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Actually, Startech has been around for a while (disclaimer - I have owned shares for a number of years).

I think the biggest unanswered question is whether the converter is dangerous at all due to the hot plasma. Otherwise, the logic is sound (or at least appears so). It's like a furnace - once you start it, as long as you keep feeding it, it should keep running.

Your best bets for follow up are either to go to I believe Boston to see their demo system there, or else contact the Air Force, who according to the company awarded them a research award to explore using the system on used munitions at firing ranges.

They also, as memory serves, were supposed to have set-up a system in Japan and I believe Australia.

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This was featured in Popular Science Magazine. Here's the URL to the online version: http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/873aae7bf86c0110vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

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I have done some investigating about this process.
it's like a giant version of the common plasma cutter used in metal fabrication. The syngas is burned to produce the electricty. when this is done you have created more enery than used. (this is soly dependant on what your "burning".) as for nuclear waist, it could handle it except for the radiation (the most dangerous part) remains.
Why are they building it in panama? They probly bought one. you can have one too! for a few $$$$$$$$$$, ofcourse. I think a city in Florida has one, just not nearly as large.

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The process can deal with any toxins that can be broken down chemically, like dioxins, strychnine, ricin, and most pesticides, but it can't do nuclear conversions, so toxic heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium would still be a problem. It also cannot do anything about radioactive substances, so it isn't much use for nuclear waste.

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Great potential. Syngas (the product of the plasma converter) is a gaseous mixture of CO, CO2 and H2 and has about half the energy content of natural gas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngas). I think the most interesting possiblity would be to mine landfills producing syngas onsite and using the Fischer Tropsch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischer_Tropsch)process to produce sythetic diesel or ethanol. Garbage is an almost unlimited (and untapped) resourse and could be a great source of renewable, clean fuel for transportation. One of the big questions for second generation bio-fuels is economically prodocing syngas and what resource to produce it with. Heres the answer. Cities could become producers of fuel and in the process increase their energy independance and reduce their environmental footprint.

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Hola:
I am a gringo living in the Republic of Panama
I want to purchase a Chevy Malibu and have it shipped here. Can someone give me advise on this. I am having great difficulty getting this done. THANKS

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Here's the thing about plasma (I work in the semiconductor world on PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) reactors):

A plasma essentially rips the chemical bonds between molecules. It does so by using high energy and low pressures. The higher the pressure, the more condensed the plasma is.

If you put two gasses in a reactor, such as SiH4 (Silane, a pyrophoric gas, which means that it blows up when it contacts air... fun at parties!) and N2O (Nitrous Oxide, laughing gas) at a low pressure (typically 1/300 of atmospheric pressure), and ignite it with a RF generator, the Silicon disassociates from the Hydrogen (in the Silane) and the Nitrogen disassociates itself from the Oxygen, and deposits SiO2, andthe waste products are N2 and H2 (SiH4 + 2 N2O + Energy -> SiO2 + 2 N2 + 2 H2 + Heat). SiO2 is a solid, and non-reactive. N2 is all around us in the air (80% of the air, in fact, and H2 is hyrogen gas.

The energy required to keep the plasma going at higher pressures, so a leak or failure would be self stopping.

To answer the question about "Why don't we have this here" there are several answers:

1. NIMBY (Not in my backyard). No one wants to be the first on the block to have one of these. In my humble opinion, it's called cowardace. But then again, the difference between bravery and stupidity is outcome.

2. Conflict of interest. I don't think the people that take care of garbage, fuel for power plants, and landfill owners are all too happy about their jobs going away. This sin is gluttony.

3. Regulation. It seems that everyone wants a solution to a problem, but there is some rule that gets in the way. It's as if your mom wants the room clean, but says that you have to stand on your hands while you vaccum the floor. Here's the thing: Let it be tried, and if there are problems, let's fix them. Test the byproducts, test the gas. Don't dump the byproducts in the river, but put them somewhere (how about a landfill that is already being used?), or recycle the byproducts into consumer goods, like tile, roads, or whatever... Let ingenuity work! Plus, let thos that do the work reap the rewards, both positive and negative.

OK, off the soap box.

Lastly, because this rips the molecules apart, and not the elements, Nuclear (or Nuculur...) waste cannot be disposed of in this way, but perhaps it can be contained in a safer way.

If you haven't guesses, I'm a conservative. I am also a human that wants the best for our planet. I think this solution is something that we (liberals and conservatives, industrialists and (used respectfully) tree-huggers can agree on.

Jeff
2.

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Regulations? What and who regulates this? And what hurdles are set before use of these in the US?

I would think the landfill guys would embrace this idea. They still could charge for the garbage (no loss in revenue), run it into a plasma converter, sell the beneficial by-products (new revenue opportunity) and use their landfill for the rest of the non-revenue producing by-products. And the thing doesn't cost anything to power it.

The garbage collectors could convert their truck fleets to hydrogen power, and fuel up at the dumpsite if the dump would install a fueling station.

Reminds me of Back to the Future when the professor appears and dumps garbage into his futuristic car and roars off. Can we use this to power cars? Gotta get away from oil!!

JP

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