posted by Nicole Wright 1 year ago

Much of what we throw away is made of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen, the same elements that make up the fuels we burn

By burning our trash directly in waste-to-energy plants creates thermal energy for steam that can be used for heating or generating electricity. But burning waste also creates pollutantion.  Conventional waste-to-energy is probably not the optimum solution to our waste disposal problems.

Another waste solution (Plasma gasification)a plasma torch confined to a chamber in which municipal solid waste (MSW) is fed. The torch is similar to a plasma torch used for cutting steel: An inert gas, sometimes air, is blown over an electric arc to make a kind of “flame.”Temperatures in the plasma flame can approach those of the Sun. A few feet away the flame front can reach 9000 F (5000 C). Anything that gets in its way has its molecules dissociated to its elemental parts. Anything can include our daily trash: garbage, paper, plastic, old tires, even eventually the computer display with which you are reading.

 Gas can be used to make hydrocarbon fuels or it can be used directly as a fuel for internal combustion engine generators to make electricity. Power generated can energize the plasma gasifier itself with additional electricity sold to the grid. The more efficient the electric power generation process using the syngas, the more electricity is generated and sold, thus more revenues for the plasma gasification operator and the smaller the carbon footprint.