News Archive
Latest 44 news articles
Geotech launches new portable gas analysers for landfill gas and AD biogas
The new Geotech GA5000 portable landfill gas analyser and Biogas 5000 arrive in Jan 2012 with colour-screens and a 3-year warranty. Up-to-the-minute as new-generation analysers, the Geotech 5000-range analysers have mobile phone-style intuitive menus, tactile buttons and are fast, small and light. With a clear, full-colour, daylight-readable screen in several language choices, they are about 25 percent smaller and lighter than the GA2000 and Biogas Check which they supersede. Advances include gr...
Siltbuster Process Solutions (SPS) comes to aid of UK’s largest paper recycler
Effluent treatment specialist, Siltbuster Process Solutions (SPS), has provided a D100 dissolved air flotation (DAF) treatment system on hire to DS Smith Paper (formerly St Regis) at its Hollins Mill site in Darwen, Lancashire. The unit helped to ensure compliant discharge with no loss of production at the paper mill, and remained on site for five months. Hollins Mill is the only UK mill that manufactures high quality recycled presentation liners – Optima Silk – as well as mottle, brown testline...
Van Dalen boosts operation in the UK
Leading metals recycler Van Dalen has announced it is boosting its capacity in the UK, having invested over six million pounds and creating up to 25 jobs. The capital has gone towards the installation of a state-of-the art ferrous shredder and a new non-ferrous facility at the company’s Sheffield headquarters, as well as expansion at its facilities in the south east and the creation of new roles in purchasing and operations. Van Dalen, which celebrates its 65th anniversary in 2012, currently ope...
Maintenance projects present real opportunity for rental pumps
Smaller, maintenance-led projects present a real opportunity for pump rental companies. None more so than Pump Supplies, the owner and operator of the largest hire fleet of electric submersible pumps and accessories in the UK. Managing director, Andrew John states: “With their component manufacture and design, submersible pumps can operate at a high level of pumping efficiency using the latest technology N impellers developed by ITT Flygt and variable frequency drives which make pumping duties m...
Plastic bag debate resurfaces
The call for an EU response to tackle the use of plastic bags in the region has resurfaced after a public consultation found that 70 per cent of respondents believed an EU ban on plastic carrier bags is needed. 15,000 EU citizens responded to the consultation, which emphasises the support for action over the issue. So far, the absence of a cohesive response has left many countries in limbo, with piecemeal plans adopted in the different nation states. Both France and Italy have attempted to ban t...
BioStym Reduces the need for co-substrate in Anaerobic Digesters
In a pilot at a mesophilic anaerobic digester it was established that the use of BioStym led to a reduction in the need for co-substrates whilst maintaining the biogas yield. BioStym is a product developed with the purpose to improve the biological process in (co-) digester installations. The effect of BioStym on the digestion process was researched at a location in The Netherlands. For this purpose the biogas production and the quantity of digestion products where monitored during an eight week...
Waste Management, Recycling, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy South-East European Forum
28–30 March 2012, Sofia, Bulgaria The Early Bird Registration is running till 30 Jan! The European Commission accepted recently an Energy Roadmap 2050 which aims a very high share of RES in gross final energy consumption (75% in 2050) and a share of RES in electricity consumption reaching 97%. The other ambitious target is the landfills to be banned in 9 years - about 3 billion euro per year is the value of materials which can be got from reuse. South-East Europe will be a part of this world gr...
Professional and Comprehensive Trade Fair for Environmental Protection Solutions
Eco Expo Asia, the trade fair for environmental protection products, services and technologies is directly connected to enterprises and governments. Featuring comprehensive range of product categories, the exhibition has become the most effective and valuable hub for green business in Asia. The show is co-organised by the Environment Bureau, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and supported by government authorities from the Chinese mainland as well as international co...
Magnetic surfactants in soap could improve pollution clean up
Scientists in England have created the first soap that can be controlled by magnets, which could revolutionise the cleanup of environmental disasters such as oil spills. The researchers, from the University of Bristol in England, made the soap by dissolving iron in chloride and bromide ions. The soap responded to the magnetic field, opening up the possibility of a detergent that can be used to clean pollution and also be lifted back out of sensitive environments. Peter Dowding, an industrial...
