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Plasma-Assisted Waste-to-Energy Processes

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Renewable Energy Systems

Definition of the Subject and Its Importance

The thermal plasma technology [1, 2] has been used for over 30 years mainly for surface coating, metal welding and cutting, powder treatment and synthesis, and metal melting and smelting. More recently, thermal plasmas have also been used for the pyrolysis of hazardous liquids and gasses and the compaction of solid wastes [3]. Examples of the latter technology are the destruction of asbestos-contaminated waste materials and the vitrification of the ash by-product of waste-to-energy plants. Efforts to apply plasma in the thermal treatment of municipal solid wastes (MSW) , in the absence of partial combustion, have not been successful because of the required high “investment” of electricity per unit of mass treated. Therefore, in this essay, we are examining processes where thermal plasma is used in conjunctionwith partial oxidation and gasification of the organic compounds contained in the MSW, thus reducing the consumption of electricity...

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Abbreviations

Arc plasma:

A gas that is heated electrically to temperatures up to 20,000 K by means of an arc struck between two electrodes.

Arc plasma torch:

Device used to generate a thermal plasma.

Efficiency of energy generation:

Ratio of net electrical energy generated to chemical heat input, per ton of MSW processed.

MSW:

Municipal solid waste, mixed waste that is collected by a given collection system.

Non-transferred arc plasma torch:

The two electrodes located within a water-cooled plasma torch.

Torch thermal efficiency:

Ratio of enthalpy input to the plasma-forming gas to electrical energy input to the plasma torch.

Transferred arc:

The material to be processed serves as an electrode.

Vitrification:

Also called glassification: converting WTE ash to a glassy substance by melting at high temperatures.

WTE:

Acronym for waste-to-energy, i.e., thermal treatment of solid wastes to recover their chemical energy content.

Bibliography

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Engineering Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    Nickolas J. Themelis

  2. Laboratoire Sciences des Procédés Céramiques et de Traitements de Surface, University of Limoges, ENSIL,16 rue d’Atlantis, Limoges Cedex, 87068, France

    Armelle M. Vardelle

Authors
  1. Nickolas J. Themelis
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  2. Armelle M. Vardelle
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Nickolas J. Themelis or Armelle M. Vardelle .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. German Biomass Research Centre, Leipzig, Germany

    Martin Kaltschmitt

  2. Institute of Environmental Technology and Energy Economics, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany

    Martin Kaltschmitt

  3. Earth Engineering Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Nickolas J. Themelis

  4. Ormat Technologies, Inc., Reno, NV, USA

    Lucien Y. Bronicki

  5. Royal Institute of Technology, Electric Power Systems, Stockholm, Sweden

    Lennart Söder

  6. Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, School of Ocean And Earth Science And Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Luis A. Vega

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Themelis, N.J., Vardelle, A.M. (2013). Plasma-Assisted Waste-to-Energy Processes. In: Kaltschmitt, M., Themelis, N.J., Bronicki, L.Y., Söder, L., Vega, L.A. (eds) Renewable Energy Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5820-3_407

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