Patent-pending drive option for Saturn shredders offers features found in electric and hydraulic drives.
Granutech-Saturn Systems Corp. based in Grand Prairie, Texas, has launched a new hybrid-drive mechanism option for its line of Saturn industrial shredders, available on both new machines and as a retrofit kit for older machines in the field. The company says the new hybrid-drive option is ideal for use with single-, dual- or quad-shaft shredder applications. “We have combined the best features of hydraulic and electric drive systems in a compact, integrated, energy-efficient, no-compromise system,” says Matthew Morrison, vice president for Granutech-Saturn Systems. “In the process, we eliminated a planetary gearbox, 400 gallons of hydraulic fluid and the headaches associated with today’s traditional drive systems.” The company says extensive hybrid-drive testing has been done on Saturn’s dual-shaft shredders, including the 72-50XT and 72-44 BGHT models, but the new drive system also will be offered as an option on Saturn’s single- and quad-shaft shredders in the near future. According to Granutech, the patent-pending hybrid-drive system provides an energy-efficient and durable approach to powering single-, dual- or quad-shaft shredders. The company says users can expect up to a 25 percent increase in efficiency compared with traditional hydraulic drives and up to 30 percent more production than equivalent horsepower hydraulic or electric drive shredders. The company also says the hybrid drive option features constant horsepower operation, in which the shaft speed of the shredder is constantly changing to provide speed when product is easy to shred and torque for tough materials. The feature is designed to maximize shredder throughput regardless of the material being processed. The hybrid drive’s built-in quick stop feature, with no planetary gearbox, is designed to handle high shock-high reversal applications with ease, for higher reliability and durability. The company says Saturn hybrid-drive shredders also deliver shock absorption similar to that of shredders fitted with traditional hydraulic drives, but with an average 50 percent smaller footprint than hydraulic or electric. The hybrid drive is a retrofit option for older Saturn Shredders as well, Granutech says. The company supplies a turnkey retrofit kit that can be installed on legacy Saturn machines in the field with assistance from certified Saturn technicians. Customers may also opt to send their machines to Granutech’s facility for the hybrid-drive retrofit option install and testing. “Nothing about the Saturn cutting chamber is different, so if a customer can process their material with a single-, dual- or quad-shaft shredder, then adding the Hybrid Drive will give higher throughput and more efficient operation,” says Morrison. “Because of the higher durability built into this system, the Saturn Shredders can be considered for shredding tougher materials than would be typically be appropriate for standard electric drive machines. This further showcases that the hybrid drive improves the Saturn shredder regardless of what it is processing,” he adds.
Container designed for secure grease recycling.
Wastequip, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based maker of waste and recycling equipment, says its new line of grease containers prevents the frustrating problem of grease theft. Featuring the “Grease Vault lid,” the new grease containers provide safe, simple storage of used food grease “and will discourage the most pesky grease burglar around,” according to the company. Wastequip says its Grease Vault lids offer several anti-theft features, including:
Available in middle-dump and end-dump configurations (with drop-in box or flat grates), the Grease Vault lid and grate system is standard on Wastequip grease containers and also can be retrofitted onto many existing grease containers, says Wastequip. “Growth in the bio-fuel market and stringent regulations governing the collection and disposal of grease has been driving the demand for safe, simple grease storage products for several years,” says Amanda Maeyaert, product manager for Wastequip containers. “As the value of used cooking oil skyrockets, so does the number of people willing to resort to theft to make a few bucks. Wastequip is extremely excited to introduce this new grease container that discourages grease theft, so our customers can dispose of used food grease in an appropriate manner.” Assembly of the lid takes no more than 15 seconds and requires no welding or tools, according to the company. The user slides the two plates together, aligns holes, attaches the grate and puts a padlock in place. Wastequip says its new containers “are ideal for any environment that generates food grease, such as restaurants, grocery stores, schools, hospitals and hotels.”
U.K. firm spends more than £1 million to increase the yield of HDPE plastics.
