CP Group Technology Enables 70 TPH Throughput : Behind the Screens at Republic’s Huge New Las Vegas Recycling Facility

San Diego, California based recycling equipment manufacturer, CP Group, has explained the technology behind Republic Services’ huge new material recycling facility in Las Vegas.

The 110,000 square foot (10,200 square metre) Southern Nevada Recycling Center was constructed by Cambridge Companies, with the sorting equipment being installed by CP Group. The recycling facility was completed 12 months, with ground being broken in November 2014 and the grand opening taking place at the end of 2015.

CP Group engineered the residential and commercial single-stream processing system, capable of processing 2 million pounds of recyclable material per day, or 70 tons per hour. This capability is expected to double recycling capacity throughout Clark County, Nevada.

The facility features dual 35 TPH sorting lines, which are said to provide operational flexibility. Republic is able to process recyclable materials using one or both lines, and is also able to bypass certain parts of the system when running different material types.

The center will largely process residential recycling, but has the capability to process commercial and industrial streams. According to CP Group, this flexibility allows the system to adapt as the composition of the recycling stream continues to evolve.

“There are scales through the system,” explained Terry Schneider, president and chief executive officer at CP Group. “[The incoming tonnage] can be calculated on a constant basis.”

He went on to add that shaft speeds and screen angles can be modified based on that information, which “gives you a lot of flexibility".

Len Christopher, general manager for post-collection at Republic Services added that the MRF also processes material very quickly.

“In 30 minutes, we can process as much recycling as 155 households will generate in a year,” he said. “And, we can process [a route truck that travels through the neighborhood] faster than you can order a latte at your favorite coffee shop, in about 2½ minutes.”

The system features multiple 2 OCC screens, 3 scalping screens, 2 glass breaker screens, 2 NEWScreens, as well as 4 CPScreens TM separating 2D from 3D material. These screens are said to ensure maximum separation efficiency and provide other flexible sorting capabilities for Republic Services.

The Southern Nevada Recycling Center also includes five MSS CIRRUS® optical sorters that CP Group said are capable of making material separation decisions in milliseconds, maximising the recovery of all containers, including PET, HDPE, and aseptic containers/cartons. The first CIRRUS® optical sorter negatively separates any remaining fibre materials or particles. The remaining optical sorters recover plastics.

A key feature of the system is the new CP Glass Cleanup Trommel, the first installed in the industry.

“The testing has been fantastic,” said Schneider. “We believe we will be able to recover somewhere in the 90% to 95% range at the back end. It’s the cleanest we’ve ever gotten glass.”

Republic Services has called the facility “the largest and smartest recycling center in North America.”

The system features highly automated data acquisition and system control solutions provided by Advanced MRF, the electrical and controls division of CP Group, and a Siemens Solution Partner. Key features include 5 touch-screen Human Machine Interface (HMI) control panels, as well as two wireless control panels, Supervisory Control, Data Acquisition monitoring, and remote access to continually monitor operations for optimal performance.

The Office Interface SystemTM (OIS) allows users to monitor MRF production real-time from any smart device using a secured network.

The operators are able to reset screens, adjust sorters and change the speeds of motors, all from a wireless tablet. There are also sets of pre-programmed equipment settings, or “recipes,” that can be selected based on the material being processed.

“It’s convenient for the supervisor to have this information in front of them,” explained Christopher. “Previously, you had to do things like send employees with walkie-talkies on each side of a screen to adjust them. Now we will be able to adjust those needs through a hand-held device from anywhere in the facility.”

According to CP Group, safety was also a major consideration in the facility’s design. The system was designed to exceed American and international standards for safety, including OSHA and NFPA compliance.

Whether the system is running at full process or in a reduced capacity, all safety circuits throughout the facility remain active.

The system design is said to allow easy access to maintenance areas. CP equipment includes safeguards built in to protect workers such as trap key systems, hydraulic platforms, and lanyard connections. All sorters are on the same platform level for safety and operator supervision.

A single emergency stop system provides 100% equipment control while maintaining maximum uptime. Intelligent controls know exactly when and where an e-stop is triggered, allowing quick identification and correction to resume production.

The operators can see where the system was stopped on their HMI or tablet, pull up a live report and be able to reset the system.

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