(WO9403760-A1)      Complete physical and chemical restructuring of municipal solid waste, other solid wastes and other waste materials (solid waste materials, SWMs) is by high-temp. thermochemical conversion of the SWMs, in combination with particulate C fuel which is highly reactive, and using oxygen and steam as gasification reactants, thereby producing marketable prods., co prods. and by prods., and leaving no waste solids which must be disposed of by burying in landfills or other waste containment and storage, and releasing only minor amts. of clean inert gases to the atmosphere.    Process comprises (a) prepg. gasification feedstock materials (GFM) comprising the SWMs fragmented to max. dimensions of 2-3 inches and comprising particulate C highly reactive and produced from coal or lignite (b) feeding the GFM into a gasifying furnace where simultaneous gasification, slagging, melting and vaporisation of the GFM and of mineral additives are all effected, using a gasification reaction to provide a low-pressure, high-temp., totally-slagging gasification process, (c) providing storage for large quantities of the particulate C fuel, (d) gasifying, slagging, melting and vaporising the GFM at very high gasification temps. and near-atmospheric pressures in the furnace where pre-mixed reactant oxygen and superheated reactant steam are used, (e) converting most non-combustible solids in the SWMs, in the particulate C fuel and in the mineral additives by the very high temps. of the gasification reactions (3000-4000 deg. F) and the very strong reducing nature of the prods. to the molten slag of low viscosity, to molten metals and to metal vapours, collecting and removing the fluid slag and molten metals separately by tapping the furnace, the metal vapours being carried out with the flow of syngas and being condensed to powder-like metallic dust and recovering the dust in the cleaning of the syngas, (f) controlling the mineral-chemical compsn. using additives such as silica, iron oxides, limestone and alumina to maintain low eutectic points of the slag and to control the quality of foamed light weight aggregates and rock-wool insulating materials produced from the slag, (g) pouring the removed slag as controlled-diameter small streams into pools of water of controlled depths, (h) casting the removed molten metals and cooling to form metal ingots, (i) removing heat energy of the high temp. syngas exiting, by heating feedwater, generating satd. steam and superheating steam in a syngas cooling steam generator and its feedwater heater, passing a side-stream of cool syngas through a CO shift reactor and reacting with satd. process steam to provide additional H2 in a stream of high-H2 syngas which is re-mixed with the syngas from the furnace, (j) providing additional satd. steam from a cogeneration electric power plant, (k) cleaning and purifying hot the syngas exiting the furnace having been cooled as previously, (l) converting the pressurised clean syngas by synthesis reaction to MeOH fuel, (m) recovering the by prods. from the syngas cleaning plant in forms which are marketable as by prod. materials.    USE/ADVANTAGE -   Provides energy and resource conservation for the prodn. of e.g. feeds for ruminants, lightweight granular aggregates, dense crushed aggregates, rock-wool insulating materials, elemental sulphur, recycled metals, cryogenic gases, methanol fuel and blended alcohol fuels.