Optical Sorting Autonomous AQCs & Other Advanced Technology for South Carolina MRF : RePower South’s New 50 TPH Recycling Plant to Feature BHS Robotic Sorting Systems
Construction work has begun on RePower South’s 50 tonne per hour Material Recycling Facility (MRF) in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, which will feature advanced sorting systems from Bulk Handling Systems (BHS) including its robotic Max-AI® Autonomous Quality Control (AQC) units.
Eugene, Oregon based BHS explained that the facility is being developed under an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) agreement with Barnhill Contracting Company.
Once operations commence in early 2019, the Moncks Corner plant will process 50 tonnes per hour of mixed waste sourced from Berkeley County, recovering recycled commodities and a fuel feedstock. In addition to Max-AI ACQs, BHS said that it will supply NRT optical sorters and other technology to enable the system to run with minimal manual sorters.
RePower South (RPS) partners with communities to maximise recycling recovery and landfill diversion at the lowest overall cost. However, China’s National Sword policy is said to have left many communities contemplating how to best manage recycling with some areas in the US currently landfilling papers, plastics and valuable commodities that had previously been recycled.
The facility is designed to maximise value from the County’s mixed waste stream by recovering all recyclables rather than only those placed in a recycling bin. Beyond recycling, the facility is able to recover non-recyclable papers and plastics for production of ReEngineered Feedstock™, a waste derived fuel sold to the cement industry and utility customers to replace coal in production processes.
“This system allows us to cost effectively increase a community’s recycling as well as produce a low carbon, clean fuel from waste that is typically landfilled,” said RPS President Bob Shepard. “BHS systems are a critical component of our ability to offer a better, more cost effective solution to manage a community’s waste disposal. We are very excited to bring this solution to the citizens of Berkeley County, SC and are grateful to the leadership of Berkeley County for selecting RPS and systems partners, BHS and Loesche Energy Systems.”
According to BHS, thanks to recent advances by its companies, the system requires minimal manual sorters per shift yet will create products of the highest quality.
The BHS FiberPure™ system, consisting of BHS screens, NRT optical sorters and Max-AI AQCs remove contaminants to produce a clean end product without the need for manual sorters. The non-recyclable fibers and plastics destined for fuel undergo further purification by NRT SpydIR® optical sorters equipped with MetalDirector™ options to remove unwanted contaminants.
Max-AI AQCs are also utilised in each sorting position on the container line. In total, the system contains seven NRT optical sorters and nine Max-AI AQCs, dramatically minimising the need for sort labor.
“With NRT optical and Max-AI technology, we have an almost unlimited degree of flexibility to create a wide variety of high quality products to serve multiple markets,” Shepard said. “The technology will maximise the recovery and quality of those products and with Max-AI technology there’s no real need to expose people to this work during the QC process.”
In conjunction with BHS and RPS’s fuel system partner, Loesche Energy Systems, the fuel system will deploy the most efficient and technologically advanced equipment, including a Loesche RocketMill for size reduction.
The system also features two Kadant PAAL balers. Kadant PAAL balers claim nearly half the market share in Europe, and were introduced to North America last year through an exclusive relationship with BHS. A PAAL Konti 500 bales all commodities headed to the secondary market, including ferrous, aluminum, cardboard, paper, and plastics and fuel is baled by a PAAL Dokon 500.
“RePower South is showing that it is possible today to help communities increase recycling with the existing waste stream while also providing the flexibility to adjust to any market condition or opportunity,” said BHS CEO Steve Miller.
“The system is built to run with low operating costs over multiple shifts and has the ability to adjust its outputs to meet market conditions. The waste stream in Berkeley County is a resource which can be fully managed, and BHS is excited to help make it happen,” he concluded.
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