Conference Session: A4
Paper #6
Disclaimer—This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University
of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. This paper is a student, not a professional, paper. This paper is based on
publicly available information and may not provide complete analyses of all relevant data. If this paper is used for any purpose
other than these authors’ partial fulfillment of a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the
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THE GRATIFICATION OF GASIFICATION
Sydney Anderson [email protected] Mahboobin 10am, Victoria Behne [email protected] Sanchez 5pm
Abstract- Plasma gasification is one method to transform
garbage into gas, and can be used to solve the global
problem of waste accumulation, in a sustainable and
ecologically positive way. For example, the Metro Council
of Portland, Oregon plans to use plasma gasification to
combat the “million tons of garbage” that accumulates
there per year. Plasma gasification is a process that
transforms waste into reusable energy in the form of syngas,
a gas comprised of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, by
heating the waste to over 3,000 Celsius with a plasma
gasifier. The plasma gasifier is an apparatus that turns
waste into useable syngas. This gas is used to generate
synthetic chemicals ,for cars that run on synthetic gasoline,
steam to turn turbines, electricity to send to residential
homes and power heavy machinery in plants. The process
replaces outdated waste incinerators that burn waste using
coal that release harmful toxins such as carbon monoxide,
with an ecological waste-to-energy source.
Westinghouse Plasma Corporation, currently uses
plasma gasification process to produce energy, and NASA
is looking to use the process to replace former methods of
trash removal that did not support travel further than
earth’s orbit. As current applications, such as those in
process at Westinghouse, and future applications, such as
those being researched by NASA, show, plasma gasification
will continue to reduce the issue of waste accumulation in
the future.
For this paper, waste is defined as solid material that is no
longer of use to a company, building, household, or person.
The waste from these different sources end up in landfills, a
location to store waste. Unfortunately, at a landfill
emissions of toxins such as methane are released. Such air
pollution is highly detrimental to human health as methane
is more potent that carbon dioxide [1]. Specifically,
methane is known stunt growth in children and cause lung
and heart disease. Additionally, landfills also release
pollution into groundwater sources that pose a threat to
animal life, plant life, and humans as this pollution affects
drinking water [1].
The process of plasma gasification’s ability to
transform waste into syngas must be focused on to
completely understand the benefits of using plasma
gasification as a method to minimize the waste
accumulation on earth. Syngas is a usable substance
composed of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and is an
ecological, reusable byproduct of plasma gasification,
which in comparison to the former, commercially used
method of coal incineration is an improvement (a
delineation of how plasma gasification is an improvement
will be provided in another section). The focus of
transforming waste into energy to solve the worldwide issue
of waste accumulation centers around one main problem
and its two sub-issues. This main problem is the: increasing
trash accumulation across the seven continents and the two
sub issues: the lack of environmentally friendly ways to
diminish and transform the waste into reusable energy and
fuel sources.
Finding a solution to this global issue is imperative
considering that currently Earth is the only planet that is
sustainably inhabitable for humans. The current widely used
method of coal incineration is not a sustainable method for
creating energy, as it results in multiple toxic byproducts
(which will be discussed in more detail in a later section).
The key word in these two statements is “sustainable” as
that is the crux of this investigation. What exactly are we
researching and proving with plasma gasification? The
answer was already stated from a current day perspective-to reduce the increasing amount of waste in the world, and
from a future perspective, to ecologically do so. The word
ecologically is important because it means that plasma
gasification will reduce the buildup of waste without
harming humans or the planet’s atmosphere. Plasma
Key Words- Coal Incinerator, Environmentally
friendly/Ecological, Plasma Gasification, Reusable energy,
Syngas
PLASMA GASIFICATION: WHY IS IT
RELEVANT?
Waste: Defined
The process of plasma gasification is an ecological
replacement for the coal incineration waste to energy
transformation process. Before the discussion of why
plasma gasification is the best replacement for coal
incineration, the reason waste should to be changed into gas
needs to be addressed. A good way to start this discussion
is by asking the question: why and how is waste an issue?
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31.03.2017
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gasification does not produce tar, ash or residual carbon
dioxide, unlike coal incineration (combustion). The purpose
of coal incineration is to burn coal and use the byproduct to
produce electricity. The main deficit to this process is that
coal burning releases toxic gases which will be further
detailed in a later section that statistically compares plasma
gasification to coal incineration.