Malaysian Manufacturing Giant to Invest £25 Million in UK Sustainable Infrastructure
KNM Group Berhad, the Malaysian manufacturing giant, have announced the signing of an agreement with Poplar Holdings Limited for the exclusive rights to conclude the acquisition of the entire paid-up capital of its subsidiary, Poplar Investments Limited, owners of the land earmarked for the development of EnergyPark Peterborough in the East of England. The agreement, which envisages parties sealing the deal in February 2012, will see KNM take ownership of the EnergyPark site, which is consented...
High pollution levels revealed in the Netherlands
A new report conducted by Natuur and Milieu has revealed high levels of pollution in air, soil and surface water in the Netherlands, with exceptionally high carbon emissions, according to the Economist. Soil is particularly bad in the country, with large quantities of phosphates and nitrates. Surface water was also found to be at unhealthy levels, below the European Union’s guidelines. Emissions of nitrogen monoxide and dioxide are triple the EU average, and it is only by purchasing a vast amoun...
Big Names and Big Ideas on Show at RWM in Partnership with CIWM 2012
RWM in partnership with CIWM 2012, is pulling in the big names, with Shadow Waste Minister Gavin Shuker MP confirmed to give a keynote speech on the second day of the show. The minister has already signalled his desire to encourage strong growth in the waste and recycling sector, suggesting that if England had opted for a 70% recycling target in last year’s Review of Waste Policy, 50,000 new jobs could have been created. Highlighting the growing importance of resources and waste on the political...
New Project to Transform Waste into Bio Substitute Natural Gas
The first project that demonstrates the use of waste to produce bio-substitute natural gas (Bio-SNG) has today been announced by National Grid (UK), Advanced Plasma Power and Progressive Energy. The project, which uses waste as a feedstock to produce Bio-SNG, will be based at the Advanced Plasma Power Gasplasma facility in Swindon, UK. It will demonstrate the technical feasibility and commercial viability of the waste to Bio-SNG process. The three partners will work together to design, install a...
St. Helens, Wastewater Treatment Plant Receives State Award for Innovation and Energy Efficiency
SolarBee (USA) solar-powered mixers installed in the St. Helens, Ore., wastewater treatment plant have helped reduce aeration horsepower over 60 percent and save the city over $100,000 compared to the previous year. Because of these significant savings, the city received the Oregon Leaders Award for Industrial Energy Efficiency at the 4th Annual NW Industrial Energy Efficiency Summit in Portland in January. St. Helens was one of six organizations honored for innovation and improving efficiency....
Development of Wastewater Treatment in St. Petersburg
Pöyry (Finland) has concluded an agreement with a Russian Contractor, ZAO Vodokanalstroy, to prepare detail designs for reconstruction of Northern wastewater treatment plant in St. Petersburg, Russia. In addition, Pöyry will assist the client in commissioning and in training of operational staff. Major part of the design work is carried out by the local office in St. Petersburg as the part of an international team. The parties have agreed not to disclose the value of the assignment. Vodokanalstr...
Water Jetting Group Fights the Fat
A major sewer cleaning project around a busy Peterborough City road complex has just been completed by Industrial Water Jetting Systems (UK) on behalf of Anglian Water. The A15, a major through road, was shut from Saturday evening (28th Jan 2012) to early Monday morning (30th Jan 2012) to allow the IWJS team to clear the city sewer of fat, rags and silt. The cleaning operation was hazardous due to the sewer layout and its location under the busy A15. The scheduling of the works over a weekend wa...
Thames Water Invests £24 million in Sludge Handling Technology
Thames Water is investing in innovative Zickert sludge handling technology from Hydro International (UK) in record-breaking contracts totalling £24 million at its major sewage works in London. Hydro’s Zickert continuous bottom scraping and surface scum removal technology will collect sludge from a total of 53 primary settlement tanks at Beckton, Crossness and Mogden sewage works. The projects are designed to increase sewage treatment capacity, improve operating efficiency and reduce odour. In th...
