Excel Plant’s new star
Thanks to the introduction of a new screening machine, landfill specialists Frank Lyons Group have been able to turn reject material, previously regarded as useless, into a lucrative saleable product. The company have operated Pole Hole Quarry, near Harlow, Essex, since 1994, producing five revenue-generating materials: building sand, concrete sand and 10mm, 20mm and 40mm single-size gravel.
Because of the sticky, clay-bound nature of the raw feed material the company found that conventional screening machines were unable to process it effectively unless it had been washed, which was prohibitively expensive. As a result, the majority of the material was rejected.
The solution to this problem came in the form of a Neuenhauser Starscreen from screening and recycling plant suppliers Excel Plant UK Ltd. Capable of producing three size fractions, this tracked machine is claimed to be the world’s first mobile screening unit capable of removing up to 85% of the clay contained in waste materials.
Company proprietor Frank Lyons said: ‘Landfill material continues to be a massive problem in the UK, particularly in and around the London area. We see this environmental issue as one we should constantly seek to address and our investment in the new Starscreen machine will make a significant improvement in the amount of material we are able to recycle.
‘As a result, we not only generate revenues in the removal of waste, we are now able to recycle aggregate material larger than 40mm and this provides additional saleable products. Furthermore, we are prolonging the sustainability of the landfill because the amount of void space we now require for waste has been drastically reduced.’
The innovative technology behind the Starscreen process came about after a lengthy period of collaboration between Neuenhauser, Excel Plant and the Frank Lyons Group. Whereas conventional screening machines deploying meshes would quickly clog up when processing the damp or sticky material, resulting in only a fraction being recycled, the Starscreen unit utilizes a series of ‘stars’ revolving at high speed to effectively shred the material so no clogging occurs.
Since taking delivery of the machine, various difficult screening applications have been undertaken including backfill material, damp soils and sludges, and a three-year stockpile of formerly useless material has now been cleared.
John O’Neill, managing director of Excel Plant UK Ltd, commented: ‘This really is a new era in providing a solution to the age-old problem of conventional screening machinery being ‘up against it’ when it comes to handling difficult materials. There are currently in excess of 10 million tonnes of aggregates in the UK which have been deemed useless, including oversized material from wash plants, backfill and landfill material. This can all be made saleable by following Frank Lyons’ example.’
Excel Plant UK Ltd, Unit 8E & F, Castle Vale Ind. Est., Maybrook Road, Minworth, Sutton Coldfield, W. Mids B76 1AL; tel: (0121) 351 6969; fax: (0121) 351 6966.
Because of the sticky, clay-bound nature of the raw feed material the company found that conventional screening machines were unable to process it effectively unless it had been washed, which was prohibitively expensive. As a result, the majority of the material was rejected.
The solution to this problem came in the form of a Neuenhauser Starscreen from screening and recycling plant suppliers Excel Plant UK Ltd. Capable of producing three size fractions, this tracked machine is claimed to be the world’s first mobile screening unit capable of removing up to 85% of the clay contained in waste materials.
Company proprietor Frank Lyons said: ‘Landfill material continues to be a massive problem in the UK, particularly in and around the London area. We see this environmental issue as one we should constantly seek to address and our investment in the new Starscreen machine will make a significant improvement in the amount of material we are able to recycle.
‘As a result, we not only generate revenues in the removal of waste, we are now able to recycle aggregate material larger than 40mm and this provides additional saleable products. Furthermore, we are prolonging the sustainability of the landfill because the amount of void space we now require for waste has been drastically reduced.’
The innovative technology behind the Starscreen process came about after a lengthy period of collaboration between Neuenhauser, Excel Plant and the Frank Lyons Group. Whereas conventional screening machines deploying meshes would quickly clog up when processing the damp or sticky material, resulting in only a fraction being recycled, the Starscreen unit utilizes a series of ‘stars’ revolving at high speed to effectively shred the material so no clogging occurs.
Since taking delivery of the machine, various difficult screening applications have been undertaken including backfill material, damp soils and sludges, and a three-year stockpile of formerly useless material has now been cleared.
John O’Neill, managing director of Excel Plant UK Ltd, commented: ‘This really is a new era in providing a solution to the age-old problem of conventional screening machinery being ‘up against it’ when it comes to handling difficult materials. There are currently in excess of 10 million tonnes of aggregates in the UK which have been deemed useless, including oversized material from wash plants, backfill and landfill material. This can all be made saleable by following Frank Lyons’ example.’
Excel Plant UK Ltd, Unit 8E & F, Castle Vale Ind. Est., Maybrook Road, Minworth, Sutton Coldfield, W. Mids B76 1AL; tel: (0121) 351 6969; fax: (0121) 351 6966.
