
Plasma technology utilizes the high
temperatures of plasma. In a plasma arc
waste disposal system, a plasma torch is
applied to the wastes. The temperatures
generated by a plasma torch can be hotter
than the surface of the sun (more than 6000
degree Celsius).
At these temperatures, waste does not stand
a chance. The molecules break down in a
process called molecular dissociation. This
is because, on exposure to the intense energy
generated by the heat of a plasma torch, the
molecular bonds become excited and break
apart. All that remains are the elemental
components of the molecules. With carbon
disulphide, for example, we end up with
atoms of carbon and sulphur.
PLASMA ARC WASTE DISPOSAL
AND ITS WORKING
Let us now take a look at the working of a
plasma arc waste disposal plant, also known
as a plasma waste converter. Given below is
the basic block diagram of a plant.
Block Diagram Of Plasma Waste Converter

VI

The plant has the following basic
components:
1. Pre-treatment processes.
2. Gas/Air supply
3. Power supply.
3. Plasma torch.
5. Furnace.
6. Slag drain.
7. Gas vent.
In order to feed garbage into the waste
converter, a conveyer system is used.
Although a plasma torch can break down
wastes without any pre-treatment, in order to
make the plant more efficient, we can pass
the wastes through a grinding mechanism.
The converter has an electric power supply,
which is used to supply the potential
required for the plasma torch. There is also a
gas supply, which supplies the medium
required to be ionized for creating the
plasma. We can also use air instead of
another gas. A plasma torch can generate
temperatures from 4000 to 7000 degree
Celsius. It operates at power levels of
100kW to 200MW.
Plasma Torch
The above figure explains the working of a
plasma torch in a simple manner.
The waste now passes into the furnace,
where the actual pyrolysis takes place. The
furnace has plasma torches present inside,
which break down the matter. The torches
are placed in the lower half of the furnace.
The furnace is airtight, that is it does not
allow any hot gases produced to leave the
furnace. The furnace is lined with a
refractory material in order to be able to
withstand the intense heat.
The furnace also has a drainage system to
remove the slag as it gets collected at the
bottom of the furnace. It also has a vent
system to remove the synthetic gases
(syngas) that is produced.
A Plasma Furnace
This is the basic working of the plasma
waste converter plant. Let us now take a
look at the process that the slag and syngas
undergo for further treatment.
The amount of gas and slag produced
depend on the type of waste. If the waste has
a lot of carbon-based material, like bio-
wastes, plastics and MSW then more syngas
is generated. Waste with inorganic materials
will not generate as much syngas. Instead, it
will get vitrified and produces more slag.
The slag runs out of the bottom of the
furnace into a pool of water. The slag is
converted into granular pieces that are
completely inert and can be used as an
aggregate or shaped into paving bricks or
other construction materials.
The syngas leaves the furnace at a
temperature of nearly 1100 degree Celsius,
and goes to a heat recovery boiler. It reduces
the temperature of syngas to about 200
degree Celsius. The steam thus generated is
sent to the power plant to generate
electricity by running a steam turbine.
Syngas is a gas mixture that consists of
varying amounts of CO and H2. It is
produced by the following chemical
reactions:
The solid byproduct obtained from this
process is the slag. The main benefit of
plasma arc waste disposal lies in the fact that
weight of the slag is about 20% of the
original waste and the volume of the slag is
about 5% of the original waste. The slag can
take different forms based on how we cool
it.
If slag is cooled using air, we get a black,
glassy material that can be used in concrete
or asphalt. If we blow compressed air
through the molten slag, we get rock wool. It
is also a very efficient insulating material,
about twice as effective as fiber glass. The
current cost of rock wool maybe reduced by
one-tenth, as it is produced as a byproduct
rather than obtaining it by a specific
manufacturing process as it is done
currently.

C + H2O → CO + H2 - (1)

C + O2 → CO2 - (2)

CO2 + C → 2CO - (3)

Air-cooled slag, a black glassy material
The syngas produced can be used for many
purposes. Firstly, the syngas can be used
directly as a fuel gas for combustion
purposes. It can also be used in a gas turbine
to generate electricity. This electricity can
be used within the plant to meet its own
energy requirements and the excess can be
sold back to the power grid.

THE RESIDUE
 unlimited supply of residue obtained as a
byproduct. This residue can be further used
in a wide number of applications. Hence, the
disposal of residue will definitely not cause
a major problem.