Cleaning of Sewer Treatment Works
When storm overflow tanks at Basildon Sewer Treatment Works needed cleaning, Industrial Water Jetting Systems (UK) were chosen as the contractor to carry out the campaign. The three large open tanks are designed to store overflow waste when sudden inputs that occur during heavy rain fall exceed the plants’ processing capacity. Each tank is 56 m long and capable of holding 1.5 million litres of sewage. The storm tanks had not been fully drained and cleaned for 15 years and high levels of silt, ra...
Africa will 'outstrip Europe' in e-waste volumes
Katharina Kummer Peiry, executive secretary of the Basel Convention on hazardous waste has told reporters that Africa is likely to overtake Europe in volumes of electronic waste within five years. Increasing population in the continent as well as an increase in mobile phone use has led to a surge in electronic goods, exacerbating hazardous waste concerns on the continent. Gallup recently reported: "Mobile phone subscriptions have grown faster in Africa than any other region in the world." It se...
Uranium molecule could clean up nuclear waste
A previously unseen uranium molecule has been discovered by researchers which could assist in the clean up of nuclear waste. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh made the discovery of a butterfly-shaped molecule, which could hold the key to understanding radioactive waste forms 'clusters', which make the toxic waste so difficult to clean. Separating these clusters has been a primary objective for researchers for some time. Understanding the role of these butterfly molecules could help red...
Technological advances for removing metals from circuit board waste
Two firms in the UK have joined forces to develop low-cost, low-energy technology for rapid removal of metals for final recovery from circuit board waste. Metal waste removal has become an increasingly important subject in the industry, and there is growing pressure to recover metals efficiently. ITRI's subsidiary ITRI Innovation, and Ultromex have combined forces in exploring new ways to effectively recover tin and other metals from waste circuit boards, which will help alleviate pressure on t...
Efficient Environmental Processing of Waste Made Possible Thanks to Innovative Sealing Solution
SRB split roller bearings are proving ideal for the latest water treatment process thanks to Revolvo’s innovative bearing sealing solution. The bearings have been specified by a UK manufacturer of Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC) after other bearings were shown to fail under the harsh conditions, sometimes after a matter of months. Revolvo (UK) sealed SRBs are designed to withstand full submersion in sludge, needing only routine re-greasing to last many years. The latest Rotating Biological...
Russia outlines plans for toxic waste clean up
Russia has committed to cleaning 160 tons of highly toxic waste after it was illegally dumped close to a town in the Udmurtia region of central Russia. Residents from the town appealed to the Kremlin (political house in Moscow) about the disposal of 163 tonnes of carbon tetrachloride by a chemical company, which was dumped in an abandoned asphalt plant in Belezino. A letter was sent to president Dmitry Medvedev asking him to intervene and accused the regional government of putting 40,000 people...
IFAT ENTSORGA collects old cell phones for charity IFAT ENTSORGA collects old cell phones for charity
In German households alone, it is estimated that there are around 60 million old cell phones lying unused in cupboards and drawers. As well as plastics, these devices also contain a range of metals that are gradually becoming ever scarcer. At IFAT ENTSORGA, which takes place from May 7 to 11, 2012, in Munich, exhibitors and visitors will have the chance to deposit their old cell phones in a collection box at the East or West Entrance. This initiative is being organized in cooperation with REMOND...
Two Innovations for Separation Technology
There is no clean water without efficient wastewater treatment. Solid bowl centrifuges, so-called decanters, play a major role in our sewage plants during wastewater treatment. Centrifugal forces within the decanter provide the best possible separation of solids from water. Specifically for this task, Flottweg (Germany) has developed the new environmental centrifuge C7E. With the help of this high-performance decanter, up to 160,000 litres of municipal sewage sludge can be processed per hour. Fo...
21,000 locations in Canada 'contaminated by toxic waste'
The Federal Contaminated Sites Survey in Canada has revealed that there are more than 21,000 locations in Canada that have been contaminated by toxic waste. The list took quite some time to compile, but researchers are now looking to overcome the problems by studying dehalococcoides (DHC). DHC is a microbe that has been found to eat a couple of the most common chlorine-based toxic chemicals that pollute groundwater. It digests harmful toxins, and turns them into a harmless gas. Elizabeth Edwa...
