Plasma Arc Gasification Plant Benefits to the County of Hawaii

Abstract

This report will examine the application and benefits of constructing a Plasma Arc Gasification plant on the Island of Hawaii. First, the waste composition and generation of the United States is discussed along with the current methods of disposal and their implications. Then, specifically the Island of Hawaii waste generation and management is analyzed. The State of Hawaii faces unique challenges of waste management due to its geographic isolation; this makes it a perfect candidate for a waste to energy technology. Incineration is a typical waste to energy technology but emits hazardous toxins and greenhouse gases through the combustion of waste. Plasma Arc Gasification however, uses extreme heat to vaporize the waste and converts it back into its elemental compounds. This process creates a syngas that can be used as fuel for electricity and a molten slag that is applicable as aggregate to the construction industry. Plasma Arc Gasification has multiple benefits including a flexible feedstock, electricity generation, a byproduct of non-hazardous slag. A cost analysis is performed comparing the current landfill operations with the potential profit of a Plasma Arc Gasification plant. A 1000 tpd PAG plant is used for this analysis because even though the Island of Hawaii disposed of approximately 185,000 tons of MSW in 2020, the waste disposal rate for the island on average increases 4.6 percent per year. The cost analysis determines that by constructing a PAG plant on the Island of Hawaii, there is a potential profit of $227.87 per ton of MSW, that equates to over $41 million a year. Compared to the current landfill operation there would be a net gain of $202.29 per ton of MSW or more than $37 million a year. The high initial capital cost of constructing a Plasma Arc Gasification plant is offset by its revenue generation.