Comparisons of Solid By-Products Generated from Thermal Plasma Incineration Ash Melting Systems by Plasma Torch and Three-Phase Submerged Arc Processes

Abstract

AbstractSolid waste disposal has become a major concern since there are a limited number of landfill disposal sites. In the past, incineration of solid wastes was considered a solution to the landfill site limitation since solid waste volume can be reduced to 1/6 by conversion to incinerator ash, and heat and electricity recovery from the incineration processes can be attained. The landfill of fly and bottom ashes has been considered a potential environmental hazard due to leaching of heavy metals from the ashes after landfill, hence recycling them as construction material is beneficial not only economically but also is less impacting on the environment in long term. In this work, two different thermal plasma processes for ash volume reduction (approximately 60 to 70% of the volume of incinerator ashes) based on the plasma torch and submerged three-phase arc processes were compared based on the treatment of ash from the same incineration source. Detailed solid product detoxicity characteristics for each process will be presented and compared.