In addition to being a threat to human health, the
process of coal incineration is also a danger to the earth’s
atmosphere. Coal incineration releases carbon dioxide,
which adds to the already increasing amounts of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere. For every million molecules in
the air as of 2010, o.o4% was carbon dioxide, though only
a fraction of the earth’s atmosphere, this amount alone can
trap too much heat into the atmosphere [2]. This effect is
more commonly known as global warming, and with the
amount of carbon dioxide in the air accelerating upwards
annually, coal incineration is not a sustainable method
because it poses harm to humans currently, and even more
so in the future. To put this in perspective, with 0.00%
carbon dioxide in the air, the earth would be frozen solid, so
even 0.04% can contain a massive amount of heat and lock
it into the atmosphere [2].
Professional Impact: How Plasma Gasification is a
Benefit and Improvement on Coal Incineration from
Multiple Perspectives
Marco Castaldi, associate professor in chemical
engineering at The City College of New York, explains that
when calculated, the amounts of emission and the type of
gas emitted that compare coal incineration to plasma
gasification show that “a gasification system makes syngas
and converts it to fuel has the possibility to be more efficient
than combustion” [3]. Castaldi studies combustion and
gasification of solid waste, and as an expert on the subject,
this supports our research that will be detailed further in
later sections, that gasification is not only an
environmentally friendly method to convert waste into gas,
but is also an improvement upon the former popular method
of coal incineration.
Steven Weber, vice president of business
development at the solid waste and energy company
Covanta, explains that not only is the market “clamoring for
non-combustion types of systems” for a more
environmentally friendly way convert trash into energy such
as plasma gasification, but that the process is also an
evolved form of coal incineration [3]. It can be noted that
not only does this other expert agree with our claims and
those of expert Castaldi, but it also expresses how plasma
gasification is a process that is approved of and preferred by
many companies.
Portland, Oregon: A Trashy Place to Live
The metropolitan area of Portland, Oregon is an
extreme example of how plasma gasification is the solution
to the increasing waste accumulation on the planet. The
Metro Council of the city is looking to use plasma
gasification as a means to reduce the tons of garbage
produced annually [3]. Accounting of the fact that we live
in a country promotes recycling, another ecological method
for reusing trash can only be a benefit. For an area, such as
Portland, Oregon, having exorbitant amounts of trash is an
issue because it is detriment to the atmosphere due to
methane-emission pollution, as stated in the above section
on waste. This is an imposing issue for Portland as such
emissions can affect the quality of the air that the areas
constituents breath which can cause adverse health effects.
The specifics of such health problems will be described in
detail in a later section on sustainability and air quality.
Using coal incineration would not be beneficial to
Portland either because it would also pollute the air,
therefore plasma gasification is the only solution to the
“millions of tons of garbage that accumulates” in Portland
per year [3]. Considering the expert research and opinions
discussed in the prior section, the Metro Council wisely
plans to begin the use of this process in 2020, as there is
FIGURE 1 [1]
Graphical representation of linear growth of carbon
dioxide amounts in earth’s atmosphere.
PLASMA GASIFICATION IN 2017
It is now known how and why plasma gasification
is relevant to the world’s population. Another factor that
needs to be put into more focus is how it is specifically
affecting lives in the present day--2017. The discussion
amongst experts and corporate executives from waste to
energy companies is important, because it gives a new angle
to how plasma gasification can be viewed. This new
perspective can range from a scientist’s knowledge on how
the process works to a company professional’s knowledge
on what is more efficient machinery. Although both
perspectives share the same lens of needing the process to
be eco-friendly, they simply have a different prescription.
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proof from experts such as Castaldi that plasma gasification
is the best method to convert waste into energy.
bottom of the main chamber into the collection pan. The
slag itself is not highly leachable therefore will not be
washed away with water if it is not stored properly. This is
beneficial, because if the slag was able to be washed away,
it could lead to water and soil contamination damaging
water supplies, crops, and eventually make its way into the
air we breathe through water cycle [4].
