Lava is among the natural materials emitted from Earth that contain intense heat enough to melt and burn almost any objects we could think of. With that said, there are many suggestions pertaining to the lava as a potential answer to the planet's unending waste problem.
Volcanoes: Natural Garbage Incinerators?
PAHOA, HI - MAY 6: In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, a lava flow moves on Makamae Street after the eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on May 6, 2018, in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii. The governor of Hawaii has declared a local state of emergency near the Mount Kilauea volcano after it erupted following a 5.0-magnitude earthquake, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,700 residents.
Lava is so hot that it could devour almost all of the objects thrown into it. In 2018, the heat of lavas was exhibited when Hawaii's Kilauea erupted on Big island. The state witnessed the lava flows from the volcano that contained temperate ranging to up to 1,100 degrees Celsius. The burning heat of the eruption's lava is very warm that it exceeded the normal temperatures recorded from the surface of the planet Venus.
The heat of the lava flow in the Kilauea eruption is considered high enough to melt any rocks on its path. Relative to 1,000 to 1,2000 degrees Celsius standard heat of an industrial incinerator, the temperature from the lava is also sufficient to burn garbage wastes.
But compared to the 2018 explosion in Hawaii, not many lavas emitted from volcanic activities have the same temperatures as high as the Kilauea lava. According to The Conversation, the eruption from the Big island produced lava that included several basalt compositions. In studies, basalt is extremely hot and comes in fluid structures - a characteristic that could be rarely found in multiple volcanic spews.
For example, Washington state's Mount St. Helens produces dacite lava that is more solidified and thicker than basalt. From 2004 to 2008, the crater materialized a lava dome that only had temperatures less than 704 degrees Celsius.
What's Stopping Us on Dumping Our Trash on Volcanoes?
Although it may seem reasonable for the heat of the volcanic lavas to burn wastes we produce, there are certain factors why it is not advisable. Lava temperature exceeds over 1000 degrees Celsius is undoubtedly hot and enough to melt certain garbage such as paper, food leftovers, and glass. However, it is not enough to melt the most common metals on our modern devices, such as nickel, iron, and steel.
Another reason burning garbage through lavas is ineffective is that there are not many volcanoes recorded with their lava lake formation. Most people believe that the majority of the volcanoes have similar content of overflowing lava on craters where we could dump tonnes of wastes. However, this is not the case, as experts only recorded a few massive lava lakes on the planet.
Alongside Kilauea, the Democratic Republic of Congo's Nyiragongo and Antarctica's Mount Erebus only contains the largest volcanic openings, which obviously cannot cater to the amount of garbage from each country. Contrary to popular belief, most active volcanoes have craters with solid materials and cooled lava more than liquid like in Mount St. Helens, or even just water like in Oregon's Crater Lake.
Although there are eight massive lava lakes that are active on Earth and could seemingly serve to burn our garbage, the delivery of the job itself is dangerous. As materials get nearer the crater, they melt and break off. Letting any types of rocks and random objects on the surface of a lava lake could disrupt its natural placement and may lead to an unwanted explosion.
Alongside the vulnerable lava, burning trash will produce an even more problematic issue to the atmosphere of the planet. This is due to the toxic chemicals and gases produced from disintegrating objects on the craters. Naturally, volcanoes already produce a significant amount of gases such as chlorine, carbon dioxide, and sulfur, so adding more to it might not be the brightest idea.
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