Solid recovered fuel
How is solid recovered fuel made?
Creating solid recovered fuel from general waste not only diverts materials from landfill, but also reclaims them for use as an alternative energy source. Made mostly from commercial and industrial waste, this fuel has a low moisture content and a high calorific value.
Collection
Commercial waste collected from businesses is delivered to our facility and fed by a grab crane into a shredder. This shreds more than 30 tonnes of material per hour, breaking down the materials to ensure that the waste can move through the process more efficiently.
Separation
This material passes on a conveyor through a magnet to remove ferrous metals for recycling. It is vital that all metals are removed as they do not combust. Fines – small gritty material less than 30mm, usually wetter than the other material – are also removed at this stage.
The shredded waste is then fed through a non-ferrous separator to remove any aluminium, which is also recycled.
Shredding
In the next stage, a ‘wind shifter’ sends the lighter materials into two high-speed shredders that reduce the material to a 0-30mm solid recovered fuel. The heavier fraction (such as hard core and inert wastes) drops out.
Secondary separation
The shredded materials are then fed through a second ferrous magnet to make sure all metals have been captured for recycling.
Baling
The loose material is fed into a baler and compressed into a square bale. Bales are then wrapped to maintain the quality (moisture content and calorific value) of the fuel. The solid recovered fuel is shipped to cement kilns in the UK or overseas for use in their furnaces in place of fossil fuels.
Commercial waste collected from businesses is delivered to our facility and fed by a grab crane into a shredder. This shreds more than 30 tonnes of material per hour, breaking down the materials to ensure that the waste can move through the process more efficiently.
Separation
This material passes on a conveyor through a magnet to remove ferrous metals for recycling. It is vital that all metals are removed as they do not combust. Fines – small gritty material less than 30mm, usually wetter than the other material – are also removed at this stage.
The shredded waste is then fed through a non-ferrous separator to remove any aluminium, which is also recycled.
Shredding
In the next stage, a ‘wind shifter’ sends the lighter materials into two high-speed shredders that reduce the material to a 0-30mm solid recovered fuel. The heavier fraction (such as hard core and inert wastes) drops out.
Secondary separation
The shredded materials are then fed through a second ferrous magnet to make sure all metals have been captured for recycling.
Baling
The loose material is fed into a baler and compressed into a square bale. Bales are then wrapped to maintain the quality (moisture content and calorific value) of the fuel. The solid recovered fuel is shipped to cement kilns in the UK or overseas for use in their furnaces in place of fossil fuels.