The Four Hills Landfill in Nashua, N.H. has been in operation since 1971. It is a large facility encompassing some 300 acres in the southwest portion of the city. The landfill has been capped extensively and is nearing the end of its planned usage. Today several operations stills exist at the landfill including a gas to energy facility, recycling facilities and residential and commercial waste disposal. The site will reach capacity around 2030 when it will be capped permanently. The city is looking at possible ways to extend the life of the landfill by adding additional property. There are many concerns and issues from an environmental standpoint including gas generation from decomposition, local water supply contamination, odors and gas leakage
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p.109) is broken down to its molecular molecules to produce hydrogen, water and carbon monoxide into a fuel source called ‘Syngas’ (Nicolae, B. p. 108). Feedstock can be many things, from residential waste, commercial waste, toxic material and metals. Plasma incinerators burn at very high temperatures, 5000 degrees Celsius and are produced ‘by a stream of air passing thru an electric arc.’ (Nicolae, B. p. 108) This is similar to what happens when lightening passes through the atmosphere and superheats the air around it forming plasma. Engineers have learned how to simulate this plasma arc in an incinerator. Because of the high heat, all types of feed stock can be used in the incinerator, including toxic waste. The incinerator breaks down matter into its base molecules. The resulting gas is then fed into a gas burning turbine to produce electrical power. The gas can also be used to create steam which also can be run through a turbine to generate more electricity or the gas can be simply collected for sale. Traditional incinerators can only burn certain types of trash and produce a lot of smoke and ash in the process. They have a limited capacity when it comes to waste disposal. Plasma incinerators are able to dispose of all sorts of material, toxic, residential and commercial, as well as recyclable material. They can also be used to transform the Landfill back to its original state by burning off what is in …show more content…
Due to the clean air legislation, it was the best solution at the time, but as I have shown it has its own environmental problems. The landfill is partially capped and has to be monitored closely for leaks and gas emissions. Methane gas has to be stored and collected at the site as it is highly combustible and is a known greenhouse gas. Toxic waste from the surrounding Superfund sites cannot be readily disposed of in the landfill without special permits and is an ongoing hazard for Nashua residents. There is a whole host of legal troubles for the city in regards to the companies that maintain the Methane gas collection as well as with the EPA over proper disposal of toxic waste. Today’s Plasma incinerators have the ability to dispose of all kinds of landfill material, including toxic waste. By breaking these materials down to the molecular level, they can be recaptured to produce electricity and as a source of fuel. A Plasma incinerator would also ease the burden Nashua has on maintaining the landfill by slowly incinerating the entire landfill, thus reclaiming valuable land. It would also provide a long term sustainable program for waste disposal that current landfill practices cannot
p.109) is broken down to its molecular molecules to produce hydrogen, water and carbon monoxide into a fuel source called ‘Syngas’ (Nicolae, B. p. 108). Feedstock can be many things, from residential waste, commercial waste, toxic material and metals. Plasma incinerators burn at very high temperatures, 5000 degrees Celsius and are produced ‘by a stream of air passing thru an electric arc.’ (Nicolae, B. p. 108) This is similar to what happens when lightening passes through the atmosphere and superheats the air around it forming plasma. Engineers have learned how to simulate this plasma arc in an incinerator. Because of the high heat, all types of feed stock can be used in the incinerator, including toxic waste. The incinerator breaks down matter into its base molecules. The resulting gas is then fed into a gas burning turbine to produce electrical power. The gas can also be used to create steam which also can be run through a turbine to generate more electricity or the gas can be simply collected for sale. Traditional incinerators can only burn certain types of trash and produce a lot of smoke and ash in the process. They have a limited capacity when it comes to waste disposal. Plasma incinerators are able to dispose of all sorts of material, toxic, residential and commercial, as well as recyclable material. They can also be used to transform the Landfill back to its original state by burning off what is in …show more content…
Due to the clean air legislation, it was the best solution at the time, but as I have shown it has its own environmental problems. The landfill is partially capped and has to be monitored closely for leaks and gas emissions. Methane gas has to be stored and collected at the site as it is highly combustible and is a known greenhouse gas. Toxic waste from the surrounding Superfund sites cannot be readily disposed of in the landfill without special permits and is an ongoing hazard for Nashua residents. There is a whole host of legal troubles for the city in regards to the companies that maintain the Methane gas collection as well as with the EPA over proper disposal of toxic waste. Today’s Plasma incinerators have the ability to dispose of all kinds of landfill material, including toxic waste. By breaking these materials down to the molecular level, they can be recaptured to produce electricity and as a source of fuel. A Plasma incinerator would also ease the burden Nashua has on maintaining the landfill by slowly incinerating the entire landfill, thus reclaiming valuable land. It would also provide a long term sustainable program for waste disposal that current landfill practices cannot