Magazine

An important link in the value chain

Over the last 15 years, more than 3,000 landfill sites and disposal sites
have been closed. But there is still work to be done to meet the agreed
EU targets.

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A waste recycling facility in Szeged, southeast Hungary, plays a part in this. It creates secondary raw materials for a new manufacturing process and for the provision of energy. Facilities such as this are an important link in the value chain of the circular economy.
 

With 364 kg of domestic waste per capita, Hungary is significantly below the average for the EU member states, which is 505 kg (Eurostat 2020, EU 27). Nevertheless, the national authorities responsible for waste management are aware of the further considerable improvement potential.

The central intermediary organization for public waste management organizes the waste management sector in a way that is both transparent and controllable. Primarily this involves the collection, treatment, and recycling of waste that must be transferred to a public waste management organization for disposal.

Domestic waste from communal collections is a classic example. A waste recycling facility in Szeged, the third largest city in Hungary, has been generating maximum value, both in terms of materials and energy, from this mixed waste since last year.

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Reducing landfill waste by a third

“The new processing facility is designed to cope with 70,000 tons of mixed domestic waste, which is the equivalent of the waste of 245,000 residents,” explains Áron Biacsi Schön.

As Operations Manager, he is responsible for the entire facility with the processing of commercial waste and composting of green cuttings as well as the landfill site with gas collection and cogeneration plants.

This enables us to reduce the amount of waste in our catchment area that goes to landfill by a third.

Áron Biacsi Schön

Key to success

Environmental technology specialist MUT Hungary, which represents Komptech in
Hungary, was awarded the contract to supply the technology. “It’s logical for us to place our trust in Komptech products for shredding and separation,” explains Attila Kiss, who is responsible for the Komptech product range at MUT. “The Terminator and Ballistor are key components for the overall process flow. We’re familiar with these machines from previous projects, so we can fully rely on their performance and function.”

The company Redwave – a specialist in sorting technology – was also involved as a partner. In the Austrian town of Gleisdorf, not far from Komptech’s headquarters, Redwave develops sorting systems for the efficient recovery of
recyclable materials.
 

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An ideal combination

After pre-shredding and the separation of the organic fraction by means of a drum screen, the process steps for separation and sorting commence. Using a ballistic separator significantly increases the efficiency of the subsequent sorting stage. In the Ballistor, the material flow is divided into a 3D (cubic) and a 2D (flat) fraction. In addition, fine fraction is separated by a 30 mm hole in the screen elements.

The subsequent, fully automated sorting machines can be adjusted precisely to the expected composition of these fractions. A total of four Redwave 2i machines are in use at the facility. They eject recyclable materials such as metal, paper, cardboard, and plastic by means of different sensor types. The sorting purity is further increased by a manual follow-up check.

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