A model for others to follow

Bianna Recycling completes construction of pioneering waste treatment plant in Querétaro, Mexico.

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Bianna Recyling, a multinational company specializing in waste treatment equipment and plant construction, has built the first facility in Mexico with a ballistic separation line in strategic collaboration with GTA Ambiental, Bianna Recycling’s exclusive agent in Mexico. The plant serves the population of Santiago de Querétaro, managing around 400,000 tonnes of waste per annum. “It is the first facility in Mexico to separate a number of waste streams,” points out Francesc Rosell, Deputy Managing Director at Bianna Recycling. This is a pioneering separation line in Mexico. The facility also produces RDF with a high calorific value.

Cost effectiveness in the spotlightHT

The facility is made up of two lines with a total capacity of 75 t/h, which separate out the recyclables with a high recovery rate. “The non-recycled fraction is specially treated in an RDF production line, meaning that the landfilled fraction is extremely small. Thanks to the robustness, design and sizing of the equipment, the plant will have very low operating costs,” explains Francesc Rosell.

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A watershed

This municipal solid waste treatment and separation plant is considered to be the largest and most modern in Latin America, and marks a watershed in environmentally sound waste treatment in Mexico. Marcos Aguilar Vega, President of the municipality of Querétaro, explained that previously all the waste was landfilled, resulting in environmental deterioration and great financial costs for taxpayers. “Now 78% of our municipal waste is reused, meaning that it is not buried, the landfill will last longer and the municipal treasury saves 42 million pesos per annum.” The plant is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 100,000 tonnes annually, equivalent to the emissions of 19,426 private cars.

Breaking new ground

Fernando López Sansalvador, CEO at GTA Ambiental, points out that “This project is the result of more than seven years of hard work, with the aim being to modernize municipal waste management in Mexico, including legal reforms and breaking away from traditional business models and deeply rooted practices.” The plant meets a number of objectives – separation of the main fractions, recovery of the separated organic fraction, recovery of recyclables and the production of refuse-derived fuel. It includes Komptech Terminator shredders, chosen for their proven robustness and efficiency, crucial elements in a high-volume, high-attention plant of this nature.

Because there is a wider goal, according to Fernando López: “The plant is a sustainable benchmark concept that will serve as a model for other waste management facilities in Mexico