At a glance
The Belgian recycling specialist ordered its first sorting machines from Lybover in 2013 to give valuable materials from bottom ash a new life as raw material. The company has gradually expanded its plant over the years with new machines supplied by Lybover.
In each case, Lybover provided the appropriate sorting equipment and, when required, delivered the desired steel structures according to the timing.
The company extracts even more metals from bottom ash thanks to its upgraded recycling line, while processing capacity has also been increased. The company uses the purified mineral fractions in its production processes: a typical example of the circular economy.
Thanks to Lybover’s sorting machines, the company recovers more and more raw materials from that waste fraction to use in its circular production processes.
From complete turnkey solutions to supplying machines and advising on processes: Lybover gives customers the service level they want. This Belgian recycling specialist opted for a tailored approach. In 2013, the company ordered its first sorting machines from Lybover to separate the minerals and metals in bottom ash. Over the years, it continued to expand and improve the sorting line to recover more and more raw materials. For each new step, the company turned to Lybover. It also counted on Lybover’s specialists for the large steel structures for its recycling line. In this way, Lybover is helping the customer to work in an increasingly circular way.
Bottom ash: a source of raw materials
When waste is incinerated in an incinerator, a small residual fraction is always left over. This so-called ‘bottom ash’ still contains valuable minerals and metals that can be reused as raw materials. The customer is a Belgian company specialising in upgrading these waste fractions. Its activities include infrastructure works, recycling, soil remediation and waste treatment. The company also turns recovered mineral fractions into new construction products, combining recycled materials with renewable energy.
In 2013, the company bought its first machines to process bottom ash from Lybover. ‘Those are still running there today. Over the years, the customer wanted to gradually expand and improve its sorting plant to recover more and more materials from bottom ash. We always supported them with advice and helped them find the right machines from the range of our partner brands, of which we are exclusive distributor,’ says Bart Vanpoucke, Business Unit Manager at Lybover RECYCLING.
Full range of separation technologies
Today, the sorting line is a sample of the various sorting techniques offered by Lybover. A screen from partner Spaleck splits the waste stream into fine and coarse fractions. Then a magnetic system from Steinert above the conveyors extracts ferrous metals from the fractions. A Steinert separation system based on eddy current then recovers the non-ferrous metals. Afterwards, only stainless steel remains, as this cannot be separated with a magnet or eddy current. An ISS sensor machine from Steinert is therefore provided for the stainless steel: it detects the stainless steel parts and blows them out of the material flow with compressed air. There is also a wind shifter that removes light, unburnt particles from the waste stream.
‘The sorting line has always been expanded with new machines to enable better material separation. We often see customers starting with a few steps and expanding their lines once they have gained experience. In doing so, they can always count on our advice,’ Bart Vanpoucke explains. ‘The customer first installed the three separation techniques for the coarse fraction. This was followed by the fine fraction. The most recent addition is an ISS machine to extract stainless steel from the fine waste stream. All this results in a very pure mineral fraction that the company uses to make new products.’
Optimal steel structures
The customer counts on Lybover not only for its machinery. Lybover METAL designed and installed the steel structures for the large sorting line. Stijn Scherpereel looks back on the project: ‘We helped to think about the optimum positioning of the sorting line at the customer’s site. Even though there was a lot of space in the hall, it remained a challenge to install all structures and machines properly. For example, we had to take lifting movements into account.’
‘We helped think about the principle lay-out of the machines, but also performed strength calculations, checked inclination angles and looked at transitions. In addition, we made sure that everything was also feasible and that the machines would still be accessible for maintenance after installation.’
Economic and ecological added value
The long cooperation between the customer and Lybover has borne fruit from the very beginning, and it continues to grow. ‘Thanks to the addition of the latest separation machine, the mineral and metal fractions are not only purer and of better quality, the processing capacity is also much higher,’ says Bart Vanpoucke.
The plant represents great added value on every level. The customer contributes to reducing waste and saves by having to dispose less. In addition, the company maximises the reuse of raw materials to produce high-quality new building materials and close the loop. This approach reconciles economic and ecological value creation across its activities.’