The plasma melting process is used to volatilize and oxidize the organic fractions of a heterogeneous waste material and to oxidize the metallic fractions whilst simultaneously melting & vitrifying the inorganic component to form a dense monolithic glassy slag as the final waste form.  This process has been utilized to treat hazardous industrial wastes, medical wastes and low-level nuclear wastes. 

Plasma melting uses the plasma arc to melt the radioactive waste rather than using other forms of energy such as joule heating.  Plasma is the fourth state of matter, an ionized and electrically charged cloud of molecules that generates extremely high temperatures – often as high as 10,000°C in plasma torches.  The resultant temperatures of the exposed molten material are therefore generally higher than that produced by joule heating type melters (approximately 1,800°C compared to 1,200°C).