Fact Sheet:

February 1998

(UL 37)

Some 192,000 public buildings in the U.S. contain an estimated 1.2 billion square feet of sprayed-on or trawled-on asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). The U.S. Department of Defense is currently facing multi-million dollar rehabilitation costs relating to asbestos removal and disposal from these buildings.

At present, ACM removal and disposal projects are generating a considerable amount of hazardous waste material. Under the 1986 Asbestos Emergency Response Act, ACMs can only be deposited at selected Class 1 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved landfill disposal sites which comply with the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. Higher disposal costs are anticipated as these EPA-approved disposal sites reach their full capacity. In addition, the U.S. Army Center for Public Works has recommended that installations manage asbestos in place.

Plasma heating was originally developed for the metallurgy industry as an efficient alternative to conventional heating. A plasma torch is a tubular device that converts electricity into heat via the resistance of a plasma. Plasma is the state of matter where gases are ionized. At this stage they are highly conductive and generate considerable heat.

The very high temperature (3,000-7,000oC) achievable with plasma arc torches make this technology a viable and powerful tool for the thermal destruction of ACMs. When pure asbestos is subjected to temperatures above 1000oC, the asbestos fibers melt and subsequently solidify into a non-hazardous, chemically inert, solid material. The resulting slag-like substance meets all EPA criteria for transportation and disposal into regular landfills.

Joint research by the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (CERL) and Georgia Institute of Technology studied the Plasma Arc destruction process and potential applicability to the Army. The research was conducted under the former Construction Productivity Advancement Research (CPAR) program as a cost-shared venture between the partners. The ultimate goal of this research is to develop a mobile 15-ton/day Plasma Asbestos Pyrolysis System (PAPS) and a heavier duty, transportable Plasma Energy Pyrolysis System (PEPS).

PAPS and PEPS would give Army installations and the construction industry the option of onsite asbestos destruction versus transportation and disposal in a hazardous waste landfill. Plasma Arc treatment produces a safe, nonhazardous waste from any form of asbestos and ACMs fed into the furnace. The cost to treat 7 tons/day of asbestos using PAPS is estimated at $163/ton. This cost is about equal to the median level of 1988 landfill costs in the U.S.

In addition to destroying asbestos, Plasma Arc technology has the potential to be applied in municipal and hazardous waste disposal sites. It can provide a high-intensity heat source for the gasification, vitrification, and environmentally saft destruction of numerous hazardous wastes.

CERL and Georgia Tech completed the CPAR project in FY97 with development of design criteria for the prototype PAPS. The total investment for the CPAR work was $750K, with Georgia Tech contributing $395K and the Corps of Engineers' share totaling $325K. CERL is continuing to work on developing the two portable plasma systems.

CERL POC is Dr. Ed Smith, COMM 217-373-3488; toll-free 800-USA-CERL; FAX 217-373-3490; or CERL, ATTN: CECER UL-I, P.O. Box 9005, Champaign, IL 61826.

Georgia Tech POC is Dr. Louie J.Circeo, COMM 404-894-2070; FAX 404-894-7989; or Construction Research Center (CRC), Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0159.

Visit the CERL homepage at http://www.cecer.army.mil