Keywords: Solid Waste Diposal Renewable Energy

Contact Title:: Dr.

Contact First Name: Jose

Contact Last Name: Colon

University: Turabo University

Web: http://www.suagm.edu

Position: Professor

Country: USA

Email: jcolon@suagm.edu

Fax: 787-744-5476

Paper Title:

Plasma and Renewable Energy Center

Abstract:

Solid waste disposal is becoming a real challenge but technology is available to process solid wastes. Pyrolysis, methanization, gasification, thermoselect are names for those processes. But, they are expensive requiring previous treatment of the wastes and specific gases to generate the needed temperatures.

Plasma technology is another one. Plasma is a gas in a conduction state. Temperatures in the range of four to seven thousands degrees Celsius are easily obtained. At those high temperatures, all organic material will become gases with a high content of hydrogen. The gases can be separated or treated for safe disposal with available technology. The final residue from inorganic material becomes an innocuous material with less than 3% of the original volume that can be used in a variety of applications. If toxic materials are present in the solid waste, it will be broken into basic, more stable elements that will be immobilized in the solid rock.

Plasma technology requires a large supply of electric power, but this energy can be obtained or recover from the organic material with a substantial amount left that can be used for other useful purposes.

Turabo University wants to become an international leader in waste disposition and renewable energy R&D. A Plasma and Renewable Energy Center is in the developing process. A compact plasma system will be built for educational, demonstrations, and research purposes. The system will provide all the electric power for the process and hydrogen for other research projects.

Mailing Address:

Jose L. Colon

School of Engineering

Turabo University

PO Box 3030

Gurabo, PR 00778-3030

Phone:

787-604-9749 Cell

787-743-797 x 4184

Authors: