NOVELTY - The plasma gasification or vitrification reactor apparatus comprises a reactor vessel (10) containing a carbonaceous bed (20) and having plasma torches (24) for establishing an elevated temperature within the bed. The reactor vessel includes feed material inlets above the bed for depositing process material from outside the vessel onto the bed, gas exhaust ports above the bed for exit of gaseous products from the vessel, and slag ports at the bottom of the bed for exit of molten slag and metals from the vessel. The carbonaceous bed comprises a mass of particles.    USE - The plasma gasification or vitrification reactor apparatus is useful in pyrolytic processes (claimed) for treatment of wide range of materials including scrap metal, hazardous waste, medical waste, tires, incinerator ash, other municipal or industrial wastes and landfill material and vegetative waste or biomass to derive metals or syngas used as a fossil fuel.    ADVANTAGE - The plasma gasification or vitrification reactor apparatus ensures efficient production of syngas with improved chemical, thermal, and strength properties, reduced amount of coke and less consumption of carbon in a bed.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The plasma gasification or vitrification reactor apparatus comprises a reactor vessel (10) containing a carbonaceous bed (20) and having plasma torches (24) for establishing an elevated temperature within the bed. The reactor vessel includes feed material inlets above the bed for depositing process material from outside the vessel onto the bed, gas exhaust ports above the bed for exit of gaseous products from the vessel, and slag ports at the bottom of the bed for exit of molten slag and metals from the vessel. The carbonaceous bed comprises a mass of particles that contain carbon and are of varied size and shape leaving voids between particles and with strength of the sufficient particles to maintain voids between particles under pressure of process material on the bed. The mass of particles contains carbon having 25% of its carbon content in particles other than coke including wood blocks of natural wood, bricks comprising carbon-containing fines and/or binders. The particles of the carbonaceous bed that are not coke include a quantity of carbon containing substance added to the process material from the feed material inlets above the bed or injected into the carbonaceous bed. The carbon containing substance added to the bed includes carbon fines. The bed particles other than coke comprise bricks of carbon-containing fines of 50 wt.% of carbon and binders. The bed particles other than coke that contain carbon include bricks comprising quantities of carbon fines, binders and Portland cement. The bricks additionally comprise quantities of bentonite clay, sand, sodium silicate, fly ash, aluminum hydroxide, and catalysts. The carbon fines in the bricks are carbon containing bits of material that have average cross-sectional dimensions of about one micron to one cm. The carbon fines are products of a prior gasification or combustion process, and have carbon (50 wt.%). The reactor vessel includes a first portion containing the carbonaceous bed and a second portion above the first portion up to the gas exhaust ports that has over 80% of its entire height a conical side wall configuration that expands the enclosed volume from the bottom to the top of the second portion. The feed material inlets include inlets, which extend through the side wall of the reactor vessel above the carbonaceous bed or located through the side wall of the reactor vessel at a level of more than halfway up from the very bottom of the reactor vessel and less than 1 m above the top surface of process material deposited on the carbonaceous bed. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) a process for forming and maintaining a carbonaceous bed with coke replacement units for pyrolytic processes;    (2) a starting material for forming a carbonaceous article for use among particles of a carbonaceous bed of a thermal reactor; and    (3) a process for producing units of carbonaceous material used in a carbonaceous bed of a thermal reactor.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows an elevation view, partly in section, of a plasma gasification reactor.    Reactor vessel (10)    Conical wall (12)    Carbonaceous bed (20)    Nozzles (22)    Plasma torches (24)    Charge bed. (30)