Energie AG Umwelt Service in Wels incinerates almost 300,000 tons of waste every year. In order to use the heat and energy generated from this as efficiently as possible, the entire city of Wels is supplied with district heating and electricity is produced. However, as the mechanical processing plant has to undergo an annual overhaul, a terminator is regularly rented from Komptech to ensure that there are no stoppages.
Founded almost 130 years ago, the Energie AG infrastructure group operates in the fields of energy, waste disposal and water. They see climate protection as one of the most important issues.
One of the greatest potentials for achieving the climate targets lies in the area of heat. Energie AG therefore took measures at an early stage, such as expanding the use of waste heat from the waste recycling plant in Wels. In the long term, heat extraction will be more than doubled from the current level of around 180 GWh to around 390 GWh, and the optimization and densification of existing district heating networks will be continued.
Herbert Pleckinger, operations manager of the mechanical processing plant, has been employed by Energie AG in Wels since 1995 and gave us some insight: “Energie AG Umwelt Service in Wels is one of the largest sites in the whole of Austria and incinerates around 300,000 tons of waste every year.” This waste is made up of various materials. While around 60 percent is household waste from all over Upper Austria, the rest of the input material, however, is commercial and bulky waste, which can first be treated via the mechanical processing plant and only then incinerated.
Energie AG Umwelt Service in Wels is one of the largest sites in the whole of Austria and incinerates around 300,000 tons of waste annually.
The approximately 130,000 tons of commercial and bulky waste generated each year must be processed before they can enter the incineration plant. This is mainly due to the lumpiness and the impurities, explains Pleckinger: “Mattresses, for example, are relatively large in their lumpiness. In order for them to fit into the incinerator, however, a piece size of 1×1 meter is required. In addition, the material must be freed from impurities. This is where the terminator comes into play during the revision.”
“We also have to accept bulky waste during the overhaul. To store this temporarily would mean unused potential. We therefore rent the terminator to process the waste and subsequently incinerate it, thus making good use of heat and energy.” For several years, Energie AG has repeatedly rented a terminator during overhauls, Pleckinger recounts: “The throughput of the terminator as a single-shaft shredder was astonishing compared to double-shaft shredders. Not only is the Terminator thus perfectly suited to the task, but above all having a reliable partner in Komptech was particularly important to us.”
Even shortly before retirement, Herbert Pleckinger still faces new challenges in his job every day: “The input material of waste is constantly changing, but so are the possibilities of what can be made from waste. While substitute fuels and district heating have been in the spotlight for several years, the topic of electricity has recently been gaining more appreciation. Since this year, we have even been the exclusive energy supplier for the city of Wels. In addition, we are constantly working on new ideas for recycling waste more sensibly than sending it to incineration. Witnessing this variety and progress makes every day a challenge, but it is also another step towards a greener environment every day.”
