The Company Unit and Testing History
The Company and Product. Plasma Energy Group, LLC, (“Plasma Energy” or the “Company”), a development stage company, was founded by Murry A. Vance and established in Florida in 2012. The Company provides an innovative, environmentally sound technology to convert waste into a manageable, solid residue that can be captured for added value or disposed of by standard methods. The PEAR unit can be configured for reduction of inorganic material, reduction of organic material, syngas generation, liquid syn fuel, and molecular breakdown of most feed stocks. The Company’s patented Plasma Energy Arc Reduction system (“PEAR”) physically alters the composition of any material, with limitedair emissions, through a proprietary process utilizing an electrical discharge into the waste stream that is trapped within a conductive plasma cloud. The processing is achieved and controlled in an inert atmosphere process chamber. The technology has been proven to reduce the volume and weight of processed waste up to 99% with a substantial cost savings overthe cost of other processes, including incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, and other plasma processes.
Product History. Vance IDS, Inc. and Arc Technologies Group, Inc. were founded in 1992 by Mr. Murry Vance to fill the growing need for environmentally sound, cost-effective waste disposal, especially as it related to energy generation. At the time, conventional incineration (a process whereby waste is “burned”) was the predominant method of disposal. With increasing environmental regulations regarding air emissions, there was new concern regarding the long-term health hazards of this process. In addition, waste is becoming increasingly expensive to transport, handle, and then incinerate. Energy from waste was being explored as a solution for growing energy concerns.
17 Years Wait. With a commercial production unit completed and tested in 2002. With this success six shareholders of the then development company tried to take over the technology and existing companies for their own benefit. The Seventeen years of delay from the costly litigation was the demise of the development companies. Mr. Vance prevailed in the final settlement and is now moving to bring the technology back to the forefront of the waste to energy market through Plasma Energy Group, LLC.
Technology History
Since its introduction, the Technology has evolved through 25 years of research and development, refining, and testing the Patented Plasma technology. In December 1993, Mr. Vance introduced the PEAR and Plasma technology to the public for the first time. This first exposure was at the Electrical Power Research Institute’s Health Care Initiative in Washington DC, which was sponsored by electric utility companies nationally to develop and reinforce their long-term relationships with healthcare facilities.
Refining the PAR/PEAR
The Company developed, refined, and tested various units of the PAR/PEAR for efficacy and environmental requirements. The first sample system, completed by December 1992, incorporated torches, compactor drums, power supplies, a coolant system, a distributor array, scrubbers, and a controlled chamber. With a capacity of only five pounds per hour, the system was used to prove the validity of the patent claims. Over the next four months, an outside laboratory performed a full range of tests on the unit for compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for air and water emissions. Test results revealed that the sample system exceeded all water testing criteria and that the off gas produced was insignificant. Likewise, the efficacy for destruction of bio hazardous waste was proven using Florida’s Department of Health guidelines. (Relative to other states, Florida is known as one of the most stringent states for environmental regulation.)
By 1994, the Company built the first full size demonstration system for presentation to prospective customers. The model was designed for clinic operations and fit in a space of 50” X 172” with a height of only 96”. The unit had numerous operating features and was designed to process 100 pounds of waste per hour. In addition to the components of the first sample system, this unit added a computer control system, bar code readers, weighing scales, and safety features for efficiently loading the waste. The prototype system exceeded all standards for destroying all medical waste. In addition, the byproducts produced by the PAR/PEAR (e.g., carbon black and residue) met EPA Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) tests and the recycled water complied with local drinking water standards.
During this time, PAR/PEAR custom software was designed, finalized, and tested. Options for different types and capacities of loading were developed, ranging from 100 pounds per hour to 24,000 pounds per hour. All models were designed symmetrically to allow for the interchangeability of components and sub-assemblies between models. This is important for ease in upgrading to larger systems when a customer’s waste requirements change over time.
In October 1995, a large healthcare unit was tested by two independent environmental labs. The test included multi-media environmental parameters (air, water, residuals, and efficacy) in accordance with the testing protocol outlined by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The PAR/PEAR prototype was challenged with mixed cultures of two microorganisms, Bacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus Subtilis, in concentrations exceeding one million spores per vial of the microorganisms. Each bag of waste contained three vials of spores that continuously challenged the PAR/PEAR test unit with over 50 times the required concentration. All test results verified that this prototype exceeded all parameters for processing Regulated Medical Waste (RMW).
Also, in October 1995, a partnering agreement to test the Plasma process for the effectiveness of LLRW (Low Level Radioactive Waste) was formed with Mr. Vance and several utility companies. A modified medical waste unit was used for testing LLRW and results showed 99% volume reduction with containment of the surrogate metals within the process-generated carbon black.
In February 1996, a beta test unit was installed at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida and began a series of tests that included the standard regiment of testing for efficacy, air, water, and residue. This unit was also tested for the ability to generate synthetic fuel gas, liquid fuel, heat reclaim, and process safety control. Again the unit surpassed all testing parameters for RMW and, in the process, the unit generated sufficient fuel and steam for reuse.
Since 1992, 16 Plasma Energy units have been designed, manufactured, and tested for many applications. After 25 years of development the commercial Plasma (PAR) unit is offered with a capacity of 1 cubic yard per hour to 60 cubic yards per hour. The unit’s capacity limits are based on the volume of process material, not weight. Weight of material only effects the loading design for the units.
Plasma Energy Group currently has a mobile unit designed for processing and testing solid waste on the waste site. This unit will process sewage sludge, cake, grit, FOG, pet-coke, pharmaceutical waste, chemical waste, and any 18% solids from municipal and industrial sources. The mobile unit’s loading system can be modified for many waste streams, that include RMW, MSW, hazardous, solid, and many more. If you have a waste stream not listed in the above, please contact our engineering department.