And, plans have also been unveiled by London-based technology Biossence to build a 90,000 tonne-a-year capacity wood burning gasification facility in East Sussex.
The wood is expected to come from household waste and recycling centres owned by City of York council and operated by Yorwaste, Harewood Whin itself and from a waste transfer station which is operated by Yorwaste at Tacred near Richmond, North Yorkshire.
The plant is a joint venture between Yorwaste and biomass technology firm Bioflame.
Waste wood – such as old kitchen worktops, window frames and timber – will be shredded before being fed into a steam boiler to generate energy.
Tony Sharkey, Yorwaste's director of future developments, explained: “The wood that will be fed into the new facility is very low grade and this means it cannot be recycled in the normal way.
“However, this new technology will result in the waste being able to be recycled through the production of green renewable electricity that will power thousands of homes.
“We are very excited about this project and once it is fully operational it will mean Harewood Whin is one of the largest renewable electricity generating sites in the whole of Yorkshire.”
Traditionally low grade waste wood is difficult to recycle and generally goes to landfill but a spokesman for Yorwaste explained that the new facility would enable the company to recycle all of the wood it receives.
Biossence
Meanwhile, plans to build a wood-burning gasification facility in East Sussex have been unveiled by London-based technology firm Biossence Polegate Ltd.
The company has revealed plans to seek permission to build a facility capable of handling 95,000 tonnes of waste wood a year at Cophall Wood, near Hailsham, and is hoping to get the green light by the end of the year.
A spokeswoman for the firm explained that the county generated over 120,000 tonnes of waste wood each year, the majority of which was not recyclable. At present 2,000 tonnes of woodchip per week is sent to local landfill sites, with recovered wood transported to Belgium due to the lack of local markets in the UK.
She added that last year, East Sussex county council identified an urgent need for new facilities like the one proposed for Cophall Wood in its 'Annual Monitoring Report for Minerals and Waste'.
Biossence Polegate Ltd's said that its research has identified approximately 50,000 tonnes of waste wood generated in the Brighton area per year. In the Eastbourne area 28,000 tonnes is generated and in the Hastings and Bexhill area, there are 18,000 tonnes. In Wealden District, there is 12,000 tonnes a year and there is an additional 10,000 tonnes from local household waste sites, it claimed.
If the facility is built, the company said that it could also potentially provide enough energy to power 24,000 homes.
Dr Ralf Trottnow, director of Biossence Polegate Ltd said, “By using locally sourced biomass and proven gasification technology, this small, community-sized facility will provide a sustainable solution for East Sussex and go some way help the UK to meet its renewable energy targets.”
The proposed facility will be a joint venture between Biossence and Resource Rehandling Partnership, a company which operates the largest wood recycling operation in the county and is set to provide the feedstock for the gasification facility.
Floc
The company sources waste wood from civic amenity sites which would otherwise goes to landfill. The facility will also accept 'floc' – residue left over from other recycling processes – which consists of green waste, organic material and other biomass.
The facility would be situated in a low profile building adjacent to an existing wood chipping facility in Cophall Wood which has a full waste management licence and permit.
If approved, the facility would see £30million investment in the local community and provide up to 20 jobs.
Nick Ellwood, a partner at Resource Rehandling Partnership, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for local residents and businesses. With landfill becoming an increasingly expensive option, this vital solution presents East Sussex with a green alternative and the ability to capture the value of this material for the benefit of our community.”
Biossence is involved in a number waste-to-energy projects throughout the UK.
The company was granted planning permission by Wirral council for a gasification plant at Hooton Park, Merseyside in February this year (see letsrecycle.com story).
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