APPLICATIONS OF RESIDUE

The vitrified sediment obtained from the

slag can be re-used for a variety of
applications:
Rock Wool
1. Architectural Tile Manufacture.
Hence, we can clearly see that plasma arc
technology is ideally suited for waste 2. Rock Wool Insulation.
treatment purposes. This is because of the
following reasons: 3. Roadbed Aggregate (used for paving
roads and pavements).
1. It breaks down the wastes into their
elemental constituents instead of smaller 4. Roofing Granules.
compounds which may be hazardous.

2. Any kind of waste can be broken down by

this method.

3. Even medical or chemically contaminated

or hazardous waste can be treated in a
plasma waste converter.
Tile Product
4. It provides us with a possible solution to
the disposal of asbestos containing material.

5. Organic materials are gasified and melted.

Most suitable method for plastics, as its only
byproduct is fuel gas.

6. Inorganic materials are melted and

immobilized in a rock-like vitrified mass Roadbed Aggregate
which is virtually unleachable, as mentioned
above in the case of rock wool and the
black, glassy material.

As we have a solution for a wide range of

waste materials, we have a virtually
Roofing Granules Rock Wool

LANDFILL REMEDIATION CONCEPT

This is the in-situ application of the plasma-

arc disposal method. In this concept, the
furnace housing the plasma torch is built at
the landfill itself. The furnace is passed into
the heap of landfill by making a passage
through the landfill.
 Landfill Remediation Technique
As we can see from the figure, the plasma
furnace is lowered into the landfill. Another
similar hole is drilled parallel to the hole for
the furnace. Once the process of plasma arc
disposal starts, the formation of syngas
begins. This syngas flows up through the
adjacent pipe and can be stored in gas
tankers.
This method is commercially very viable, as
it totally cuts the costs of building a full-
scale operational plant. The furnace can be
installed at the site of the landfill. The
syngas produced is also not wasted as it can
be 100% stored in the gas tankers above the
landfill.
The method is also environmentally safe as
all microorganisms are killed. The slag that
is produced in this method is virtually
unleachable and the elements in the slag will
never enter the earth’s surface or the
atmosphere. The slag can be transported to
the desired plant for further processing.
COMPARISON AND CONCLUSION
We have seen that the use of plasma
technology for waste management has
proved to be a very effective solution for our
current needs of waste disposal and sources
of energy. It has unique treatment
capabilities that are unequalled by any of the
existing technologies.
For example, 74% of the waste in the US is
dumped in landfills. As stated before, over 2
billion tons of waste was produced in the
world in 2006. This number is estimated to
increase by 37% by the year 2011. If we
continue to make use of landfills, then we
will have to make use of more and more
land. This will put the amount of available
land under serious threat, as we require more
and more land these days for agriculture and
housing purposes, in order to meet the
demands of the ever-increasing population.
Another area where plasma technology may
come to the forefront is that the plasma
furnace can be used for in-situ vitrification
of contaminated soils. This method is also
highly beneficial as the contaminating
agents will be removed and slag and syngas
will be obtained as byproducts of the same
process, thereby making it environmentally
as well as commercially successful.
We can clearly see that none of the existing
technologies have any such applications,
where the byproducts are commodities of
such commercial value. At the same time,
none of the current methods have the
efficiency that has been demonstrated by
plasma technology, as such a high
temperature cannot be created in those
technologies.
The main point to be understood here is that
plasma-arc disposal method is NOT
incineration in any form. In case of
incineration, the wastes are subjected to
combustion, as a result of which gaseous
pollutants are emitted. However, the process
taking place in a plasma converter is
pyrolysis, i.e. breaking down of the wastes
in the presence of heat. Incineration also
emit varying levels of heavy metals like
arsenic, mercury, lead, etc. These metals can
be toxic even in minute quantities.
However, plasma technology faces no such
problems, as it breaks down the elements
into their elemental constituents, and the in-
organic materials are converted into slag,
which is highly unleachable, and is
guaranteed to be safe.
Hence, in conclusion, we would like to
stress that plasma technology IS the solution
to our environmental problems. In
comparison to conventional methods, this
method is not only highly efficient for waste
disposal but also provides us with an
alternate source of energy, solving most of
our problems.
 3. Hazardous Waste Incineration and Human
BIBLIOGRAPHY Health - by C. C. Travis, S. Chrystal Cook
1. Database of Tetronics Inc. 4. Google - for small bits of information.
2. Environmental Engineering - by Gerard
Kiely

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