Plasma destruction of hazardous mixed waste

Summary form only given. The engineering science aspects of processing mixed (hazardous plus radioactive) wastes using plasma processes are discussed. Plasma processing has the advantage of separating and destroying organics from the heavy metals, oxides, and salts, as well as producing a waste form with extremely low leachability levels for long-term storage. Plasma processing also has the advantages of highly efficient destruction; smaller throughput, reactor, and auxiliary equipment; lower capital costs; portability; highly stabilized waste forms; fast startup and shutdown; closed system design; and competitive processing cost for mixed wastes. Plasma processing systems use in-flight, melting, and auxiliary heating methods. Each system has advantages for certain types of materials and desired products, but, as in combustion, sufficient time, temperature, and turbulence (mixing) are required to perform the destruction and recombination into desirable products