New Food Waste AD and MRF Facilities for Glasgow
Shanks new MRF facility will operate 24/7 to process 150,000 tonnes of waste per year 05 October 2011 A 60,000 tonne per annum anaerobic digestion (AD) facility has been opening in Cumbernauld, Glasgow, by international waste management company, Shanks PLC. According to the company the plant will generate some 22,500 MWh of renewable energy - enough to power more than 3000 homes. The facility is the result of a joint venture with Scottish based food waste specialist, Energen Biogas, will treat organic waste from local authorities and food waste producers, and according to Shanks will maximise the amount of recyclable material recovered from food waste. Robert Etherson, operations director at Energen Biogas explains the roll-out potential for AD in Scotland: "AD plants, such as this in Cumbernauld, provide a fantastic opportunity to grow the renewables industry in Scotland and improve resource efficiency. I believe we really are at the forefront of a revolution in sustainable waste management in Scotland where AD technology will play an increasingly large role." In addition, Shanks has also opened a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Blochairn, Glasgow that the it says will operate 24 hours a day and process 150,000 tonnes of waste and co-mingled recyclables per year. The MRF will treat waste collected by Shanks municipal customers, such as North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire Councils, as well as its commercial and industrial customers. The company claims that the facility has been designed to achieve a 95% recovery rate from non segregated general waste, and effectively sort co-mingled recyclate to extract the maximum useful resource including cardboard, paper, aluminium, glass, wood and metals. Shanks says that the remaining waste will be converted into solid recovered fuel (SRF) and used to generate heat and power. Both facilities are currently receiving waste, and Shanks says that it expects the AD plant at Cumbernauld to be operating at 100% capacity in 12 months. Also Read Recycling Facility in Glasgow set to Open Environmental and engineering group, IKM Consulting, is supporting the development of a new £6M state of the art materials recycling facility in Glasgow. What's Stopping AD Supplying 1% of UK's Power? Feedstock security, public perception and finance are the three interlinked foundations that will be key to Anaerobic Digestion (AD) achieving its potential in the UK market. Food Waste Anaerobic Digester for Somerset Waste management company, Viridor is to build its first AD facility in the South West of England at its Walpole recycling and landfill site, near Bridgwater in Somerset. Free Magazine Subscription Free Email Newsletter