SRF for an entire cement plant, 365 days a year

Two major players in recycling and waste processing, Lindner-Recyclingtech and the B+T Group, have been partners for many years, successfully working together on many important projects. Now they are delighted to announce their latest project: a brand new SRF (solid recovered fuel) production facility with the most modern technology in Germany. Developed and operated by the B+T Group, the facility is located on the premises of Deuna Zement GmbH and supplies the cement production plant with fuel from sorted and commercial waste in optimum, homogenous quality 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. One Lindner Jupiter 3200 for primary shredding and three Komet 2800 HP for secondary shredding are in operation there. The latter are part of the new Series 2 – a recently launched Lindner innovation.

The challenge: A complete processing line just in time

When installing the shredding and sorting technology, it was of paramount importance to avoid disrupting operations at the adjoining cement plant as much as possible. Since the rotary kilns have to be fed constantly, the best time for the installation was during the overhaul phase, when maintenance and repair work is carried out. It was an ambitious target that was successfully achieved thanks to systematic planning and perfectly timed implementation. 

One of Europe’s most modern plants

The Bohn group’s eighth facility, with a total of over 20 Lindner machines in operation, covers an area of 25,000 square meters below the cement plant. The facility has a maximum throughput of 250,000 metric tons per year and a storage facility for approximately 4,000 metric tons of finished goods. Pre-sorted waste is processed at the plant, especially non-recyclable post-consumer packaging and plastic film, as well as rubber and textile waste, which also cannot be mechanically recovered. With the full supply contract, the newly founded operating company B+T Deuna GmbH has agreed to supply the cement plant 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For quality assurance purposes, the solid recovered fuel is constantly tested for its burning properties using near-infrared technology (NIR). PVC with chlorine has no place in fuel and is safely removed. Likewise, the calorific value and humidity are permanently monitored. The dosage is adjusted in real time and independently of external laboratories, guaranteeing continuously optimum fuel quality.

However, Deuna has not only invested in modern and high-quality engineering. A tour of the production unit, office and ancillary buildings reveals that the best system technology available has also been used for fire protection, establishing reliable safety standards.

The backbone of the facility

A striking feature enables the premium solid recovered fuels from the SRF production facility to reach their destination in the cement plant: the 420-meter-long pipe conveyor connects both facilities and feeds the rotary kilns directly with the solid recovered fuel. It’s also the most remarkable architectural element outdoors.

“The pipe conveyor is visible from afar and rightly so, because it’s the facility’s backbone,” explained Matthias Pitz, the B+T Group’s CTO. Together with Henning Bruns in the team of experts, he is responsible for the design, planning, construction and monitoring of the Deuna plant.

Innovation starts with the goods’ arrival

Processing at the facility starts with the weighbridge. That’s where the B+T Group’s expertise and innovativeness first become evident: the weighbridge and controls are fully automated. Each supplier receives a slip with a barcode to log themselves in at the weighing terminal. Once the cargo’s material and destination have been authorized, the supplier is assigned an unloading space on the premises and is given access. Bale goods account for 70% of all deliveries, while the rest is loose and is brought directly to the input unit. This is where the material is combined to obtain the perfect SRF product. The ultimate aim is to feed as homogeneous a fuel as possible into the plant, a fuel that has the optimum calorific value for the plant and allows for continuous stable operation.

Required below, delivered above

The material mixture is prepared for further processing with an environmentally friendly, electrically powered crane grabber. “This is where the primary shredder Jupiter 3200 comes into play,” said Pitz, explaining the further processing steps. After shredding, the fuel particles are transported to the processing unit, which also houses an optical sorting system. Here, the material is classified using near-infrared devices and wind sifters. Metals and other recyclable materials which might still be present in the feed material are removed and sold, while the useful material for SRF production is secondary shredded with the Series 2 Komet 2800 HP.

The fuels are then transferred to the storage area, which Deuna Zement can access via a sophisticated and fully automated system continually, and from where it can request the required quantity of fuel for the rotary kilns at any time of day or night. This system offers the the cement plant the greatest possible flexibility and safety, as the necessary material is requested autonomously.

“It’s the cement plant itself that controls the material flow from the storage area into our receiving container, which is installed right next to the rotary kilns,” explained Operations Manager Ronny Hanstein. “As soon as material is removed from the storage area, it is automatically restocked by the crane.

“It has to overcome a difference in height of approximately 35 meters, so when material is needed down here, we deliver it up there.” With this system, up to 30 metric tons of solid recovered fuels can be transported per hour.

Jointly developed: The new Komet Series 2

The Lindner facility components play a vital role in the Bohn group’s consistently high SRF quality. Pitz explained the advantages of the Lindner machines. “In our experience, the Komet secondary shredders are machines that operate reliably 24/7 and always produce the perfect output material – the desired quality in the required quantity,” he said.

At the new plant in Deuna, the B+T Group is now using the optimized Komet Series 2 for the first time. Many improvements to this new machine series are the result of feedback from Lindner’s long-standing client. “The input and practical experience of the B+T Group, which is known in the industry as a fine-tuner, an out-of-the-box thinker and a pioneer, are highly appreciated and have had a considerable impact on the further development of our shredders,” confirmed Stefan Scheiflinger-Ehrenwerth, product manager at Lindner.

According to Scheiflinger-Ehrenwerth, the crucial secondary shredder improvements implemented by the Austrian shredder specialist after a joint innovation workshop are exchangeable wear plates, simplified access to machine components for maintenance and repairs, a new generation of frequency converters, anti-vibration electrical cables and optional versions for special applications.