Shanks looking at options for London MBT residues

The “Bio-MRF” plants will be one of the first major mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facilities in the UK, using Italian technology to treat about 360,000 tonnes of mixed municipal waste a year.

MBT involves the treatment of mixed waste through physical separation techniques and a composting and drying process. The process ultimately reduces the amount of the waste input – typically by about 50% – and generates some dry recyclables as well as a residue which can be landfilled, used in landscape engineering applications or recovered as a “refuse-derived fuel”.

” Ultimately, if it can't go to thermal treatment then we will have to send it to landfill for a period.“
– Allan Barton, Shanks East London
MBT is being considered many local authorities and companies as a treatment option for residual waste, but there are big questions surrounding what will be done with MBT residues.

Shanks has formed a partnership with Italian firm Ecodeco to bring the technology to the UK, with the East London project the most advanced of a number of MBT plants proposed by Shanks, including one at Dumfries in Scotland. The Ecodeco process generates what it calls a “solid recovered fuel” (SRF).

Italy
Mr Barton said the outputs from the company's Bio-MRFs are likely to go to a number of power stations and thermal treatment plants. In Italy, some of the SRF from Ecodeco plants was initially sent to landfill because this was seen as more economically attractive than paying a gate fee at power plants.

Now cement kilns are a common output option for Ecodeco in Italy, while on-site recovery facilities are also being used. According to the recent report on MBT published by the SITA Environmental Trust this month (see letsrecycle.com story), the Ecodeco process achieves a diversion from landfill of about 80%.

Mr Barton told letsrecycle.com that Shanks East London is considering cement kilns as an option for MBT residues, but added: “We favour using the SRF as an energy product, though we do not favour any particular option for the fuel.” He said the company is “not really looking to pay incineration prices”.

Landfill
The bio-MRFs are expected to generate 180,000 tonnes of material as SRF and Mr Barton said that in the event of markets not being finalised when the equipment comes online, Shanks would have to send the outputs to landfill.

“Ultimately, if it can't go to thermal treatment then we will have to send it to landfill for a period, but we have a desire to get something finalised for when the technology is online,” he said.

Mr Barton said Shanks wanted to use nearby markets. “We have a preference to keep local, at least within South East London.” However he could not strictly say that local markets would be used.

In East London, Shanks manages the disposal of about 580,000 tonnes of waste each year from the East London Waste Authority, which includes the four London boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham and Redbridge. The two bio-MRFs will be a major component of the 25-year waste management contract.