In-situ landfill pyrolysis, remediation and vitrification

A method for in-situ treatment and remediation of waste materials collected in a landfill by means of a plasma torch having appropriate connected utilities, comprising:

• (a) forming a borehole of a size sufficient to accommodate a plasma torch and extending from an upper end to a lower end at a predetermined depth below the landfill's top surface and passing through waste materials collected in the landfill;
• (b) lowering a plasma torch with connected utilities into said formed borehole and suspending the torch at a location above and proximate said borehole lower end;
• (c) utilizing the connected plasma torch utilities to operate said torch to create a plasma arc flame of sufficient temperature to pyrolize, remediate and vitrify, substantially in the absence of combustion, said waste materials located proximate said plasma arc flame, thus forming a molten mass, and permitting any resultant by-product gases to rise in said formed borehole;
• (d) collecting said by-product gases for treatment and recycling;
• (e) deenergizing the torch and stopping production of said plasma arc flame;
• (f) removing the plasma torch with its connected utilities from the borehole;
• and
• (g) allowing said molten mass to cool and solidify thereby to produce a column of remediated and vitrified waste material which volume is substantially less than the volume of waste material from which the vitrified column was produced.