WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ACTION – WASTE TO ENERGY
Alvan Blanch’s Materials Conveyor Drier is processing 20,000 tonnes of wood waste derived fuel a year for Boral.
Repurposed fuel to the fire THE MATERIAL DRYING PROCESS IS ESSENTIAL TO IMPROVING EFFICIENCY. ROBUST SYSTEMS BY ALVAN BLANCH ARE REPURPOSING MATERIALS TO BENEFIT AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIES BEYOND THE WASTE SECTOR.
C
ement is primarily used for concrete, the world’s second most consumed material after water. It’s no secret that concrete has one of the highest CO2 emissions of all building materials, making it a focal point for companies looking to innovate and experiment with its production and application in construction, while decreasing its environmental impact. Brandown Resource Recovery Centre in NSW was approached by Boral in 2018 to help them explore opportunities to integrate solid waste derived fuels (SWDFs) into the heat
42 / WMR / July 2020
energy process at Boral’s Berrima Cement Works. Typically, SWDFs are made from materials which would have been destined for landfills, space for which comes at a premium in the populated areas of NSW. As the state expects to reach its landfill capacity in the next 10-15 years, exploring repurposed fuel will positively contribute to the NSW 20-Year Waste Strategy, set out by the state government. Located in the Southern Highlands region of NSW, the Boral Berrima Cement Works produces up to 60
per cent of total cement products consumed within the state. Wood Waste-Derived Fuel (WWDF) was added to the site’s planning approval for use in 2016. WWDF consists of the off-cuts and leftovers of processes working with wood, such as furniture manufacturing. By the end of 2018, when Brandown was utilising its Alvan Blanch Materials Conveyor Drier (CD) for Boral’s WWDF, the NSW site’s SWDF system was functioning at a rate of 20,000 tonnes per year of WWDF. During the present 2019-20 financial
