Renewable Biomass Fuel R&D Production Facility: Final Report

Abstract:

<p>The key objectives of the project and the research carried out were: <bl> <li>To test the efficacy of the unique Fairport waste management process</li> <li>To produce enough biomass fuel products from the biodegradable element of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to enable appropriate trials for multiple fuel usage and industrial purposes to be carried out</li> <li>To identify and assess a renewable biomass fuel product that will be suitable for ROC's</li> <li>To identify markets for other biomass products that fall outside ROC's classification</li> </bl></p> <p>Three years ago the management of the Fairport Engineering Limited started to investigate the different ways of processing unsorted MSW. From the knowledge gained from this investigation they designed and built a small pilot processor to obtain data on operating parameters and product knowledge.</p> <p>A key issue was to ensure the marketability of the principal output from the process: the biomass fuel fraction. Aware of the issues faced in the past in marketing RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) Fairport took a pro-active route to addressing the problem. Instead of following the traditional route of producing an RDF and then finding outlets for the product Fairport instead started by developing an acceptable specification with potential customers for these biomass fuel products and only then set about developing the process which would provide products to meet this agreed specification.</p> <p>The aim was to develop a process which could be flexible, cost effective and provide a proven and sustainable option for waste treatment whilst accommodating the following market dynamics: <bl> <li>Differing fuel product specifications and requirements for identified and specific end use applications</li> <li>Evolving fiscal incentives</li> <li>Changing market conditions</li> <li>Evolving regulatory and statutory issues related to the management of MSW</li> <li>Increasing pressure to identify fuels for power generation thus displacing some fossil fuel utilisation and mitigating net greenhouse gas emissions</li> </bl></p> This report contains an executive summary, is divided into the following sections: <ol> <li>Introduction</li> <li>Project Aims and Objectives</li> <li>Key Activities and Observations</li> <li>Testing of Biomass Fuel Products</li> <li>Emissions and Environmental Issues</li> <li>Density Separator</li> <li>Market Place Evaluation</li> <li>Project Conclusions and Recommendation's</li> <li>Acknowledgements</li> <li>Appendices</li> </ol>

Author(s):

Lees, A., Whatmore, S., Steele, M., Tetchner, G., Anderson, R. & Manser, R.