Presentation of Plasma Waste Gasification

TechnologyDocument drawn up in collaboration of National Research Council of

Sassari, under the Direction of Professor Mauro MARCHETTI

ECO GV WASTE SOLUTION d.o.o. – ul. Dositeja Obradovića br. 14 – 26000 Pančevo – SERBIA – www.ecogv.com

Achieving "Zero Waste" with the contribution of the torch plasma technologyPlasma arc technology offers a unique opportunity to achieve the “zero waste” goal by providing the capability to eliminate the need for land disposal of many hazardous wastes and to recover energy from municipal solid wastes and other organic wastes while producing salable byproducts and eliminating requirements for landfilling of ash or other residual materials.

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What is PLASMA “Fourth State” of matter

Ionized gas at high temperature capable of conducting electrical current

Lightning is an example from nature

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Non-transferred arc plasma torch

In a plasma arc torch, the plasma gas serves as a resistive heating element to convert electricity into heat. Because it is a gas and cannot melt, temperatures in excess of 7000°C can be produced.

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Characteristics of Plasma Arc Technology

Plasma acts as a resistive heating element that cannot melt and fail

Produces temperatures of 4,000°C to over 7,000°C

Torch power levels from 100kW to 200 MW produce high energy densities (up to 100 MW/m3)

Torch operates with most gases – not a combustion process

Elimination of requirement for combustion air

Reduces gas volume requiring treatment

Reduces potential for formation of complex organics (i.e., dioxins and furans)

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Plasma arc technology is ideally suited for waste treatment

Hazardous & toxic compounds broken down to elemental constituents by high temperatures

Organic materials

Pyrolyzed or volatilized

May be converted to fuel gases

Amenable to conventional off-gas treatment

Residual materials (radionuclides, heavy metals, etc.) immobilized in a rock-like vitrified mass which is highly resistant to leaching

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Plasma arc technology remediation experience

Heavy metals

Radioactive wastes

Industrial sludges

Municipal solid waste

Electric arc furnace dust

Liquid/solid organic wastes

PCB’s

Asbestos

Chemical wastes

Medical wastes

Plastics

Used tires

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Waste Processing Applicationsof

Plasma Arc Technology

Energy/Material Recovery

Waste Destruction

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Waste Destruction Applications

Melting and vitrification of inorganic materials

Pyrolysis of organic materials

Molten metal or glass bath provides heat transfer

Heat causes breakdown of complex materials into elemental components

Rapid quenching prevents complex compound formation (dioxins and furans)

Water gas shift reaction to remove carbon

C + H2O → H2 + CO

Gaseous products are fuel and simple acid gases

Vitreous residue is resistant to leaching – suitable for aggregate

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French Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACM) disposal system

A very efficient heating method is represented by the INERTAM process (Morcenx, France), which uses a plasma torch (arcdischarge type) for fusing ACW materials.

Preparation of Asbestos Waste

Asbestos

Screening

Glass

Vitrification

Torches

Gas Treatment

Bicarbonate

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Incinerator ash disposalAsh Melting Furnace (Plasma-type)

This system melts incineration ash and fly ash, by using weakly ionized (approximately1%) high temperature plasma(between 20,000℃~30,000℃ at its center and 3,000℃ atits circumference),which is operated by air. This system uses the power generated in refuse incineration.

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Navy shipboard system

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Navy Shipboard System – cont’d

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Commercial Applications

Mixed waste treatment facility-Richland, WA

Allied Technology Group (ATG)

Medical waste vitrification facility-Honolulu, HI

Asia Pacific Environmental Technologies (APET)

Incinerator ash vitrification facilities – Europe and Japan

Europlasma

IHI Inc./Westinghouse Plasma

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US Department of Defense (DoD) Plasma Furnace Applications

Plasma Arc Shipboard Waste Destruction System (PAWDS)

U.S. Navy Warships (NSWCCD)

Plasma Arc Hazardous Waste Treatment System (PAHWTS)

U.S. Naval Base, Norfolk, VA (Office of Naval Research, Environmentally Sound Ships Program)

Plasma Ordnance Demilitarization System (PODS) Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, IN (Defense

Ammunition Center)

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DoD Plasma Furnace Applications – cont’d

Plasma Waste Treatment System (Pyrotechnics and Energetics) Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant, NV (Armament Research and Development Engineering

Center)

Plasma Energy Pyrolysis System (PEPS) Demonstration Facility (Medical Waste and Blast Media), Lorton, VA

U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (CERL)

Mobile PEPS Demonstration System, U. S. Army CERL

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Mobile Plasma Energy Pyrolysis System (PEPS)

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GaTech Plasma Waste Processing & Demonstration System

Developed by USACERL

Congressional funding

Cost ~$6 Million

Capacity 10 tons/day

Complete system

Feed & Tapping

Furnace

Emissions control

Wastewater treatment

1MW mobile generator

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Georgia Tech Plasma Waste Processing and Demonstration System

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Plasma Processing for Energy and Materials Recovery

Research on waste destruction noted that pyrolysis produced useful fuel gases and inert residuals from organic wastes including MSW

Relatively high plasma energy requirements (~600 kWh/ton) and capital cost of complex molten bath reactors limited economic feasibility of pyrolysis processes

Use of gasification technology has made plasma a more economically attractive alternative

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Plasma Pyrolysis of MSWGas Heating Value Output

