Hazardous waste treatment process

A method for treating hazardous waste comprising:

• providing a plasma reactor comprising a crucible for holding hazardous waste to be treated and a glass-forming host slag material, the crucible having an inner wall having a cooled internal surface;
• introducing the glass-forming host slag material into the crucible of the plasma reactor in the absence of the hazardous waste to be treated and treating the glass-forming host slag material in the crucible using a first plasma treatment to melt the glass-forming host slag material while maintaining said cooled inner wall of the crucible below a solidus temperature of the glass-forming host slag material to cause glass-forming host slag material to solidify on said cooled internal surface of the inner wall of the crucible to form a solid interfacial coating of the glass-forming host slag material on said cooled internal surface of the inner wall of the crucible;
• introducing the hazardous waste to be treated into the crucible of the plasma reactor after introducing the glass-forming host slag material into the crucible of the plasma reactor, after said melting of the glass-forming host slag material, and after said forming said solid interfacial coating of the glass-forming host slag material on said cooled internal surface of the inner wall of the crucible;
• contacting within the crucible of the plasma reactor the hazardous waste to be treated and the glass-forming host slag material;
• and
• treating the hazardous waste to be treated and the glass-forming host slag material in the crucible of the plasma reactor using a second plasma treatment to incorporate inorganic components of the waste to be treated within the glass-forming host slag material;
• wherein the plasma is generated using an arc and the arc is passed through the glass-forming host slag material;
• and
• wherein the inner wall of the crucible is maintained at said temperature below the solidus temperature of the glass-forming host slag material during plasma treatment.