A reactor for conversion of municipal solid waste into syngas, slag and metals, the reactor comprising: (a) a gasification shaft adapted such that feedstock enters and is preheated and dried at the top part of the gasification shaft and then descends through the gasification shaft where it is decomposed and reacts with a gas stream rising from a plasma melting chamber located at the bottom of the gasification shaft; (b) a plasma melting chamber comprising a circular interior wall and a conical wedge; (c) at least one plasma torch inserted through a wall of the plasma melting chamber; the plasma torch adapted to preheat steam to a very high temperature to support endothermic gasification and pyrolysis reactions in the gasification shaft; (d) a feeding pipe that extends directly vertically through the top of gasification shaft; (e) an exhaust duct located near the top of gasification shaft through which raw syngas produced in the gasification shaft streams out of the reactor; (f) a tapping system located at the side of the plasma melting chamber, the tapping system adapted to allow periodic removal of metal and drainage of slag from a molten slag pool in the plasma melting chamber; characterized in that: i) the mounting flange of the at least one plasma torch is adapted to allow steam used as an oxidizer to be added from the side of the melting chamber and to flow directly into the at least one plasma torch; ii) the mounting flange of the at least one plasma torch comprises nozzles through which steam used as a driver gas is injected to create a spiral movement of gas around the at least one plasma torch due to the angle of the nozzles; iii) the plasma melting chamber has an enlarged transverse dimension compared to the inner diameter of the gasification shaft; iv) the conical wedge is located in the plasma melting chamber in such a way that it makes possible the formation and maintenance of a flow of a molten slag pool in a circular path that is concentric with the vertical axis of the plasma melting chamber; v) the feeding pipe is relatively long compared to its internal diameter and extends directly vertically through the top of gasification shaft; and vi) the at least one plasma torch is the external energy source to the reactor, which provides thermal and chemical driving forces for gasification and pyrolysis reactions. (a) a gasification shaft adapted such that feedstock enters and is preheated and dried at the top part of the gasification shaft and then descends through the gasification shaft where it is decomposed and reacts with a gas stream rising from a plasma melting chamber located at the bottom of the gasification shaft; (b) a plasma melting chamber comprising a circular interior wall and a conical wedge; (c) at least one plasma torch inserted through a wall of the plasma melting chamber; the plasma torch adapted to preheat steam to a very high temperature to support endothermic gasification and pyrolysis reactions in the gasification shaft; (d) a feeding pipe that extends directly vertically through the top of gasification shaft; (e) an exhaust duct located near the top of gasification shaft through which raw syngas produced in the gasification shaft streams out of the reactor; (f) a tapping system located at the side of the plasma melting chamber, the tapping system adapted to allow periodic removal of metal and drainage of slag from a molten slag pool in the plasma melting chamber; i) the mounting flange of the at least one plasma torch is adapted to allow steam used as an oxidizer to be added from the side of the melting chamber and to flow directly into the at least one plasma torch; ii) the mounting flange of the at least one plasma torch comprises nozzles through which steam used as a driver gas is injected to create a spiral movement of gas around the at least one plasma torch due to the angle of the nozzles; iii) the plasma melting chamber has an enlarged transverse dimension compared to the inner diameter of the gasification shaft; iv) the conical wedge is located in the plasma melting chamber in such a way that it makes possible the formation and maintenance of a flow of a molten slag pool in a circular path that is concentric with the vertical axis of the plasma melting chamber; v) the feeding pipe is relatively long compared to its internal diameter and extends directly vertically through the top of gasification shaft; and vi) the at least one plasma torch is the external energy source to the reactor, which provides thermal and chemical driving forces for gasification and pyrolysis reactions.