01 July 2008

MeWa constructs recycling plant for refuse-derived fuels in Belgium

The Shanks Group will be expanding its activities in the production of refuse-derived fuels in Belgium. The British company recently commenced operation of a complete recycling plant constructed by German MeWa Recycling Maschinen und Anlagenbau GmbH near Ghent. Up to 25 tons of mixed building refuse as well as domestic and industrial waste material will be processed there every hour.

With prices for the fossil energy sources of oil, gas and coal currently rising, refuse-derived fuels will become more significant as an alternative source of energy – and they will do so throughout Europe. At present more refuse-derived fuel from packaging refuse or high calorific value domestic and industrial refuse is being produced than is being burned. This could, however, change quite soon. The result would be price competition for refuse products. Energy-intensive sectors, for example cement, chemicals, paper and food, are most notably investing in the construction of their own combined heating and power stations which use only refuse-derived fuels.

The material supplied to the new Shanks Group refuse plants in Belgium comprises domestic and industrial refuse as well as packaging, sheeting, cartons and building materials from the construction industry. These materials are difficult to break down and are hence of just the right dimension for the robust MeWa machinery.

Materials such as metal, wood and paper are initially separated from the non-organic part of the waste material. This material can then be immediately resold. What remains are high-calorific materials, mainly packaging material made from plastic, sheeting and also mattresses and carpeting materials.

"The less high-calorie refuse is processed, the more valuable are the materials for use in kilns in operation in the cement industry. The advantage is that these homogenously processed substitute fuels can then be fired direct into current industrial gas, oil or coal furnaces.

The main purchaser of substitute fuels from the new waste disposal plant in Ghent will be the Belgian cement industry. With the target grain size at less than 20 millimetres, the new processing plant operates three large granulators with a working width of two metres. This enables a high throughput volume of 35 tons in single-shift operation.

In addition to preliminary crushing and the granulators, Swabia plant engineering company MeWa designed and produced the complete disposal plant including vibration screens, air separation systems, metal cutters and materials handling system through to the final finishing stage. The system has a total investment volume of around eight million euros and is the first joint project of MeWa and the British company.

The Shanks Group is a waste management company which operates in Great Britain, Belgium and Holland. The company has a staff of more than 3,000 employees in more than 100 waste management plants.