THE BREAKDOWN OF PLASMA
GASIFICATION: HOW THE PROCESS
OCCURS
Plasma gasification is the process of taking
ordinary household waste and heating it in a large, lowoxygen gasifier [4]. The plasma gasifier is comprised of: a
waste inlet to deposit the trash, a plasma torch to heat the
waste, a main chamber that allows the contained movement
of several molecules to encourage collisions between the
molecules to induce reactions, air feed piping to allow stable
gases into the main chamber for gas molecules to react with
the plasma generated by the plasma torch, a collection pan
for any resulting solid waste, and a syngas outlet for the
clean energy to be released [4].
Water Cycle Detailed
The water cycle has the potential to bring
chemicals from the ground into the air. This cycle of water
is the flow of water molecules through different phases and
states of matter [6]. For example water can start in a liquid
state, go down a mountain, picking up solvents and
chemicals from the soil, collect in a lake, then evaporate into
water vapor that will later condense and fall back to earth’s
surface as precipitation. During the evaporation process,
water molecules have the potential to carry other molecules
along with them to the atmosphere. The water molecules
can “carry” other molecules due to its high polarity
difference between in the oxygen and hydrogen molecules.
The distinct difference in charges can attract an opposite
charge on a poisonous molecule and thus the poisonous
molecule would go along with the water molecule to the
atmosphere. This distinct difference is why it is important
to have the clean, ecologically safe method of plasma
gasification to transform trash into energy. Otherwise,
contamination due to toxic emissions like those produced
from coal incineration could pollute our drinkable water or
the water for animals.
Breakdown of Plasma Gasification Continued
The other major product of the plasma gasification
process is syngas. This gas is comprised of any combination
of hydrogen gas, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water
vapor, methane, and dihydrogen sulfide. The figure below
shows the chemical reactions that occur in the main
chamber and the resulting gases.
FIGURE 2 [5]
A plasma gasification unit.
Trash enters the waste inlet in a solid state, and
once heated to 6,000 degrees Celsius, the matter breaks
down into a plasma state. This plasma state is an ionized gas
comprised of equal amounts of positive and negatively
charged molecules. While in this fourth state of matter, the
plasma is mixed with a variety of stable gases including
oxygen and nitrogen [4]. The collisions between the ionized
molecules and the stable gas molecules result in the
production of syngas and a small amount of slag as
byproduct [5].
The slag is in a solid state, and has a higher density
than the surrounding gases, and subsequently moves to the
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turn electricity turbines, the gases go through a simple
filtration system to remove some particulate, harmful gases
and poisonous elements, but the simple filtration system
does not harvest parts of the used gases to produce more
energy resources. The filtration system also does not filter
out all of the harmful gases, thus allows for the remaining
harmful gases such as carbon monoxide to be released into
the environment where the carbon monoxide can react with
ozone molecules, breaking down the ozone layer of the
earth [8]. This breakdown of the ozone layer is what results
in the earth trapping more heat and causing global warming
which is developing into a very prevalent problem. In
addition to the breakdown of the ozone layer, there are other
concerns surrounding additional harmful gases in the
atmosphere.
Earlier in this paper is was discussed the health
problems associated with methane and carbon dioxide
threatening lives belonging to animals, plants, and humans.
In contrast, the cooling process of syngas does what the coal
incinerators accomplish and provide other resources for
energy. Once the syngas is cooled, it is directed to different
specialized chambers that complete a variety of tasks
including acid gas removal, gas separation, sulfur recovery,
methanol synthesis, methanol to gasoline synthesis and
others that generate similarly harmless chemicals [9]. Acid
gas removal removes the carbon monoxide and other
harmful gases from the syngas and directs those harmful
gases to other reaction chambers to break them down into
harmless gases [9]. The sulfur recovery is for the
dihydrogen sulfide that is produced. This gas is also
commonly found in natural gas and can supply as an
addition energy source once harvested. Methanol
conversion allows for the remaining syngas gas to be turned
into a middle step for the following chamber of methanol to
gasoline synthesis [9]. Producing gasoline is beneficial
because this gives another source of the fuel most
commonly used with cars. Not only is plasma gasification
decreasing the amount of waste accumulation, but it also
results in the production of many different useful chemicals
that can then be turned into a variety of synthetic chemicals,
steam and electricity.
FIGURE 3 [7]
Reactions leading to gases that are in syngas.
