Asbestos is a fibrous, naturally occurring material commonly found in buried demolition debris and building materials. It is this fibrous structure that made it a popular insulating material. Asbestos is known to cause cancer in humans and especially lung cancer by inhalation. The toxicity of asbestos is due to the fibrous structure of the material rather than its chemical properties.

In most developed countries, asbestos is typically disposed of as hazardous waste in landfill sites. But storage capacities are not unlimited. Asbestos-containing materials disposal costs are quite expensive and are expected to rise substantially.

Asbestos can also be recycled by vitrification process. Plasma arc destruction of asbestos containing materials could provide an effective solution to the asbestos disposal problem. The high temperatures achievable with plasma arc torch technology can melt and vitrify asbestos and transform asbestos containing materials a chemically inert, glasslike residue. This method can be an environmentally safe, efficient, and effective method of destroying and vitrifying asbestos fibres. But it’ also expensive and has a treatment capacity rather small.

Inventors have found a process, simple, rapid, cheap and efficient to convert asbestos fibres into non-hazardous products, which presents an advantageous alternative to vitrification process, to recycle asbestos containing materials.