ODOUR & DUST SOLUTIONS

Mobile Atomisers

Mobile atomiser systems are the perfect way to deal with odour and dust problems indoors and out. The mobile atomiser is produced as a self-contained unit and fitted with parts including pressure pump, atomiser, fan casings and electrical controls all sourced in the UK.

Our trailers are fitted with quality diesel generators, allowing the unit to be moved to remote areas while still being fully functional. The mobile atomiser tank holds 1100 litres allowing the machine to run from 8-24 hours spraying without refill.

Fog Cannon Systems

The Rino is a new Fog maker machine from Idrotech, designed to produce maximum droplets through increased water flow. Used in the quarry, demolition and mining industries, it has proven a great success in helping to fight dust problems.

The Rino is one of several models, including the Elefante and Giraffe, designed to be used in larger areas. All units come with low or high pressure settings, automatic running and oscillation feature. Electric controls are fitted in stainless steel cabinets, which are aesthetically pleasing and supplied at below market prices. n

In the face of mounting global pressure, punitive legislative change, rising costs and rapidly depleting natural resources –we must eliminate waste and keep all materials and products in use for as long as possible. Making this change relies on fresh thinking and a collective ability to see waste as a valuable resource, rather than merely a costly biproduct of our behaviour. It’s a process that can be achieved with technology, says Dr Stephen Wise, Chief Strategic Development officer at biotechnology business Advetec.

Did you know that 98% of your old PC can be recycled and re-used? Did you also know that your business mobile phone has valuable metals which can be recovered?

As we all try to live more sustainably, it’s increasingly important tahat all businesses should be recycling IT equipment wherever possible.

➜ Businesses must follow strict WEEE waste rules

The disposal of old IT equipment is covered by the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment legislation.

This WEEE waste must not be sent to landfill as it can have PCBs, lead, mercury, and coolants which are dangerous to people and the environment.

➜ You reduce your landfill costs Sending items to landfill is expensive with Landfill tax and gate fees to consider. So, anything which reduces the overall volume of waste you send to landfill helps reduce your overall business costs.

➜ Your business becomes more sustainable

Customers now look at how ecofriendly businesses are before they decide to make a purchase.

Businesses need to operate in this environment and be able to prove their credentials on sustainability.

Recycling your old IT equipment helps you do that. Some recycled equipment can also help charities here in the UK or projects in the developing world.

You will be showing your commitment to your community or supporting communities abroad.

➜ You can protect your data

Recycling IT equipment also gives you the chance to ensure the data stored on hard drives is destroyed so that it cannot fall into the wrong hands and cause a data breach.

Shredding the drive, then mixing the metals with other shredded drives and sending that off for recycling is the best way to protect your business. It also ensures your business is following the data protection rules in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Failure to do so can result in a large fine. u

Challenging the status quo

To meet the UK’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050, the UK must re-educate itself about residual or unrecyclable waste – an often untapped, misunderstood and sometimes even forgotten, waste stream.

Unrecyclable waste is the waste that can’t be recycled due to the presence of organic matter. Typically, this accounts for 50% of the waste recycling plants receive and so it’s sent on to landfill or for incineration instead.

Sending waste to landfill is, of course, the least desirable option. It releases vast quantities of greenhouse gas such as methane, produces leachate which requires treatment and omits offensive odours which are harmful to the environment and public health.

Sending waste to incineration recovers energy, but as the process combusts everything, it increases carbon emissions. Unlike mainland

Europe, most UK conventional mass burn EfW plants are not connected to a heat offtake, which means they’re much less efficient than you’d expect, at only 40-50%. Tolvik Consulting’s 2022 report ‘Response to Call for Evidence on Inclusion of EfW in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme’, estimates that with fossil content accounting for 30-60% of residual waste, the impact on EfW gate fees is likely to increase between £13 and £51 per tonne. As Mixed Residual Waste typically contains 60% carbon – gate fee increases could be expected to reach the top of this range.

A better way

Currently, only 9% of the country’s waste is used to benefit the circular economy. However, unrecyclable waste certainly does not have to add to the carbon problem. It is an untapped commodity.

By passing unrecyclable waste through a unique aerobic digestion process, the organic fraction is stabilised and reduced. –This means if it must go to landfill, it will not break down further and release greenhouse gases, odour and leachate. The process also typically halves the mass of the waste, which means there’s less to dispose of, so fewer diesel miles. These are significant gains for waste handlers, but its most exciting potential is that aerobic digestion turns this waste into Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF).

SRF produced from this unrecyclable waste stream has greater value than SRF produced from recyclate because it moves waste once considered without value back into the circular economy. Because the digestion process increases the waste’s thermal value, it has a higher calorific value and a biogenic carbon fraction, so is optimally suited to replace carbonemitting coal in energy intensive applications, such as powering kilns for cement production. As cement production is one of the most energy intensive industries in the world, responsible for 6 to 7 percent of global CO₂ emissions, there is strong demand for a carbon friendly alternative to fossil fuels to help reduce GHG emissions and support greener cement production.

The cement industry example gives an indication of the scale of demand for lower carbon alternative fuels, but there are wider financial incentives, too. The cost to send waste to conventional mass burn EfW can vary significantly regionally, and is due to increase, whereas sending it as an SRF for either blending with other materials or for direct use, reduces offtake costs by 40%.

Entering the SRF market

The SRF market is growing year on year. A reliable UK offtake network and strong EU export market should give waste handlers reassurance that biotechnology will not only create new waste handling capacity, deliver cost certainty and reduce carbon, but also return a once ‘value-less’ waste stream to the circular economy.

Despite this, many waste handlers struggle to see the potential of their waste.

Consequently, entering the SRF market can be perceived as difficult, especially when it comes to proving the quality and consistency of waste derived fuel as required by offtakers. There are strict control parameters to ensure that the composition of the SRF meets customer compliance obligations. Moisture, caloric value, ash, and chlorine content all make a difference in the chosen offtake route. However, guaranteeing SRF has the same characteristics every time needn’t be difficult. Biotechnology and the aerobic digestion process offers the control and consistency required to make the offtake route reliable and sustainable. u