Process accelerant for Green Power
Each year, UK company Severn Trent Green Power (STGP) turns half a million tonnes of organic waste into green energy. That’s enough to power 50,000 homes. For three years now, the machines have been green too.
As one of the largest combined food waste recyclers and composters in the UK, Severn Trent Green Power (STGP) provides food waste recycling services to waste collection businesses and over 50 local authorities. Today, they do this with machines from Komptech. “The fleet that we were operating before was aging and getting breakdown-prone,” relates Operations Director Neil Pollington. Replacing it provided the company with an opportunity to move towards a more mechanical process. As an industry leader in machinery and systems for the mechanical and mechanical-biological treatment of solid biomass, Komptech’s product range includes over 30 types of machines covering the process steps in waste handling, such as shredding, separation and biological treatment.
Gettings the plastic out
The relationship between the two companies began in 2018, when STGP initially bought a Hurrikan S mobile windsifter that removes light plastics, film and foils from screened overflow, with a separation efficiency of up to 95 percent. STGP uses the Hurrikan S at their South Mimms site, which has an annual throughput of up to 50,000 tons. “One of the things that really surprised me when we started to use the Hurrikan S, was that due to the integrated magnet roll and roller separation we saw quite a lot of stone and metal being captured, in addition to a high level of plastic,” says Pollington, adding that formerly such oversizes had been sorted out by hand. That is now outdated. “With the Hurrikan the process is definitely safer, cleaner and more efficient,” he says.
This gave Pollington the confidence to invest further in Komptech. “I then purchased a second one for Ardley, which is our other in-vessel composting site, so basically replicated the same process. We could see the benefits clearly. Then from there we purchased two Crambo low-speed shredders.” This was preceded by a demo of a Crambo 5200 direct at STGP’s Wallingford site. Pollington ran it against his existing high-speed shredder to compare the output, and decided to switch to the Crambo after finding fuel savings and increased throughput with higher-end product yields. There were other benefits as well. “Previously, the high-speed shredder would be running all day to get through the amount of waste that the Crambo can do in maybe five, six hours. And the Crambo just opens plastic bags instead of tearing them to bits like the high-speed shredder did. That means they can be captured again by picking.”
STGP also invested in Komptech’s Topturn X63 Track, a compost windrow turner with an intake width of up to six metres and a turning capacity of 4,500 cubic metres per hour. “Again, Komptech GB organised a demonstration for us so we could see an X63 in operation on a composting site,” says Pollington. The site managers were impressed with how it worked. “I think the key thing to me was making sure it could fit into our operation. Could it get over our windrows, which are slightly bigger?” The on-site test showed that it could. The Topturn X63 is now at work at STGP increasing the windrows’ oxygen content and fine compost yield.
Since starting to use Komptech machines, STGP has seen an increase in odour control and reduction in odour complaints, something that the Environmental Agency also noted during site visits. Most importantly, the investment in Komptech has allowed STGP to move from a manual-based to a more mechanical operation, which has boosted efficiency. Komptech GB is a driving force behind all of this. Pollington recalls that as work with the
initial Hurrikan S began, Komptech GB rolled out a training programme which STGP has since incorporated into their own training plans. As well as providing training to operators at STGP, Komptech GB has ensured that their staff are always available to respond to any enquiries quickly. For Pollington, this support has been key to the continuation of the partnership. Very much in the interest of green power!
Previously, the high-speed shredder would be running all day to get through the amount of waste that the Crambo can do in maybe five, six hours.
Neil Pollington
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