Electricity Input= 4.30

SteamNegligible

PLASMAGASIFIER

MSW1 Ton – 9.39 Mbtu

33% Moisture

Electricity0.56 MWHr – 1.90 MBtu

Product Gas30,300 SCFHeating Value = 8.16 MBTU

Gas Heat Energy1.05 MBtu

Based on data from Resorption Canada, Ltd. 1995(Summarized and converted to English units) 21

Process Block Flow Diagram for CleanSyngas Plant

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Inputs and Outputs for 1000tpd CleanSyngas Plant

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Plasma Gasification Process

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Hitachi Metals Plasma MSW System –Japan

Cokeand

Limestone

Excess Heat Utilization & Power

Generation

Plasma Torch

Metal Slag25

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Leachability of Vitrified MSW Residue (TCLP)

MetalPermissible

concentration (mg/l)

Measured Concentration

(mg/l)

Arsenic 5.0 <0.1

Barium 100.0 <0.5

Cadmium 1.0 <0.02

Chromium 5.0 <0.2

Lead 5.0 <0.2

Mercury 0.2 <0.01

Selenium 1.0 <0.1

Silver 5.0 <0.527

MSW Solid Byproduct Uses

Molten Stream Processing(Product) Salable Product Uses

Air Cooling(Gravel)

Coarse Aggregate(roads, concrete, asphalt)

Water Cooling(Sand)

Fine Aggregate(concrete, asphalt, concrete products)

Water Cooling(Metal Nodules) Recyclable metals

Air Blown(“Rock Wool”)

Insulation, sound proofing, agriculture

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Comparison input and output between Plasma Torch plant and incinerator plant in the treatment of msw

The incinerator emits a large quantity of pollutants, on the contrary the plasma plant having no chimneys and operating at very high temperature, is environmentally sustainable

1400 Kg of CO2

Macropollutants(SO2, Cox, Nox, …)

Micropollutants(dioxines, heavy metals)

Particulate matter

2100 cu.m.

Cooling waterand

water to slagoff

6000 Cu.m.

Waste water

Polycyclic hydrocarbon

Micropollutants(dioxines, heavy metals)Particulate

AIR

Additives

1000 Kg MSW

20-30 Kg toxic ash from smoke filtration

systems200-300 Kg ash and

slag

Incinerator

Landfill for toxic-harmful

wasteLandfill for

special waste

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Operating Plasma Gasification Plants

The Mihama-Mikata plantprocesses 20tpd of MSWfrom the towns of Mihamaand Mikata. It alsoprocesses 4tpd of sewagesludge. The syngas is usedto produce heat which isthen used to dry thesewage sludge so it can begasified.

Mihama-Mikata, Japan

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Operating Plasma Gasification Plants

The MEPL plant processeshazardous wastes fromover 30 industries in India.The owner of the plant,SMSIL, is a partner of Alterand together thecompanies offer plasmagasification into the Indianmarket

Pune, India

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Operating Plasma Gasification Plants

In 2014, GTS Shanghai, a Chinesecompany, completed constructionof a hazardous wastedemonstration facility in ShanghaiChengtoun (Shanghai Environ-mental) in Jiagding. The plantuses the Alter’s plasma reactordesign including WestinghousePlasma torch systems. Theproject processes a combinationof medical waste and incineratorfly ash and is focused on theeffective and efficient disposalmanagement of medical wasteand its potential environmentalhazards and public health risks.Since incinerator fly ash is anincreasing disposal issue in China,it has become a high priorityenvironmental concern for theChinese Government.

GTS Shanghai - China

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Plasma processing of MSW atCoal-Fired Power Plants

Collocate MSW plasma processing plants (in modules of 1,000 TPD) with existing operational coal-fired power plants.

The amount of coal supplied to a plant will be reduced, proportionate to the thermal output of the MSW plant.

The hot gaseous emissions from the plasma plant afterburner system will be fed directly into the coal plant combustion chamber to supplement the combusted coal gases.

The combined plasma and coal gaseous emissions would produce steam and power equal to the normal coal plant generating capacity.

MSW would replace large volumes of coal for power generation in a very efficient, cost-effective and environmentally cleaner operation.

Concept

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Plasma Processing of MSW atFossil Fuel Power Plants

Equipment Eliminated

CombustionChamber

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Plasma processing of MSWat Coal-Fired Power Plants

Reduced Capital Costs of MSW Plant(1)

Use existing power plant facilities

Steam generation system

Off gas treatment system

Electrical generating system

Use existing transportation network

Build on power plant land, if feasible

(1) Geoplasma, LLC estimated costs

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Plasma processing of MSWat Coal-Fired Power Plants

Summary

By 2020, if all MSW was processed by plasma at coal-fired power plants (1 million TPD), MSW could:

Supply about 5% of U.S. electricity needs

Replace about 140 million TPY of coal

Eliminate about 15 million TPY of coal ash going to landfills

Provide significantly cleaner coal plant air emissions

Support the goals of the Clear Skies Act

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Selected renewable energy sources

Source Quads(1015 BTU)

Plasma Processed MSW(1) 0,90

Geothermal(2) 0,47

Landfill Gas(2) 0,12

Solar(2) 0,09

Wind(2) 0,04

(1) Assumes 1 million TPD(2) Extrapolated

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Barriers to implementation ofPlasma Arc Technology

Successful commercial applications

Regulatory acceptance and permitting

Public acceptance

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