The beginning reactant in most equations is
carbon, represented with a ‘C’. The carbon comes the
biomass within the trash that is undergoing the plasma
gasification process. Other beginning reactants are stable
gases that enter the main chamber through the air feed
piping as illustrated in Figure 1.
Once the reactions are completed, the syngas moves to
upper part of the main chamber due to its lighter density that
the ionized plasma mass and solid slag. The top of the main
chamber has the syngas outlet which is where the syngas
exits the reactor and enters a cooling process.
When the syngas exits the main chamber, it is
above 1000 degrees Celsius [4]. Liquid water is pumped
around the tubing that the syngas travels through, out of the
reactor. The water takes thermal energy from the syngas,
decreasing the temperature of the syngas while also
increasing its own temperature. This increase of
temperature in water causes the liquid water to turn into
water vapor. Because the water vapor is produced in large
amounts in order to cool down large amounts of syngas, this
steam can be directed to steam turbines that turn to generate
electricity [4]. These steam turbines are the same turbines
that are used when coal incinerators generate steam to turn
turbines.
HOW PLASMA GASIFICATION OUSTs
COAL INCINERATION
Filtration of Gases
The process of plasma gasification replaces
outdated coal incinerators as an environmentally friendly
waste-to-energy source without releasing toxic carbon
monoxide gas, while providing more beneficial outputs than
coal incineration. Both methods of energy generation are
able to create steam for turbines to generate electricity,
however each method has a different way of dealing with
the left over gases after the steam has been created.
The poor filtration that follows the incineration of
coal was discussed in the Filtration of Gases section, and
For coal incinerators to complete tasks such as
generating steam, fossil fuels are burned producing carbon
dioxide, carbon monoxide, and water vapor. The
combination of these gases exit the coal incineration
chamber and turn steam turbines to generate electricity.
Electricity is one of only two major uses of the burning of
coal. The other major use is heat, however the mass
quantities of heat being produced happens through the
combustion of the fossil fuels. Once the gases are used to
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delineated that the practice of energy generation using coal
incinerators is outdated. One of the resulting gases in
burning fossil fuels such as coal, was carbon monoxide.
Coal incinerators are becoming outdated because of the
poor filtration system to properly separate harmful gases
from what is being released into the environment.
the garbage will be reused in an energy generation process
that will replace an outdated practice, a practice that does
not give as many benefits as plasma gasification. In theory,
the process of plasma gasification ensures a future of being
able to maintain and continue the world’s extensive use of
energy, however there are factors like sustainability and
actual production numbers that could make the process of
plasma gasification a better in theory than in practice
process. The next section takes into account data while
comparing plasma gasification to coal incineration with
additional supporting explanations as of why plasma
gasification is a more favorable, sustainable method of
energy production for the future.
Carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas, if inhaled, can
cause vital parts of the body such as the heart, lungs,
and brain, to fail, because carbon monoxide replaces
oxygen in the bloodstream, thus depriving the organs
of oxygen [10]. In addition to potential asphyxiation,
if released into the environment contributes to the
greenhouse effect, destroying the ozone layer, and
partially causing global warming [11].
ENERGY RELEASE DATA:
GASIFICATION VS. INCINERATION
One of the sub-issues to the problem is that the
waste accumulation solution needs to be ecological. For
coal incineration, typically 30% of the emissions must be
treated as toxic waste. Conversely, plasma gasification only
produces 6% of emissions that is not reusable energy in the
form of non-hazardous slag, which can be used as fertilizer
[14]. Plasma gasification thus is an ecological replacement
for coal incineration looking specifically at the turnout of
nontoxic material. Coal incinerators are not only taking
away resources from a limited supply, but also not giving
back a substantial amount of resources. Plasma gasification
goes beyond the actions that coal incineration is used for,
and produces natural gas, an additional source of useable
energy.
Plasma gasification releases, in general cases,
roughly 816 kiloWatt per hour per ton of solid waste
(kWh/ton MSW) [15] and coal incineration, generally,
releases 1,927 kWh/ton [16]. While there is a distinct
difference in the amount of energy being produced per ton,
plasma gasification may seem more of a cost than a solution.
