Steaming ahead on major waste plant

Jul 7 2009 by Amy Hunt, The Journal

IT'S a far cry from the rag-and-bone Steptoe and Son image. Dealing with rubbish is now big business and one Tyneside firm is keen to get its share.

Construction is well under way at Graphite Resources' Derwenthaugh EcoParc near the A1 in Gateshead.

The £50m EcoParc is set to be one of the biggest autoclaving plants in the world and will use steam technology to sterilise ordinary black bag rubbish at temperatures of up to 160 degrees, so that it can be used as a product rather than be sent to landfill.

This is an important issue, since councils are set to be hit in coming years by rising tax on landfill. The charges for every tonne put into landfill will rise by £8 extra a year as set out in this year’s Budget.

But at the EcoParc, 80% of rubbish which would otherwise have gone to landfill could be recovered, potentially saving money for the council and taxpayers.

Director William Thompson said this unique selling point had already helped Graphite to sign up commercial contracts.

He said: “We have built this because it’s going to be needed. We will be cheaper than landfill very shortly because there’s no alternative.

“One of the big advantages we have is that we’re away, funded and ready to go. We’re a viable option.”

The autoclaving plant, which should be running in December, uses a technique which has been employed for years in treating clinical waste.

Trucks will arrive at the site carrying household waste and weigh in, before driving into the hangar-like building.

Negative pressure will be created inside so the air will be sucked in when the doors are open, stopping rubbish and smells from escaping.

The waste will be tipped inside and will be manually checked for any items which should not be there, before conveyors take it up to the autoclaves, which are like large tanks. There the rubbish will be heated to 160 degrees and kept at that temperature for about 45 minutes.

After treatment separation equipment will pull out glass, plastic and metal which can be recycled. The rest of the rubbish, such as paper, cardboard and food, ends up as a kind of mush, and this can be treated further to produce gas to heat houses or power cars.

Graphite has a partnership with Newcastle University to develop CellMatt, a by-product of the treatment process.

Newcastle University postgraduate Lynsay Blake, 29, has just been given the role of developing CellMatt, a cellulose-rich product, which could be used to produce biofuel to power vehicles.

The company is also hoping to install an anaerobic digester on the site, which would use some of the autoclave product to produce gas to fire the large boilers which power the autoclaves.

Mr Thompson said: “We’re looking very hard at anaerobic digestion because it would allow us to generate power and be totally self-sufficient.”

The Derwenthaugh plant does not meet expectations of a dirty waste plant, boasting plush offices, a roof terrace and viewing platforms inside so people can watch how the process works.

Mr Thompson said: “We set out to raise the bar. In the future this is what all waste treatment facilities will be like. The ideas is that you will become proud to work in the waste industry, rather than the Steptoe and Son image.”