New CDE recycling plant for Kiely Bros
Company investment in CDE technology opens circular economy pathway
BIRMINGHAM-based Kiely Bros, one of the UK’s largest providers of surface dressing and microsurfacing, have invested in a new 30 tonnes/h trommel fines recycling plant from wet-processing specialists CDE.
Founded in the late 1950s, Kiely Bros originally specialized solely in surface dressing, operating within the West Midlands area. The company has since expanded and now operates throughout England, Scotland and Wales, completing approximately 15 million sq m of surface dressing and microsurfacing each year.
Prior to the latest investment, Kiely Bros had worked in close partnership with CDE to install a mobile grit washing plant as part of the initial development of the CDE FreeFlow system in 2012. The relationship between CDE and Kiely Bros has remained strong and led to the latter, once again, utilizing CDE’s expert knowledge in advanced wet-processing technology to enhance its current operations.
Kiely Bros process skip waste through a dry recycling system and picking station to recover materials whilst diverting them from landfill. Trommel fines, however, are residue waste that are created because of this operation, and it cannot be treated effectively in such a process and therefore sent to landfill.
The materials supplier produces over 600 tonnes of trommel fines waste per week and a need was identified to reduce the volume of waste being sent to landfill, to obtain a more sustainable future for the business.
Following a briefing process and analysis of the raw feed material, CDE commissioned a full trommel fines recycling plant, which includes: an AggMax logwasher; an EvoWash sand washing and fine material classification plant; a counter-flow classification unit 70 density separator; a CO:FLO advanced liquid solids separation system; a ProGrade sizing screen; and an AquaCycle thickener.
Kiely Bros’ latest investment in CDE equipment not only signifies a further expansion of their recycling operations, but also to meet the company’s environmental agenda and improve its overall sustainable practices.
The business case to recover materials from trommel fines brings substantial financial benefits because disposal of such waste attracts the higher rate of UK Landfill Tax, with a loss on ignition (LOI) calculated at more than 10%. In addition, sending trommel fines to landfill not only results in a considerable cost for waste operators but also does not align to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and drive to create a circular economy.
Since commissioning, the new CDE recycling plant has proven its effectiveness and diverts around 80% of the client’s trommel fines from landfill. By washing the inert materials to remove contamination; clean sand and aggregates extracted from the trommel fines waste can be resold and reused in the secondary aggregates market.
Importantly, this has allowed Kiely Bros to close the loop on waste and adopt a circular economy business model, creating new revenue streams for the company to ensure a swift return on investment.
Jim Conlon, quality and technical services manager at Kiely Bros, said: ‘Our company was producing trommel fines waste at a rate that, for us, was no longer acceptable without a sustainable solution for our outputs.
‘When we initially approached CDE, we asked what could be done with this material. They conducted thorough analysis to unearth what could be recovered from the material stream, whether it was commercially viable, and confirmed to us there was a great percentage of secondary aggregate.’
He added: ‘To think that this investment has reduced the volume of material going to landfill by 80% is incredible. It is not only helping us achieve our sustainability goals, but creating a sellable product opens new commercial opportunities and creates our pathway to a circular economy.’
