 Executive Summary (Revised 24Aug99 at 20:25) This information was compiled by Don E. Hawkins, Chairman & CEO of HI Disposal Systems, LLC. This document contains information on:
HI has secured the rights to build the next generation; state-of-the-art waste disposal facilities based on patented technology from PEAT, inc. HI will file for additional patents as the Indianapolis facility is being built, giving HI additional leverage in the waste destruction industry. Mission Statement of the Project - Our corporate policy is environmental stewardship through the application of technology. We live in an age in which environmental awareness has become a global issue. HI fosters the development of partnerships in applying a technology that will "break" the link between our hazardous waste streams and environmental pollution. Generators and disposal contractors are no longer allowed to compromise the very foundations of environmental quality in their waste management practices. Our focus therefore is the birthing of a new industry for waste disposal, applying electro-technologies for the safe and effective treatment of problematic waste streams. This will facilitate and perpetuate economic expansion, thereby meeting the environmental and economic needs of future generations. The fourth state of matter (plasma) has been harnessed to perform the work of a whole new industry. Plasma energy is an environmentally benign means of converting an otherwise hazardous waste stream of organics into a clean hydrogen-rich fuel-gas while vitrifying inorganics into an inert glassy aggregate. HI’s PBPV system virtually eliminates the need for additional landfills. Summary of the Project - With the approach the 21st century, we face some very serious challenges in the field of waste management. Our hospitals, chemical manufacturing facilities and pharmaceutical institutions face an ever-increasing waste management problem. We are all aware of the waste disposal problems plaguing our cities, towns and states. Up to now, no one has presented a solution for total disposal and/or destruction of certain types of waste. Don Hawkins has spent years researching various disposal technologies and has found that the plasma-based approach offers many advantages over conventional waste destruction processes. Even the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has acknowledged that pyrolysis-type systems can be considered as the next generation in waste disposal/management. This process is the solution to many of the problems now plaguing society with the disposal of medical and industrial wastes, used tires, asbestos, PCB's etc. Waste destruction using a Plasma Heating System in HI’s new PBPV System is the "Next Generation in Waste Disposal Systems". Technologies have been developed that are reshaping the way we treat and dispose of many of our waste products. HI is using a plasma heating system (electrical heat source) in its PBPV system that melts and/or smelts waste products using high-temperature pyrolysis. Plasma heating systems, originally developed for the space program, are essentially bulk heaters that have been used in industry for years. The versatility of plasma heating systems as an industrial heat source offers a broad range of options for waste disposal while affording the potential for material recovery, enhanced economics, and improved environmental compliance. Plasma heating systems are operating today in blast furnaces, cupolas, ladle heaters, tundish heaters, etc., around the world and are now proving their effectiveness in solid waste and toxic chemical elimination. The thermal energy that can be produced by plasma heating system exceeds and is more controllable than what can be obtained by a conventional combustion process. Just a few years ago, it was not economically feasible to use a plasma heating system for the destruction of waste products. Today however, many landfills are closing due to existing and pending legislation. The storage and/or incineration of hazardous wastes is becoming increasingly difficult and costly. New methods of disposal based on the plasma heating system are an environmentally benign solution for the waste disposal problem. As you will learn, tomorrow's technology is available to us today using HI’s new PBPV system for the destruction of many waste products. The PBPV system is a technology that has the ability to reduce volume of waste products by 95% to 98% with little effect on air or water quality. This technology can also produce fuel products, yielding additional income. Additionally, the gas production can be used for cogeneration for either HI or the local community. It also has the potential to significantly contribute to protecting the natural environment in a community. Today, medical and other solid waste products are either sent to landfills (in the USA approximately 90%) or incinerated. When incinerated, the combusted waste produces particulate and gaseous emissions that are potentially harmful to the environment. Expensive control equipment is required to minimize incinerator's adverse environmental impacts. Plasma systems may be substituted for combustion furnaces in the waste processes. This will greatly reduce the toxic gas emissions and eliminate hazardous ash from the process. HI's PBPV Systems