New system from Saxlund set to divert 80,000 tonnes of solid waste from landfill each year
BIOENERGY and bulk materials handling specialists Saxlund International, part of the Opcon AB energy and environmental technology group, have collaborated with Hope Construction Materials to install and commission a new waste-derived fuel solution at Hope cement works.
The solution has been designed to provide storage, transportation, weighing and injection of solid waste fuel (SWF) to the two kilns at the Derbyshire site. The goal is to increase the rate at which Hope can replace fossil fuels with waste-derived alternatives to more than 50% – a key part of the company’s long-term sustainability targets.
The project incorporates a 350 cubic metre fuel-reception and push-floor storage solution, reclaim conveyors, process tower with drum magnet and star screen, together with a weighing and pneumatic injection system to the main burners.
The system is designed to facilitate stable and reliable process conditions to help minimize build-up in the pre-heater tower, and offers a future-proof solution with the flexibility to handle changing fuel characteristics, even different types of waste-derived fuels, should suppliers change in the future.
The installation is also designed with low maintenance and high availability in mind, with the emphasis at all times on minimizing potential restrictions or blockages. The state-of-the-art push-floor fuel bunker which ensures ‘first in, first out’ fuel delivery is critical to this.
Matt Drew, managing director of Saxlund International, said: ‘This is a flagship project for us. Once fully operational, the new SWF system will run on a 24/7 basis, delivering fuel at a rate of up to 5,000kg/h to each kiln.
‘This means Hope Works will soon be operating with a significantly larger proportion of waste-derived fuels, in the process diverting up to 80,000 tonnes of bulk solid waste from landfill each year and representing significant carbon savings to the business.’
Hope Construction Materials’ project engineer, Richard Worthington, commented: ‘Saxlund’s project-management experience in delivering on time and in budget, and the company’s wide European experience with waste-derived fuel systems and bulk materials handling, has been crucial.
‘The completion of this multi-million pound project increases the amount of waste-derived fuels we use and forms part of the major investment we announced in January this year to boost efficiency and improve sustainability at Hope Works.’
