Untha shredder prepares SRF in the UK

The Untha UK business unit of Austria-based Untha Shredding Technology says one of the company’s XR model shredders is helping Tom White Waste Management, Coventry, United Kingdom, expand its production of solid recovered fuel (SRF).

Untha describes Tom White as a commercial waste solutions specialist and says the firm has purchased an XR3000C model shredder so it “can unlock greater throughputs, reduce costs and make steps toward producing its own alternative fuel source.”

According to Untha, Tom white sources approximately 180 metric tons of commercial, industrial and demolition (C&I and C&D) materials daily. The inbound material is shredded to a particle size of about 12 inches (300 millimeters, or mm).

After that, the shred is sorted by size and density with the goal of extracting and segregating heavy fractions and salable commodities.

Previously, the remaining residual or non-marketable fractions were transported to another waste management company.

Now, with its Untha XR3000C shredding system, the residue can be further refined onsite and transformed into what Untha calls a homogeneous feedstock less than 50 mm (about 2 inches) in particle size to be marketed as an SRF product.

The shredder can achieve throughput of from 60 to 80 tons per day, says Untha, which enables Tom White also to accept semi-processed material from other waste management firms.

This new inbound residual material bypasses the Tom White materials recovery facility (MRF) and is mixed with the light residual fraction generated by the Tom White plant, enabling the firm to produce a greater volume of SRF.

Michael Trueman, head of production at Tom White, describes Untha UK as its shredder supplier of choice for more than one reason.

“As well as something mobile, we wanted a tried and tested shredder that could withstand the high volumes of waste passing through our facility,” says Trueman.

“Having seen the Untha XR in action on other sites, we knew it promised the resilience for tough operating conditions and a consistent SRF output,” he adds. “The question was whether it could keep pace with the tonnage we wanted to put through it—a challenge that, so far, it is living up to.”

Trueman says Untha UK also was able to provide helpful financing terms. “From a cost perspective, the Untha finance package was an attractive benefit for us too, and not just because we can budget accurately. We have wrapped a five-year service plan into our investment, including three site visits per annum, complete with full machine inspection and service, plus oil and filter change for ultimate peace of mind.”

Untha says the overall circularity of Tom White operations have been enhanced with the installation. “Up to 75 percent more energy efficient than diesel-hydraulic shredders, the electric-drive XR3000C has improved the carbon footprint of the facility while laying the groundwork for future-proofed onsite SRF production,” states Untha.