However the source of starting material for each energy
generation method have different futures. With expected
lifespan until the year 2090, coal incineration sources are
not reliable in the long term [12]. Since plasma gasification
runs off of material solid waste of already disposed garbage,
there is a continuous supply while garbage is being
produced. With earth’s population growing, there is no
foreseeable shortage of garbage. There are even
overflowing landfills that could be a starting main source of
garbage for plasma gasification. This abundance of
available starting material for plasma gasification allows for
the lesser amount of energy output per ton of starting
material.
This promotes a cycle of use and reuse of materials
with the process of plasma gasification, which is another
benefit of the process. How companies of today are taking
advantage of many benefits of this process will be discussed
in the next sub-section.
FIGURE 4
A short paragraph on the harmful effects of carbon
monoxide.
The process of plasma gasification has a multi-step
system to separate and handle most, if not all the gases
produced in the main chamber of the reactors. In the gas
filtration section, there was an explanation of the filtration
system following the gasification of the solid waste. This
multiple step filtration system was able to pull out the
poisonous gases and react those gases with other molecules,
making the gases no longer harmful. Other steps included
those that turned gases into methanol and later that methanol
into gasoline, thus proving that plasma gasification causing
the production of more beneficial outputs than coal
incineration. The generation of syngas and the detailed
filtration steps to handle syngas is a more fruitful energy
generation process than coal incineration, because of the
variety of resourceful products that are created from syngas.
With the average size of a landfill being around
2500 acres, plasma gasification is able to decrease the
volume and hopefully decrease the amount of land covered
by municipal solid waste (MSW) [13]. While sitting in a
landfill, waste releases gases, like previously mentioned
carbon dioxide and methane, that contribute to air pollution
[13]. By implementing the process of plasma gasification,
the amount of stagnant waste producing pollutants will
decrease. In addition to removing the mass quantities of
waste, the waste is turned into a useable energy source that
can complete the same actions as coal incineration in terms
of turning turbines to generate electricity. But plasma
gasification does not stop there with the products after the
turbines. Plasma gasification plants have a cooling and
filtration system in place to fully reap the benefits, from the
syngas produced.
Having less garbage laying around on the earth’s
surface will yield less air pollution, more living space, and
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Advanced Plasma Power Limited (APP)
Westinghouse Plasma Corporation
Advanced Plasma Power is another leader in
plasma gasification. They have innovated their own method
of plasma gasification called Gasplasma. Gasplasma is a
very similar process to the one described in the earlier
sections, the only difference is that this company uses a
patented reactor, hence it has a different name. The
company also releases syngas just as Westinghouse and Air
Products does to generate electricity for gas engines,
turbines, or fuel cells. Although, in addition to these uses,
APP also produces Plasmarok, an inert (non-reactive)
byproduct of plasma gasification that can be used in
construction material similar to the slag produced in the
general process [20].
This idea of ecologically turning waste into energy
reinforces the idea of a cycle of use and reuse that
guarantees the demise of trash landfills and garbage loaded
oceans. The Westinghouse Plasma Corporation,
specifically, uses the plasma gasification process in this
facet, and has introduced the process to the United States,
United Kingdom, India, and China. Westinghouse uses the
clean, reusable energy that is a resulting product of the
process to power both homes and energy plants [17].
Westinghouse aims to be the “leading technology
platform for converting the world’s waste into clean energy
for a healthier planet” [17]. This is of great import, as in the
first section of this paper how both waste accumulation
itself and coal incineration is a detriment to human health
and the atmosphere. Westinghouse tackles both issues by
dominating the world with some of the most leading plasma
gasification technology to create electricity, ethanol (liquid
fuel), steam and syngas for industrial use [17].
This company is efficient on top of being
environmentally friendly, as Westinghouse facilities can
boast “renewable energy production from post-consumer
waste streams that would normally have to be land filled,
while [also] providing state-of-the-art emission control of”
the toxins [18]. Additionally, at Westinghouse, the entire
process of plasma gasification of 1 ton of solid waste, for
example, has the capability of creating 1000 kWh of power
in comparison to the 500-650kW of power that could be
created by coal incineration per ton of waste [17].
Westinghouse does this while also staying far below the gas
emissions allowances set by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency. For example, the US
EPA allows for 205 parts per million (ppmvd) of nitrogen
oxide to be released and Westinghouse only releases 36
ppmvd in comparison to 110-205 ppmvd from incineration
facilities in the United States [17].
