PyroGenesis

Montreal-based PyroGenesis has refined a process, called plasma arc gasification, in which solid waste is shredded and fed into a furnace where extreme electrical charges bring the temperature above 3,000 degrees.

The basic technology is not new; torches were used by NASA scientists in the 1960s to test heat shields on Apollo command modules. PyroGenesis was one of the first companies to try to scale the method for widespread industrial use