Greenview Environmental to process 285,000 tonnes this year and its rising
A state-of-the art 'organic refinery' capable of processing all types of biodegradable materials is to be announced by Greenview Environmental at Futuresource. The facility, to be opened in Corby on the 1st July 2009, is the most advanced of its kind and features a new type of modular construction that will revolutionise the way that In-Vessel Composting plants are built.
Greenview Environmental, which was founded by entrepreneur and farmer John Jardine over 20 years ago, has expanded rapidly in the last few years to become the largest private organisation providing organic material refinement services to the private and public sectors. It has capacity to process 285,000 tonnes and the figure is rising.
Jardine's philosophy is keep it simple and waste nothing. The composting system, IVAS (in-vessel aeration system) is based on a novel accelerated composting technology developed by Jardine using his knowledge of the soil and its microbial activity. The result is a system that reduces kerb-collected, municipal and commercial organic waste to valuable soil improver in only 6 weeks - less than half the normal time
The new plant at Corby has many innovative features and is the first of four to be opened by Greenview over the next 12 months. It has been built using a specially designed system called 'Alfa Wall' - modular concrete components, made up of single units, which slot together allowing on-site construction in only 22 weeks, depending on conditions. Concrete withstands the corrosive impact of the compost and using preformed pieces creates a scalable facility. The plant also includes a heavy duty Tollemache pulveriser, the GV Tolle, specially adapted to meet the needs of organic recycling.
Greenview's unique In-Vessel technology conforms to EU standards. The waste is first pulverised using the GV Tolle into 12 mm particles to increase the surface area and then air is forced through the decomposing matter in an enclosed building, during which it heats rapidly to 70°C killing all harmful microbes. The pasteurised matter is then moved to maturation bays where decomposition continues rapidly, with the assistance of forced aeration. The warm, moist, aerated heaps are ideal for natural microbial action, breaking down waste and ing it to high-grade compost in just a few weeks.
The plant at Corby has been developed to accept the greatest range of ABPR Cat 3 waste of any such system, including municipal kerbside collections, catering waste, by-products of food processing and out-of-date supermarket waste along with vegetation and low grade wood. This accelerates the processing of organic material as less sorting is required at source, a major benefit for local authorities.
The process operates to the highest standards and involves computer monitoring of temperature gain, regular microbial analysis and a strict one-way system, to ensure the highest standards of hygiene at all stages. All extracted air is exhausted through a biofilter and the leachate contained.
John Jardine believes that the UK should view organic materials, whatever the source, as raw material for refining rather than a problem to be disposed of.
"There is no reason why nearly all waste should not be reprocessed to create a useful output such as a soil improver or energy source. The unique feature of our process is that we can take any type of compostable material and pulverise it to create a consistent feedstock. This overcomes the problem of seasonal variations and provides a material that can be used either for composting or energy production through anaerobic digestion. Taking a holistic view of the process has allowed us to overcome many of the bottlenecks faced by the industry and our solution is scalable.
"Already we have seen an increase in the volume of material being diverted from landfill and we are increasing our capacity across the country so that this organic waste can be reprocessed close to source, avoiding unnecessary 'waste miles'."
John Jardine believes simple is best for compost and his philosophy is working - the company is expanding rapidly. It has three sites of its own, two developed for partners and a further four sites opening in the next 12 months.
Greenview Environmental is the name behind Covered Systems, the group's buildings and technology arm and County Mulch, a sister company which supplies a range of bark products,composts, soil improvers and mulches.
contact
Philip Alcoe, Waste Procurement Director, Greenview Environmental,
Old Kingdom Hall, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 1EL 0845 290 3610
Philip.alcoe@greenviewgroup.co.uk www.greenviewgroup.co.uk