FUTURE APPLICATIONS
A solution is not successful unless it is sustainable.
It has been noted that currently plasma gasification can
solve the issue of waste accumulation in use with companies
or even cities such as Portland, Oregon, however plasma
gasification cannot be deemed a successful solution unless
it can be continually applied for a prolonged period of years,
even decades.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA)
The issue of waste accumulation is not one that is
limited to earth; it also extends to space. NASA is looking
to use the process to replace former methods of trash
removal during space travel, that require reactors that are
borderline too large for the shuttle, as it presently does not
support travel further than earth’s orbit [21]. In contrast with
Westinghouse, NASA hopes to create smaller scale plasma
gasification reactors that are small enough to be kept on a
space shuttle. This can not only be used to create alternative
fuel sources as mentioned in prior sections, but it can also
be expanded to many different settings, not just on a space
shuttle.
The small scale plasma gasification reactor that
NASA is developing, is of interest to the United States
military for its potential to be used in “remote locations to
save on fuel shipping costs” [21]. Additionally, it could
provide remote villages and inhabitants of third world
nations the ability to remove their waste and also gain the
benefits of another source for fuel and energy. NASA
expects to have a model ready for space travel in 2018.
Air Products
Air Products is another global energy corporation.
This company has locations in the United States, Canada,
India, Mexico, Colombia, Malaysia, and many others. Air
products uses plasma gasification to generate nearly 50
mega-watts (MW) of electricity per plant which is enough
to power over 100,000 homes. They also divert over
350,000 tons of non-recyclable waste from landfills
annually. Like Westinghouse, this is an improvement upon
coal incineration methods, as a MW is 1000 times larger
than a kW [19].
Expansion for Westinghouse Plasma Corporation
Westinghouse already is an innovator for waste to
energy conversion through plasma gasification, but they
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plan to continue to develop their technology to produce
more forms of reusable energy. The company is looking to
produce additional biofuels that can power machinery such
as automobiles such as fischer-tropsch liquids and propanol
in addition to the ethanol that they already produce.
Also, Westinghouse is looking to develop plasma
gasification for hydrogen separation. Hydrogen separation
is a process that purifies hydrogen and leaves nontoxic
water as its only byproduct [22]. Hydrogen separation can
be used for fuel cells, refinery, and in vehicles. All of which
of course are improvements to the more common, nonreusable fuel source for cars--gasoline. If Westinghouse is
able to commercialize fuel cells, then the cost of using them
for cars could potentially decrease exponentially as the
current cost of a fuel cell car is minimum of $50,000
climbing more towards $100,000 due to their limited
availability [23].
Considering that about 80% of the world’s energy
demands are met by using non-reusable fossil fuels, the
prospective future for Westinghouse is not only sustainable,
but would continue to improve the world’s energy resources
[22]. This fact shows that Westinghouse will continue to use
plasma gasification in such a way that satisfies the main
problem and two sub-issues of this investigation into plasma
gasification.
National Center for Biotechnology reports that
“pathological lung damage was measured in terms of
increases in lung permeability” as a result of the ash and
other toxins such as carbon dioxide released into the air as
a byproduct of coal incineration [25]. This is a problem
because continued exposure over time can cause illnesses
such as interstitial lung disease, as it can be caused by coal
dust [26]. Illnesses like interstitial lung disease can cause
minor problems such as shortness of upon exercising, or
more dangerous problems such as respiratory failure which
can lead to heart failure due to lack of oxygen in the blood-essentially death in extreme cases [26].
In comparison, plasma gasification does not
release any toxins, as was discussed earlier, in fact the
process does not even use coal at all! Henceforth, such
worries are unnecessary in discussions concerning plasma
gasification. The sustainability aspect in this case is the
increased longevity of human lives. Coal incineration
exposes humans in areas near the plants to dangerous toxins
and could lead to preventable illnesses. Whereas, plasma
gasification produces energy without affecting the health of
humans in nearby areas to the plasma gasification plants
(factories).
SUSTAINABILITY: A FUTURE WITH
PLASMA GASIFICATION
A topic that ends evaluation is how jobs will fare
with a larger-scale (more than currently used, as mentioned
in prior sections) transition to plasma gasification.
