Apparatus for making solid waste material environmentally safe using heat

An apparatus for removing harmful constituents from solid waste material, comprising:

• a reaction chamber having multiple zones;
• means for continuously feeding a particulate mix of said solid waste material into a first zone of the reaction chamber;
• a rotating and retractable lance assembly for introducing oxygen into the first zone of the reaction chamber, the first zone of the reaction chamber being adapted to react the mix in the chamber in the presence of oxygen until the solid waste becomes an agitated molten aggregate and the temperature within the first zone of the reaction chamber above the bath of molten aggregate is high enough to destroy substantially all of the harmful constituents of the effluvia generated by the formation of the molten aggregate;
• means for further mixing the agitated molten aggregate in the first zone of the reaction chamber;
• means for conducting excess molten aggregate from the first zone of the reaction chamber;
• means for conducting the effluvia generated by the formation of the molten aggregate from the first zone of the reaction chamber into a second zone of the reaction chamber, the second zone of the reaction chamber being adapted for reburning the effluvia therein to destroy substantially all organic material;
• means for treating the effluvia to remove substantially all of the remaining particulate and any remaining organic material to achieve acceptable environmental quality;
• and
• means for releasing the treated effluvia into the atmosphere.