Thermal plasmas, such as those used in waste treatment, can
be generated by many methods including: DC electric discharges
at electrical currents up to 1 × 105 A (transferred arcs, or nontransferred arcs); alternating current (AC), or transient arcs (lamps,
circuit-breakers or pulsed arcs); RF and microwave discharges at
near-atmospheric pressure and laser-induced plasmas.