National Waste Management Plan pushed back to 2013
Industry officials have voiced concern that waste projects could face major delays after the announcement that the publication of a National Waste Management Plan (NWMP) is to be pushed back to the end of 2013. The announcement coincided with planning minister Greg Clark's statement that he will not be including specific waste policies in new planning guidelines because they would be addressed in the NWMP. The release of the publication was set for spring this year, but this has been set back u...
Waste Water Specialist Strengthens its ARM
One of the UK’s specialists in the design and implementation of natural waste water treatment solutions has strengthened its consulting team across the South of England with the appointment of an aquatic ecologist. ARM Group Limited (ARM) has appointed Stephen Allen as a senior consultant to manage its clients in the fisheries, golf, urban development and water sectors. Stephen brings with him a wealth of experience and joins from Aqueous Consultants where he has spent the past five years delive...
Waste collection joins the digital age
Local authorities across Britain have started to push waste collection into the digital age, with the introduction of new technology from Kier Services. KierWay is a new in-cab technology that combines vehicle tracking, route planning and performance management systems in order to maximise the efficiency of the waste collection route. The technology is already seeing considerable savings, with successful trials taking place in four local authorities in Britain. It was able to reduce fuel usage...
Australia launches recycling initiative for e-waste
The Australian government has launched a recycling initiative for e-waste, which is a response to the anticipated increase of old televisions that are thrown out as the country moves to digital television. Making the move to digital television is something that is happening worldwide, with many countries in Europe making the move permanent recently. The Australia and New Zealand Recycling Platform predicted that this move could lead to 150,000 tonnes of additional e-waste, creating a toxic was...
Food scraps and Christmas trees 'billion-dollar business'
Food scraps and Christmas trees could make the foundations of a billion-dollar industry, according to a start-up business, which is using the waste to produce energy and fertiliser. Harvard Power recently raised $110 million to do just this, with funding being provided amongst a broader movement in the US to make more money from waste management. Several cities have signed up to the proposed developments, with New York leading the way, as well as San Francisco and Seattle. The start-up company...
UK Council saves £1 million in waste collection processes
Sutton Council in south-west London, UK, is about to shave £1 million from its waste collection budget with new working patterns. Waste management costs have come under considerable strains of late, with rising costs of fuel, increased traffic congestion and austerity measures in local councils. The new changes that have been introduced by Sutton council will therefore be welcomed in the efforts to reduce costs on the streets. The changes have come into force this week, and include modificatio...
Pyropure system 'could change waste management landscape'
A new waste management system called Pyropure could lead to seismic changes in the industry, allowing the on-site disposal of non-recyclable organic waste in a small unit. MRW revealed their model last month and is set to launch it later this year. It is the combined effort of many years of work, and could be used in a number of sectors from retail to health to military, to dispose of their waste at source. There are clear benefits at hand for these sectors. Disposal at source could save a lot...
Waste sector 'could create 84,000 jobs and produce renewable energy'
A new report has found that the waste management sector could create 84,000 jobs and produce 15 per cent of the UK’s renewable electricity requirements in the next decade. The report has been published by SITA UK and is entitled ‘Driving green growth: The role of the waste management industry and the circular economy'. It details how the waste industry could look in 2020, highlighting several ways that it could become a central part of the UK's goals on jobs and green energy. David Palmer Jone...
Back to their Roots with New Waste Appointment
Environmental compliance and recycling specialist, Clarity Environmental (UK), is expanding its waste and recycling division, with the arrival of a new appointment. Andrew Tarling will lead the waste and recycling division of Clarity Environmental as business development specialist. Andrew has a wealth of industry experience, having previously worked in waste facilitation, generating revenues of recycling for a waste management consultancy. Managing Director, David Adams, said: “We’re delighted...
