Pump choice enables a tougher approach to waste processing
11 Feb 2019
When recycling rules got more demanding, one waste management firm decided on a tougher approach to solids – courtesy of pump supplier Landia...
AffaldPlus is a Danish waste management company serving six municipal areas on the country’s main island of Zealand.
On the east of Zealand is the Danish capital of Copenhagen, while towards the south and west are the areas served by AffaldPlus.
In all, the firm receives around 170,000 tonnes of waste annually and recycles 80% of it. As well as biofuel plants at Naestved and Faxe, it has waste energy plants also at Naestved and neighbouring Slagelse.
Demand for its services is unlikely to decline as Danish municipalities face a deadline of 2022 to ensure that 50 percent of waste is recycled.
To ensure process efficiency, AffaldPlus has been using Gemidan Ecogi’s new pre-treatment technology that processes source-separated food waste to into a high-quality pulp-based substrate for AD.
Tests were carried out to find pumps that could cope with challenging raw pulp that had a solids content of up to 17%. During a flow test at the KomTek Miljoe waste treatment facility situated on the Danish mainland of Jutland, it was reported that a 22kW model from one manufacturer was outperformed by an 11kW Landia pump.
As a result, pumps and mixers from Landia are playing a key role in the success of Gemidan Ecogi’s technology.
Biopulp from the Gemidan Ecogi plant is up to five times cleaner than the law requires
Client AffaldPlus is not only challenging suppliers on day to day performance but life cycle and environmental contribution too.
AffaldPlus energy manager Ole J. Andersen believes that the decision is paying off already.
“To truly embrace the circular economy at our waste treatment facility we must practice what we preach and look very closely at the lifetime costs of items such as pumps and mixers to make sure, for example that energy and maintenance costs are low.
“There was never any discussion about buying the cheapest possible plant. Here, we are investing in the future, so it is only right that we choose strong reliable equipment”.
The AffaldPlus facility adds water to collected waste, which is then driven through a centrifuge pulper the waste is dissolved into a viscous, porous mass for use as raw material in an AD/biogas plant. Degassed biomass is dispersed on fields as a fertiliser.
Andersen added: “Processing organic household waste with the Gemidan Ecogi process has been a new departure for us, but with Landia’s stainless steel pumps and mixers, we have a very robust and reliable system. Servicing is also easy and safe with everything conveniently located, rather than having to go down into the tank”.
Recently, the Danish government instituted new requirements for for the use of waste gas pulp on farmland,
The new plant has met all the requirements – in fact, says AffaldPlus, the biopulp from the Gemidan Ecogi plant is up to five times cleaner than the law requires.
