Plascon/sup TM/-A thermal plasma process for destruction of Halon 1211

Summary form only given. The international recommendations forming the "Montreal Protocol" (agreed to in 1987 and updated several times since) essentially prohibit the manufacture and use of ozone depleting substances (ODS) by signatory countries. Despite this prohibition, a significant problem remains-what do we do with the existing ODS stockpiles? Following the Montreal recommendations, the Australian government decided to target the ODS Halon 1211 (bromochlorodifluoromethane or BCF-a widely used fire extinguisher), and established its "Halon Bank" to collect the material from industry. The stockpile of BCF in Australia is estimated to exceed 4000 tonnes and approximately 1000 tonnes of this has already been collected by the Federal Government Department of Administrative Services Centre for Environmental Management (DASCEM). Meanwhile, the Australian government research organisation, CSIRO, has been collaborating with an industrial partner, Siddons Ramset Limited Plasma (SRLP), in the development of a thermal plasma reactor for BCF destruction purposes. Recently, DASCEM has established a commercial facility for BCF destruction in Australia based on the PLASCON/sup TM/ process developed by CSIRO and SRLP.