Waste chips fuel heat and electricity generation
May 1st 2008

Dustraction has been the waste extraction supplier of SAM Mouldings in Antrim, Northern Ireland for 12 years, and has helped the company with its environmental protection credentials through upgrading the mechanisms used in CHP processes.

SAM Mouldings manufactures architectural mouldings in MDF, generating waste of 2.5t/hr. This is now being used to generate electricity and factory process heating. Dustraction's new layout supports the biomass wood chip and dust boiler installation with heat exchanger and steam turbine partially funded by an Energy Efficiency loan from the Carbon Trust. Dustraction has a long term role in upgrading the waste extraction, storage and delivery mechanisms used to get the waste to the electricity generating turbine.

A fourth 80m3 storage silo has just been installed to take and store MDF waste from an existing relocated cyclo filter. A two way diverter at the outlet enables waste flow to be switched between silo stores 3 and 4, providing a reliable feed source for the new CHP plant.

Another new cyclo filter was installed to exhaust waste from a repositioned hogger. The CHP system will eliminate the annual £230 000 electricity bill, producing excess to be sold to the national grid. It also removes annual waste disposal costs of £300 000.