Patent ID: 7752983

Claim:
An apparatus for plasma gasification of waste materials consisting of organic and inorganic portions comprising: a refractory-lined reactor vessel having a processing chamber formed therein; a DC electrode system having top and bottom DC electrodes, said top electrode extending downwardly from the top of said chamber and said bottom electrode located on the bottom of said chamber, for generating a plasma arc and heating said processing chamber to a sufficient temperature so as to convert the organic portions of the waste materials to a synthetic gas consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide and to a carbon particulate, and to convert the inorganic portions of the waste materials to a molten material within said chamber consisting of a lower metallic layer and a slag layer formed on top of the metallic layer, wherein a lower end of said top electrode is submerged below the surface of said slag layer such that both said top and bottom electrodes are in direct contact with said molten material and said plasma arc occurs entirely within the molten material; and a feeder mechanism in communication with an opening defined in a wall of said reactor vessel processing chamber for the introduction of said waste materials into said chamber, said opening occurring in said wall at a height proximal to a lower end of said top electrode.