PLASMA TECHNOLOGY AS WASTE TO ENERGY: A REVIEW

Abstract

The age of urbanization has brought exponential growth in population and development along with the huge amount of waste generation. The waste generated is a mix type of waste which is difficult to manage using conventional methods and is ever increasing and changing in nature, blocking essential space that has become an expensive commodity in todays world. Conventional techniques such as combustion, land filling incineration, gasification have been the conventionally preferred method of waste management. The paper proposes a critical assessment of traditional waste to energy (WtE) procedure, starting from basic aspects of the process, performance, environmental assessment parameters to plasma gasification, a alternate WtE. This will assess the socio-aspect of plasma gasification , a more sustainable waste management system with producing a synthetic gas as by-product and slag. Although plasma has high installation and maintance costs, revenue generation form product can make it financially viable. This paper discusses the current limitations of this technology and highlights a few studies that are being conducted around the world that may soon take this concept from technical feasibility to practical reality.