The Geminor HUB is expected to be operational from the end of 2022, producing refuse derived fuel (RDF) and waste plastic fractions for the chemical recycling industry.
Geminor says it is “mainly” building the facility to cater for its long-term contract with Hull city council, which the waste fuel specialist says lasts until 2030 and covers 68,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (see letsrecycle.com story).
Hull’s domestic waste collections will be transported directly to the facility for processing into RDF, which will then be supplied to local energy from waste (EfW) facilities.
Geminor also says the MRF’s “close proximity” to the ports of Hull and Immingham will “streamline” the export of secondary fuels from the UK to the EU and the Nordics.
The construction process will take approximately 46 weeks, Geminor says, and the project has a total budget of €8.1 million (£6.6 million).
Modern facility
On the start of the construction process, James Maiden, country manager at Geminor UK, said: “We are delighted to start the construction of our new and modern processing facility in Hull and to create a low-carbon fuel from Hull city council’s waste.
“Next year we will implement technology that efficiently strips plastic from the waste, expertise we bring from our recycling facilities in Sweden and Denmark.
“Our intention is to produce low-carbon RDF both for the domestic and international market and deliver plastic fractions to our partner Quantafuel’s planned chemical recycling facility in Sunderland.”
In September 2021, chemical plastics recycling company Quantafuel announced that it had submitted a preliminary planning application for a plant in Sunderland capable of processing more than 100,000 tonnes of plastic per year.
St Mark Street
To be located in St Mark Street in Hull, the MRF will include a 3,400 square metre steel-framed hall for the sorting and treatment of municipal and commercial wastes.
Geminor says the facility will be equipped with “the latest industry requirements”, such as odour abatement, fire suppression, and weighbridge systems.
Hull city council granted Geminor planning permission for the facility in July 2019, while the waste fuel specialist secured an environmental permit in June 2020 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Construction and engineering company Keltbray will now be in charge of the development of the facility, together with project manager Hewitt Associates.
Norway
Established in Norway in 2004, Geminor has offices in Scandinavia, Finland, the UK, Germany, France, Poland, and Italy and employs more than 80 people.
With an annual turnover of approximately €155 million (£129 million), the company says it handled more than 1.7 million tonnes of feedstock in 2020 and holds contracts with more than 350 waste producers and 180 EfW and recycling facilities.
The new MRF will be run by Geminor international subsidiary’s Geminor Waste Treatment (GWT), which is currently being established.
Mr Maiden said: “This will be GWT’s very first operation in the UK, a project that confirms Geminor’s commitment to the renewable market.
“The facility will be strategically important with respect to our partner Hull city council, but also in our efforts to streamline secondary waste export overseas.”
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