technology destroys waste materials without the use of fossil fuels. "No unsightly smoke stacks" are required that release pollutants into the air. There may be a "stack", only, if the product gas is combusted, and/or used as a fuel. In addition to PBPV Systems unique ability to handle hazardous organic and inorganic simultaneously, the process results in environmentally acceptable and, often, recyclable by-products. Unlike an incinerator that emits high volumes of off-gas with relatively high levels of pollutants, PBPV System processing produces modest amounts of ultra-clean fuel-gas. Where an incinerator produces an ash that is generally considered hazardous, a PBPV System results in an inert aggregate of glass and metal bound so irretrievable on the molecular level that it may be used in construction. Plasma pyrolysis heats medical and other solid waste in the absence of oxygen and converts the organic material into useful gases. The inorganic material in the waste is converted to a vitrified aggregate (glassy rock) that is non-toxic and non-leachable, which can be used as building material, road filler, or safely transported to landfills. The by-product gases produced can be used for cogeneration of electrical power, other fuel sources, or as a chemical feed stock. Recently, the EPA has focused increased scrutiny on hazardous waste incinerators. Plasma pyrolysis is a proven alternative to incinerating medical and industrial wastes streams. Plasma pyrolysis heats the waste to temperatures that are achievable only by plasma, and will:
HI's PBPV System processing surpasses all other existing technologies, emitting pollutant levels as low as, or lower than, automobiles and fireplaces. The State of California has recognized the technology as an approved alternative to incineration for medical waste since 1994. The most unique aspect of HI's PBPV System is its ability to surpass the levels of destruction efficiency of incineration, without the combustion-dependence and comparatively high levels of pollutants and hazardous residues that accompany that technology. Since HI's PBPV System is electrically driven and relies on pyrolysis and vitrification (as opposed to combustion), this new technology will be acceptable in areas where incineration is not. Using a Plasma Heating System, HI's PBPV System is capable of eliminating most of a community’s waste products, with minimal adverse environmental impact, and, can even produce revenue (energy, etc.) from some waste streams. Now a community can be responsible for its own waste. There is no need to transport waste materials several hundred miles to other states or countries for disposal. HI is building a waste destruction facility that will initially be used to destroy medical, pharmaceutical and other moderately hazardous waste products using HI’s Plasma-Based Pyrolysis/Vitrification technology. After further development, the system can be modified for other problematic waste streams such as tires, and asbestos. DEFINITIONS: Plasma Heating System - A type of electrical resistance heater. One of the major components used in HI’s PBPV System. Developed in the mid-1960's for NASA’s use in testing prototypical spacecraft heat shields. Used successfully in the metallurgical and ceramics industries for over thirty years. Produces one of the most robust and highest sustainable temperatures in industrial use today. Pyrolysis - Chemical change brought about by non-combustive heat provided via an external source (Plasma Heating System). Ideally results in carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Vitrification - The melting and subsequent binding of inorganics resulting in an inert and non-hazardous vitreous product generally suitable for use in construction applications. Plasma-Based Pyrolysis/Vitrification (PBPV) System - Waste processing, resource & recovery system using electrically-driven heat from a "Plasma Heating System" to break waste materials down into simple compounds and individual elements that are either segregated and recovered or allowed to recombine into useful compounds. Simultaneously addresses both organic and inorganic waste materials. Organic waste materials, such as plastics, are converted to a mid-grade fuel gas dominated by hydrogen. Metals and other inorganic waste materials are melted and either economically recovered or molecularly bound with glass to form a non-leachable aggregate, often ideal for use in construction. There is no requirement for the land filling of any residue resulting from its operation. Can be operated at the point of waste generation thereby eliminating the risks associated with transporting waste over-the-road, compared to incineration.
Hawkins Industries, Inc. & HI Disposal Systems, LLC = HI Companies Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1724, Indianapolis, IN 46206-1724 USA Voice: 317-693-1265 or 800-995-1265 - Fax: 317-262-1265 or 800-973-1265 (e-mail: info@hicompanies.com - web site: www.hicompanies.com) Copyrighted © 1997 1998 1999 2000 by Hawkins Industries, Inc., - All rights reserved TERMS & CONDITIONS - The material contained on "www.hawkinsindustries.com or www.hidisposalsystems.com" may not be re-published, re-broadcast, re-written or re-distributed without prior written permission from Hawkins Industries, Inc. |