ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Plasma arc waste disposal

Plasma arc waste disposal is a fancy way of saying that we can turn garbage into energy using really hot and strong flames made with electricity.

Imagine you have a candle, and you light it up. That's a small flame that produces heat and light. Now imagine a much bigger flame, hotter and stronger than the candle. That’s what plasma is! It's a type of flame that is created by electricity instead of a matchstick.

So, we take all kinds of garbage, from household waste to medical waste, and we put it in a machine called a plasma arc gasification unit. This unit uses plasma to break down the garbage into its basic elements. The really hot plasma turns the garbage into gas and ash.

The gases produced by this process are actually very valuable because they can be turned into energy! These gases are burned to create electricity or heat, which can be used to power homes or other buildings.

The ash that is left behind is much cleaner and safer for the environment than the original garbage because it has been reduced to its bare minimum. What’s left can even be used as building materials or fertilizer!

Basically, plasma arc waste disposal is a way to make trash disappear while creating useful energy!