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Norse selects Machinex solution for a major upgrade at MRF

Upgrade takes NEWS plant from 15 to 35 tph.

A schematic of the layout at Norfolk Environmental Waste Services new MRF in the UK
A schematic of the layout at Norfolk Environmental Waste Services new MRF in the UK

UK-based Norse has selected Machinex Industries Inc. to provide a major upgrade for its subsidiary company Norfolk Environmental Waste Services (NEWS) Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Norwich, Norfolk.  

The existing 10-year old plant processes 15 tonnes per hours of single-stream recyclables (excluding glass) and, following the installation, the upgraded plant will be able process single-stream recyclables (including glass and plastic pots, tubs and trays) at 35 tonnes per hour. The upgraded system will be fully operational by 1st October 2014.  

Jonathan Menard, Sales Engineer at Machinex said: "The big challenge for us was to design a new highly-automated and efficient system, amalgamating the existing equipment into the final design. NEWS requires continued operations throughout the installation and, as such, Machinex has incorporated significant levels of existing equipment within the facility by either modifying them (in their current position) or relocating them.  

"The existing electrical controls will also be upgraded alongside the implementation of a new control system, thereby ensuring all machinery and health and safety systems are brought up to the highest standard. After a rigorous procurement process, Machinex is proud of been selected for this major and challenging upgrade which will allow us to demonstrate once again our capabilities in the UK market”.  

The facility upgrade equipment will be installed in 2 separate phases. The MRF will be able to operate at increased throughput levels following the first phase of the installation. This phasing approach will massively reduce the operational downtime of the plant through the full installation, which is critical to our ongoing commitment to processing materials for the Councils in Norfolk.  

Dave Newell, Operations Director at NEWS said: "We chose Machinex because of their expertise in MRF design and installation. They were able to demonstrate an ability to upgrade the MRF in multiple phases, thereby delivering immediate and longer-term operational benefits. This approach will also minimise downtime during installation”.  

System Overview
The upgraded system from Machinex includes a combination of the latest sorting technologies which will increase processing capacity and the recovery of a greater range of commodities at a similar or higher quality without increasing the number of sorters. It will segregate single-stream materials into the following high quality fractions: cardboard, news & pams, mixed paper, glass, metals containers, clear PET, natural HDPE, plastic bottles and mixed plastics.  

Machinex is including an OCC Screen quadruple deck, which will discharge the fines and the glass on the two first decks while the corrugated cardboard will be screened on the two final decks. The glass fragments will be cleaned by a magnet, an eddy current and a Machinex glass clean up system to ensure its high purity. Four Mach One news & pams separators along with three optical units will be incorporated to the system and a Machinex ballistic separator will also be added to help the existing system in segregating the 2D (fibers) from the 3D (container) fraction.  

The overall plant layout and design offers various operational flexibilities, thereby enabling NEWS to undertake maintenance on the main pieces of equipment while operating the rest of the plant, thus improving significantly the average availability rate of the system.  

Norse Commercial Services (Norse) is part of the Norse Group, wholly owned by Norfolk County Council. It has been operational since 1989 and provides services to the Public and Private Sector throughout the UK. NEWS is a subsidiary company of Norse and has been operational since 1993. The company operates a large-scale MRF, an In-Vessel Composting facility, Transfer Stations and 19 Household Waste Recycling Centres.

Company info

2121 Rue Olivier
Plessisville, QC
CA, G6L 3G9

Website:
machinexrecycling.com

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