For centuries, solutions have been sought as to what to do with solid waste that communities and industries tend to generate. Waste has been buried, sunk, and where possible recycled, or converted to other uses, to remove such waste from human habitation. For decades, efforts have been made to convert waste to other useful materials by the application of a high-temperature plasma arc or torch, a.k.a. pyrolytic conversion. The resulting products of this conversion include metals, and product synthesis gas, or “syngas.”
The products obtained from the plasma conversion process have many uses in other areas and so can be of value. However, the reaction should ideally be controlled in order to predict the resulting syngas composition. Variables that require the greatest control in the process include the amount and composition of solid waste, including municipal solid waste (MSW), the speed at which the waste material is fed into the furnace, the density of the material, and the amount of ambient air trapped within the material.
Most feed systems relate to waste compaction and baling systems. While these systems serve to reduce the size and increase the mass of the material that would be processed, they do not account for the air density within the material. Furthermore, they are not compatible for use with high-temperature furnaces. Feeders operating in such environments must not only include heat-tolerate components, but must include certain safety features that may prevent blow back of hot furnace gases into the feeder apparatus.