The Long Road to Plastics to Energy Recovery

Road, rail or sea? Different options were considered to transport the rotary kiln from Germany to the US How do you move a 79,400 kg industrial kiln and one of its 6,750 kg combustion chambers - critical elements for a new plastics recycling plant - from their custom manufacturer in Germany to their final destination in Akron, Ohio? By Lisa Cain The US alone generated 31 million tons of plastic waste in 2010, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Compared with other waste streams such as paper or metals, the rate of plastics recovered for recycling is very low (at about 8% or 2.4 million tons of all plastic waste generated). This results in 92% of all plastic waste heading to landfill. This problem is slowly being reversed and there are numerous ideas that can be added to speed up the solution. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Vadxx Energy has developed a proprietary process that uses equipment such as an extruder, boiler, condensers and closed piping to convert plastic waste by cooking, cleaning, and cooling the plastic in a closed and controlled system. Solid plastic is melted and turned into a vapour that is routed through pipes to another closed vessel where it is cooled and condensed back into a liquid. The liquid is then piped to a storage tank and is ready for pick up by a tanker truck. The system's design uses one common exhaust system that manages hot air produced by all of the processing units, while a wet scrubber ensures that the system meets air quality requirements. The Ohio State EPA has issued a final permit for the plastics-to-energy facility, which it has designated as a true minor emitter, the agency's lowest possible emissions rating. Engineering and construction partner, Rockwell Automation, designed a custom manufacturing plant for Vadxx Energy's first commercial scale waste to energy plant in Akron, Ohio. The design requires roughly 20,000 square feet (1,900 square meters) of building space on a two acre (0.809 hectare) site, with access routing for eight to 12 trucks per day. Large haul: the industrial kiln component was over 80 feet long and 12 feet tall Once completed later this year, the plant will be capable of converting 60 tons of waste plastic to fuel per day. This is post-industrial waste or scrap plastic that is left over from manufacturing operations. The rotary kiln was sourced out of Germany but the distance raised a very important question: How do you get these massive components half way around the world to the new plant in Akron? The massive industrial kiln component is over 80 feet (24.4m) long and 12 feet (3.66m) high and wide. It had to be trucked with special permits and an escort from its birthplace in Wegbeg, Germany to a packer in Duisberg who shrink-wrapped the massive tube over two days. No flight today! An all water direct service was chosen, shipping from Antwerp to the port in Ohio From there it was put on a barge to Antwerp, Belgium's ocean port. Despite its size and weight, the kiln is delicate and Rockwell Automation insisted it be handled as little as possible. Special connectors and ropes were installed to allow it to remain horizontal as it was lifted from one conveyance to another and placed below decks for ocean transit. Just taking the US$1-million kiln off of the truck and barge took two cranes and steady hands at the controls. Direct route: as the kiln had to be handled as little as possible, the most direct transit route was used Because they were asked to handle the kiln as little as possible, the DB Schenker team had to find the most direct transit route with as few transfers as possible. Shipping it by ocean to a port on the East Coast of the US would then necessitate trucking it through several states requiring many special permits and escorts for the oversize load. They chose an all water direct service, shipping from Antwerp to the port in Cleveland, Ohio, with Spliethoff's Cleveland Europe Express. This service ships direct through the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes to the Port in Cleveland. From there, it was taken by truck and oversize trailer, two escort cars and a police cruiser to the Vadxx plant's door in Akron, Ohio. Steady: after shipping, a truck and oversized trailer were used to deliver the kiln to the Vadxx plant "We brought this cargo to Cleveland, Ohio, in a very green way," says Lars Traner, branch manager from DB Schenker's Cleveland office. "It was trucked just a few miles from the factory to the Rhine River where it was loaded into a barge that took it to Antwerp. From there it was taken by the Fortunagracht ship to the Port of Cleveland so there were fewer greenhouse gases emitted during the transport than if the kiln had been sent by truck over great distances." An additional seven ocean containers with the interconnecting parts were shipped in January, 2015. They took a more traditional route as the kiln got the last Cleveland Europe Express before ice closed the freshwater Seaway for the season. "Not only did DB Schenker ship the kiln and combustion chamber with as little handling as possible, they saved money and time by going all water direct to Cleveland from Antwerp," adds Tom Mauerer, manager, international transportation, Rockwell Automation. "It would have been a costly move over land if they had to ship to an East Coast port and truck the components to Akron from there." Once completed, each Vadxx facility (the company is planning several) will recycle the plastic waste using its conversion process technology to energy by simply reversing the process by which plastics were created. The technology unlocks three energy products: diesel additive, a fuel gas similar to natural gas, and an inert non-hazardous char similar to carbon black. This above example for the Akron facility proves that with the right planning and logistics, distance needn't be an issue. Companies on two different continents worked together to ensure that the required technology will be in place for the start of the plastics to energy project. Lisa Cain is global account director, DB Schenker. For more information, email: lisa.cain@dbschenker.com. More Waste Management World Articles Waste Management World Issue Archives