The U.K.-based firm Viridor has invested more than £1million (US$1.7 million) in an advanced flake optical sorting station on the HDPE line at its polymer recycling facility in Skelmersdale, U.K. The company’s investment in new processing technology has allowed the facility to increase the yield of HDPE's natural' (blow mold grade) for color-critical applications. Viridor Polymer Recycling’s Skelmersdale facility recycles 3,000 metric tons of plastic bottles each month into plastic pellets and flakes. The company says that the installation of the new technology, completed in early 2014, will help Viridor maintain its position as a leading recyclers of plastic bottles in the U.K. The new flake sorter centers around two optical sorters that accurately remove non-natural HDPE flakes; typically between 2mm and 12mm in size, in the HDPE product stream at a throughput rate of 2 metric tons per hour. The optical sorting station was supplied by the equipment company Bühler Sortex, which supplied other technology at the recycling facility. The equipment produces a high purity natural HDPE and a colored HDPE that can be compounded into black pellet. In a press release, Stuart Kershaw, Viridor’s trading sales manager, says, “The investment in this advanced flake sorting station came as a result of a U.K. market requirement for a consistent volume of HDPE natural compound. This can be used for a variety of color critical extrusion/blow molding applications, including but not limited to conduit, sheet, wood polymer composite and bottles. “We are now producing 500 metric tons of the HDPE natural product each month, adding to the volumes of HDPE black & PET clear flake,” Kershaw adds. Gary Welsh, general manager at Viridor’s polymer recycling facility adds, “Advanced recycling facilities such as the plant at Skelmersdale require continuous review to meet the demands of a changing market for quality recyclate products. This new piece of equipment is changing what we do as a business and adding to our product range so that we can flex to meet the needs of our customers.” Alex Vaks, sales engineer at Bühler Ltd., says, “We seamlessly integrated Bühler’s most advanced optical sorting technology into Viridor’s operation, meeting their exacting needs for a highly flexible system. The leading edge optical sorting station is able to cope with dramatic fluctuations in inputs as required; whilst keeping the output consistent. We are excited to be building upon our existing strong relationship with Viridor and contributing to their success as leaders in the rapidly developing high quality recycling market.”
Group targets PET trays used by the packaging industry.
The European plastics association the Plastics Recycling Europe (PRE) is working to develop recycling guidelines that are specifically designed for handling PET trays. In a press release, the association says that while in the past PET trays were designed to make them difficult to recycle, more recent attempts are being taken to improve the recycling of the materials. In the last few years there has been a significant increase in the use of PET trays by the packaging industry. Unfortunately, according to the PRE, this increase has not been adequately addressed in the end-of-life solutions for the trays. As a result of poor end-of-life thinking, most of these trays cannot be easily recycled. None of the current recycling streams want to have PET trays in their incoming waste. PET recyclers cannot handle them because of their varied composition (multi-layers, multi-material combinations etc.) when compared to beverage bottles. Mixed plastics recyclers do not want them because of their incompatibility with polyolefins. The result is around 700,000 metric tons of PET trays produced each year can’t be recycled. Today, these trays are not sorted out separately and are not recycled. Nonetheless, some collection schemes and sorters are trying to push trays into the PET bottles or mixed plastics streams in order to achieve higher recycling targets. To make a change, the PRE says that the market should make changes in the design stage of the process. Without such a change the PET market could be replaced by more resource efficient solutions. Thus, to overcome this situation PRE will take responsibility and start developing recycling guidelines for PET trays. The first guidelines will enable the value chain to assess the recyclability of the products that are put on the market and move towards recyclable PET trays. In a second step separate sorting streams will have to be created to enable PET tray recycling. As some non-PET trays have similar issues PRE will also develop guidelines for trays made of other plastics. As a proactive industry, the recyclers are willing to cooperate with more stakeholders to further develop these guidelines. All trays have an important packaging function but need adapt to recyclability requirements in order to grow in the years to come.
Thomas Baldt also serves as a senior sales manager for the equipment company.
Bulk Handling Systems Europe (BHS Europe) has named Thomas Baldt as NRT product specialist. Baldt joined the company in March and continues to serve as senior sales manager in addition to the new designation as optical sorting systems expert for BHS Europe. The equipment company is headquartered in Eugene, Oregon. Reporting to BHS Europe’s Managing Director Cees Duijn, Baldt is responsible for BHS sales, including solutions from NRT and Nihot, in Austria, Switzerland, Southern Germany, Northern Italy, Slovenia, France, Spain and Portugal. “As we continue to expand BHS Europe’s equipment and system sales, it will be advantageous to have a go-to NRT expert,” said Duijn. “We are fortunate to bring in someone of Thomas’ experience and expertise, as he can immediately step into this role to provide value to both our internal staff as well as our customers. We’re very excited to welcome him to the BHS Europe team,” Duijn went on. “NRT has been a technology leader in this industry for years; after spending time at NRT’s headquarters, it is clear that they provide best-in-class solutions and are committed to innovation,” said Baldt. “There is strong demand in Europe for the cutting-edge solutions provided by NRT, and I’m very much looking forward to delivering them to this customer base.” Thomas has more than 10 years of experience in solid waste processing including three years of experience as a sales manager specializing in optical sorting equipment. He has a professional mechanical engineering degree from the Technical University of Graz (TUG) and speaks a number of languages fluently, including German, English, French and Spanish.