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Comment by toomuchtodo | Hacker News Reader

"I am once again asking you to consider plasma gasification."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_gasification

InEnTec says its plasma technology effectively destroys PFAS - https://www.wastetodaymagazine.com/news/inentec-says-its-pla... - August 23rd, 2024

Production of high quality syngas from argon plasma gasification of plastic - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41623879 (September 2024) (0 comments)

Plasma gasification versus incineration of plastic waste: Energy, economic and environmental analysis - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuproc.2022.107470

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38994374

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38722984

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What's the point of this when incineration is an option? Even its wikipedia page has only negatives compared to incineration.

> Air emissions can be cleaner than landfills and similar to that of incinerators.

> Large initial investment costs relative to that of alternatives, including [...] incineration.

> Operational costs are high relative to that of incineration.

I think you misread the Wikipedia page. Plasma gasification air emissions are cleaner with costs being somewhat higher than incineration. Plasma gasification breaks matter down at the molecular level versus combustion of incineration. With plasma gasification, you are paying more to end with a more inert end material and reduced hazardous process byproducts.

I interpret "can be cleaner than X and similar to that of Y" to mean "inferior to that of Y, but kinda close". Otherwise, it would be "cleaner than X and Y".

Plasmification is cleaner than incineration

A good example is a old PCB board with Lead solder thrown carelessly into the trash

A incinerator gets hot enough to melt organics, but it won't turn the lead into gas

Instead the lead will end up in either the exhaust gases or in the ashes. These ashes will be thrown into a landfill. Over the course of 10,000 years these landfills will end up leaching this lead into groundwater supplies and ending up in our food, soil and in plants.

Plasmification on the other hand, this lead ends up encased in a slag, and will remain that way easily for millions of years. The lead atoms will be locked in a obsidian glasslike rock.

All the bad stuff like heavy metals etc... will end up in the soil for a incinerator, Organics like plastic will be broken down into their base elements carbon/oxygen/nitrogen/water

While all the bad stuff gets encased in slag for Plasmification

Seems to rival incarceration or probably is better.

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