Pump Takes no Prisoners at HMP Peterborough
Effective and reliable pumping of solids in wet wells 24/7, even when ‘rogue’ items present exceptional challenges to heavy-duty submersible pumps, is usually taken for granted, whatever the site or the circumstances. Solids pumping and mixing specialists P&M PUMPS (UK) are delighted to have provided an effective solution which has helped the engineers at Peterborough Prison to eliminate the problems arising from blocked pumps. Opened in 2005, HMP in Peterborough has the distinction of being the...
Plug Valves Enter the UK Market
Val-Matic entered the United Kingdom market on a major project for Thames Water. The project involved an upgraded contract worth more than US$189 million at the Crossness Sewage Treatment Plant in east London. The improvements enabled the site to treat 44% more sewage than before, significantly reducing the amount of storm sewage that overflows into the River Thames. Thames installed Val-Matic Cam-Centric Plug Valves in a full range of sizes for the primary settlement tank, desludge and aeration...
STP Supported by Modular Solution
The Środa Śląska, sewage treatment plant in Poland has undergone a major modernisation programme aided by AUMA’s (Germany) modular electric actuators. It is the first Polish STP installation to use the company’s new generation actuator range. Expansion of the Środa Śląska wastewater treatment plant has included upgrades of the biological and sludge processes. AUMA’s Generation .2 AUMATIC AC 01.2 actuators in Profibus DP version were selected to automate essential va...
Mexico's First Landfill Gas Capture Facility
Renewable energy business ENER-G (UK) has partnered with the Municipality of Aguascalientes to open Mexico's first landfill gas capture facility at San Nicolás landfill, Aguascalientes, in central Mexico. ENER-G Natural Power and its sister company Biogas Technology are generating clean electrical energy from biogas for use by Nissan at its manufacturing site in Aguascalientes. The power generated is being sold over a long term power purchase agreement with the car maker. ENER-G's renewable en...
Sustainable Waste Management Solution for North London Waste Authority
AMEC (UK), the international engineering and project management company, has been awarded a major framework contract by the North London Waste Authority to help deliver state-of-the-art new waste services infrastructure for north London. AMEC will provide technical and planning services to the Authority as it moves towards implementing two major contracts for Waste Services and Fuel Use. The value of AMEC’s contract, which will run for nearly five years, has not been announced. Under the Wast...
Mobile Two-Shaft Shredder URRACO Shreds (almost) Everything
With its URRACO line of low-speed two shaft shredders, Lindner (Austria), the specialist for waste shredding and recycling equipment and systems, is now making available its expertise to users of mobile and semi-mobile preshredders as well. For the development, construction, sales and service support of these units, the manufacturer has recently formed a subsidiary, Lindner Mobile Shredder based in Hörselberg near Eisenach/Germany. Committed strictly to the high standards of quality, cost-effici...
Pumps For a Green London
Four 52-tonne waste water pumps for the construction of the Lee Tunnel in London will be supplied by KSB Aktiengesellschaft (Germany). Each of these pumps will feature an impeller measuring 2.2 metres in diameter. A total of six pump sets including two smaller drainage pumps will be installed in a shaft structure 85 metres below the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works in London – Britain's largest waste water and sewage treatment plant – and used to transport combined stormwater and sewage. These wea...
State-of-the-art Technology for New Renergia Zentralschweiz AG EfW Plant
Construction of a new energy-from-waste facility in Perlen near Lucerne, Switzerland, is due to begin in late summer 2012. On April 12, 2012, Hitachi Zosen Inova (formerly Von Roll Inova, Switzerland) signed contracts to deliver the combustion and flue gas treatment technology for the plant. This major project, worth CHF 320 million overall, is the largest climate protection initiative currently under way in Central Switzerland. The client commissioning the new energy-from-waste installation is...
330 Million Multifuel Generation Plant in Ferrybridge, Yorkshire
Generating electricity by thermal waste treatment, Hitachi Zosen Inova (Switzerland) is to act as general contractor in the construc-tion of a multifuel plant at SEE’s Ferrybridge power station in West Yorkshire. The project is worth a total of CHF 330 million. With this newly awarded contract, Hitachi Zosen Inova – formed from the former Von Roll Inova – is further expanding its leading position as a turnkey supplier of thermal waste treatment plants in the UK. The client for the new plant is F...