NOVELTY - A waste material is treated by, heating and pulverizing waste material to produce materials comprising waste powder, and drum gas comprising volatile hydrocarbon components and water; recovering the drum gas; subjecting the waste powder to a first plasma arc to convert the waste powder to molten materials and synthesis gas; recovering the synthesis gas; and recovering the molten material.    USE - For treating waste material.    ADVANTAGE - The inventive method is self-regulating, self-cleaning, and produces a higher quality syngas and/or useable solid by-product.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Treatment of a waste material (311) comprises introducing the waste material into a vessel; heating and pulverizing the waste material under conditions that produces materials comprising waste powder, and drum (360) gas comprising volatile hydrocarbon components and water; recovering the drum gas from the vessel; subjecting the waste powder to a first plasma arc to convert the waste powder to molten materials and synthesis gas (320); recovering the synthesis gas; and recovering the molten material. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for:    (a) an apparatus for processing a waste product, comprising a rotatable drum, having an inlet end and an outlet end with the inlet end attached to an inlet bulkhead by a first seal and the outlet end attached to an outlet bulkhead by a second seal, configured such that a material placed in the drum via an opening in the inlet bulkhead flows from the drum via an outlet opening in the outlet bulkhead; seals separating the inside of the drum from the outside; an enclosure (362) disposed about the drum having an inlet end with an enclosure inlet opening and an outlet end with an enclosure outlet opening for circulating hot gas over the outside of the drum to heat the material in the drum; a plasma reactor (301) connected to the drum outlet bulkhead opening for receiving and processing the waste material from the drum, the reactor having a gas removal opening connected to the drum enclosure inlet opening for removing the gas created by the reactor, and at least one other opening for removing molten material from the reactor; and a recirculation blower, having a blower inlet connected to the drum enclosure outlet opening and a blower outlet connected to the gas removal opening of the plasma reactor for blending the created reactor gas with the gas circulated around the drum; and    (b) a process of processing a waste material and producing a gas from the waste material, comprising preparing a plasma reactor feed by preheating and pulverizing the waste material in a rotating drum; processing the prepared feed with a plasma reactor; removing gas created by the plasma reactor from the plasma reactor and flowing it through the inside of the drum to preheat the waste material and to vaporize the water and light hydrocarbons in the feed; removing the gas and water and hydrocarbons vapors from the drum; condensing the water and condensable hydrocarbons from the drum gas and vapors to furnish a stream of gas.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a schematic view of a waste processing plant using a rotating drum in combination with a plasma reactor.    Plasma reactor (301)    Waste material (311)    Synthesis gas (320)    Drum (360)    Enclosure (362)