Despite our best efforts, most landfills do not operate as closed systems. Materials go into a landfill; a variety of physical, biological, and chemical reactions occur; and then a group of different materials comes out.

The easiest way to control gas, leachate and runoff is to eliminate the introduction of solid waste into your landfill. Prior to the introduction of the plasmaFILL reactor this could only be achieved through incineration. The plasmaFILL reactor enables solid waste agencies to

• control the amount of waste entering the landfill
• control the type of waste entering the landfill
• control growth in landfill gases
• control growth of leachate

A 1-ton block of trash inside a typical landfill might measure 3.5 feet cubed. If the organic material in that ton of trash was allowed to decompose completely, it would generate approximately 12,000 cubic feet of gas. The gas would consist of approximately 50% methane and 50% carbon dioxide, with small quantities of other constituents, depending on what we started with.

According to Brian Guzzone, with the EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP), landfill-gas-to-energy (LFGTE) projects in the US delivered 75 billion cubic feet of gas in 2006. Another 250 billion cubic feet per year may be available from other potential LFGTE projects that have yet to be developed. That's enough gas to cover the state of Massachusetts to a depth of nearly 6,000 feet.

Most landfills generate leachate. Of course, the amount can vary dramatically, depending on many factors, of which climate is the most significant. Landfills in very arid climates may generate no detectable leachate under normal conditions, while those in wet climates may generate millions of gallons per year.

Dust and Odor Control

When waste arrives at a plasmaFILL plant it is loaded into a fuel preparation facility which minimizes exposure to the local environment to the maximum extent. More than 90% of the output of the reactor is syngas, which is directed into an electrical generator. The remainder is ash which can either be further processed into inert slag which is a form of obsidian and has no dust or odor characteristics.

From landfill to waste depot

The ultimate recycling solution is available with any configuration of plasmaFILL reactors:

• Complete elimination of residual gases
• Complete elimination of leachate
• Complete elimination of runoff
• Complete control of odor
• Complete control of dust.

The plasmaFILL reactor converts the landfill into a waste depot where solid waste is completely transformed into commercial products.