Executing the plasma gasification process requires people
to collect municipal solid waste, transportation of that
waste, workers to watch the machinery, and more educated
workers to watch the quality of inputs and evaluate output
values. By eliminating coal incineration, people that mine,
transport, put the coal into the incinerators, and those that
oversee the incineration, will lose their jobs. Generally, the
start of both processes begins with harvesting and
transportation, so a job lost in one portion of the process
could easily transfer over to another with little additional
training. Looking at the more educated workers, the position
in evaluating coal incineration would be similar in positions
in plasma gasification, thus having an easy transfer of
workers. However, there would be additional education
needed to learn how plasma gasification works and what to
look for when evaluating outputs. Due to the multi-step
filtration system plasma gasification uses, there is the
possibility that plasma gasification will require more people
than coal incineration, because more individual people
would be required to watch over each step in the plasma
gasification filtration system to ensure that each step in
functioning at maximum potential. Henceforth, the
likelihood for job creation outweighs the smaller chance of
job loss.
Economy: Creation and Loss of Jobs
Air Quality: Atmosphere
Throughout this paper, the main factor that made
plasma gasification more favorable than coal incineration,
was that plasma gasification is environmentally friendly.
Although, on top of being environmentally friendly by
eliminating garbage from landfills, plasma gasification is
also able to yield multiple sources of energy that were
previously generated by coal incineration, thus plasma
gasification is preserving fossil fuels. As was mentioned in
an earlier section, the elimination of garbage and the
reduction of coal incineration will lead to improved quality
of life, because there will be significantly less pollutants,
released from solid waste and burning fossil fuels, entering
the atmosphere. According to the National Center for
Biotechnology, the implementation of coal incineration
practices cause global warming, acidification, and
toxification to soil [24].
Air Quality: Human Health
Previously, how pollution affected air quality in
relation to the earth’s atmosphere was discussed. On a
smaller scale, pollution from coal incineration has adverse
effects on animal and human health as well. Again, the
7
Sydney Anderson
Victoria Behne
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PLASMA GASIFICATION PAST,
PRESENT AND FUTURE
The initial intent of this investigation into the
benefits of the use of plasma gasification as a waste to
energy alternative to coal incineration was to discover how
and why it is an improvement upon the former. The team
proposed that plasma gasification is the better method, and
the results of the investigation, as described throughout the
paper show that we were correct in our proposal. Plasma
gasification has not only proven to be a cleaner method of
waste to energy conversion, but is also more efficient and
more useful. It was proven to be cleaner as its byproducts
are harmless in comparison to coal incineration, which
produces multiple toxic gases. Additionally, plasma
gasification produces about twice as much kilowatts of
energy that can be used for electricity than incineration, as
well as producing a myriad of other useful byproducts such
as ethanol and steam.
Along with the statistical scientific data to support
the success of this investigation, there is also the factor that
plasma gasification has a sustainable future whereas
incineration does not. Not only will gasification reduce the
detrimental effects to the earth’s atmosphere and human
health that are a result of the use of incineration, but it will
also propel many leading companies of the world into an
even more environmentally friendly and efficient world of
waste to energy conversion that can be applied to daily use
or even to aid third world nations. Henceforth, plasma
gasification has surpassed its predecessor, coal incineration,
and is the best method of waste to energy conversion for the
present and the future.
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[3] J. Garber-Simon. “Plasma gasification one option for the
Portland region's trash.” 5.4.2015. Accessed 1.8.2017.
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[4] “Waste to Energy.” Westinghouse. 2017. Accessed
1.8.2017. http://westinghouse.com/story-waste-to-energy/
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Kal Bhojak, business analyst for Alter NRG Corp, for
responding and providing information when we contacted
Westinghouse. Mark Jeffrey, our conference chair, for
providing insightful guidance for the direction of the final
paper. Iman Basha, our conference co-chair, for providing
feedback on the flow and progression of abstract to final
paper.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES
“Emerging Waste-to-Energy Technologies: Solid Waste
Solution or Dead End?” EHP. 6.2016. Accessed 1.8.2017.
https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/124-a106/
“Gasification vs. Incineration.” Gasification and Syngas
Technologies
Council.
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M. Gerber, C. Valkenburg, C. Walton et. al. “Municipal
Solid Waste (MSW) to Liquid Fuels Synthesis, Volume 1:
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