DONG Energy announced plans to build the ‘first of its kind’ bio-plant in Northwich earlier this year, which will separate residual and organic waste from recyclable materials (see letsrecycle.com story).
Sorting up to 120,000 tonnes of waste per year, DONG Energy claims the 5MW plant will be able to produce solid-recovered fuel (SRF) and bioliquid through ‘enzymes, mechanical sorting and anaerobic digestion’.
The technology – dubbed REnescience – has been developed by the Danish company and tested at a demonstration plant in Copenhagen since 2009.
Process
It involves mixing warm water and waste inside a sealed vessel which over time breaks down organic matter. Once this has been extracted, recyclable materials can be recovered alongside an SRF fraction and inert materials for reuse as aggregates.
The organic waste will then be sent to AD to produce biogas as well as digestate.
The Northwich plant is due to be operational in April 2017 and according to the company construction is progressing well.
Initial commissioning has begun with the first waste load due in February. Waste will be supplied to the plant by FCC Environment from the North West and the North Midlands. DONG expects that 67% of the investment and operational costs of the plant will be spent in the UK.
‘Transferable’
Lars Kruse, head of Global Sales at DONG Energy, said: “The facility has been designed in such a way that it’s been possible to scale up or scale down, and it’s easily transferable across the world.
“Although DONG Energy is very well established in wind energy, this project in waste is not just a first for them, but a global first, so I still feel the buzz of a start-up whilst being supported by the great reputation of the company.”
Alister Veitch joined the company from organics recycling firm Biogen in August, taking up the role of UK Sales manager.
He added: “The patented technology converts waste into energy without combustion, as well as extracting valuable recyclable materials, which is an entirely new way of treating household waste. It’s fantastic that the first commercial operational plant will be here in the UK.
“It’s an exciting and rewarding project to work on, and nice to be paving the way with such an innovative technology.”
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