The application of self-propagating reactions for environmental protection is addressed in thiswork with particular emphasis on certain reactor engineering aspects. Possible reactorconfigurations are analyzed in view of large-scale applicability of SHS technology for residuerecycling and safe waste disposal. A two-dimensional batch SHS reactor model in which heattransfer phenomena are described in detail is presented. The model results are illustrated byconsidering the treatment of zinc hydrometallurgical wastes as a reference system. The modelnot only estimates the total cycle time of a potential batch operation but also analyzes the time-space temperature levels of the reactor to guarantee operational safety. Some economical aspectsare also addressed by taking advantage of information from SHS processes for materialssynthesis.