Abstract: Solid waste material is disposed of and a portion thereof converted into valuable refractory prills by use of a reactor having a substantially vertical pyrolysis chamber, a refuse charging inlet and a combustible gas outlet in the upper region thereof and a molten refractory material outlet in the lower region thereof. The molten refractory material withdrawn from the chamber is prilled to form ceramic beads. Gas-feed means charges an oxygen-rich gas into the chamber under pressure at a plurality of vertically spaced points along the length thereof so as to produce combustion of the waste organic components and generate heat. The charge is controlled to maintain a plurality of different temperature zones along the length of the chamber so as to effect incomplete combustion of the waste organic component and form a combustible gas and an organic-free molten refractory material.

Abstract: Solid waste material is disposed of and a portion thereof converted into valuable refractory material within a reactor having a substantially vertical pyrolysis chamber, a refuse charging inlet and a combustible gas outlet in the upper region thereof and a molten refractory material outlet in the lower region thereof. Gas-feed means charges an oxygen-rich gas into the chamber under pressure at a plurality of vertically spaced points along the length thereof so as to produce combustion of the waste organic components and generate heat. The charge is controlled to maintain a plurality of different temperature zones along the length of the chamber so as to effect incomplete combustion of the waste organic component and form a combustible gas and an organic-free molten refractory material.