SITA UK’s new Solid Recovered Fuel plant is set to produce some 60,000 tonnes of SRF a year with the installation of three high-specification shredders.

The UNTHA shredders are ready to swing into operation at the plant in Birmingham – part of SITA UK’s new Integrated Resource Recovery Centre which will create up to 150 jobs once fully up and running.

SITA UK has invested in the precise and powerful shredders – one XR pre shredder and two TR post shredders – to process commercial and industrial waste from the Midlands. Not only will this waste be diverted from landfill, it will also be converted into cement-grade SRF.

Produced to a defined specification with a homogenous particle size of less than 30mm, the SRF will be used in Cemex UK’s plant in Rugby in a 25-year-deal between the cement manufacturer and SITA UK.

The shredders will operate in conjunction with trommels, air shifters, magnets and eddy current separators to ensure the specification is achieved. A near infrared (NIR) unit will be used to measure output quality in real time and ensure the SRF has the correct chlorine, moisture content and calorific value.

Engineering specialists Sutco designed the state-of-the-art SRF production plant for SITA UK and together the companies commissioned equipment that would maximise SITA UK’s investment in the new plant.

In UNTHA’s favour was the proven capabilities of the machinery, pre and post shredders which were designed by the same engineering team with robust technology and a solid track record in terms of uptime and ease of maintenance.

The UNTHA shredders ticked all the boxes in both performance and operational terms with the reassurance of ongoing technical support plus easy access to high-level expertise.

Tim Hughes, Strategic Development Manager for SITA UK, said: “The new plant enables us to offer our customers with a recycling solution which is cost effective and avoids the use of landfill.  It’s also great to see that the SRF we will be producing will stay and be put to good use in the Midlands area.”

SITA UK’s new Integrated Resource Recovery Centre will divert up to 200,000 tonnes of waste from landfill every year through recycling and the production of SRF.

Marcus Brew, UNTHA UK’s alternative fuel production expert, said: “Our waste-to-energy shredders excel in terms of performance. It’s great to see them coming into action at this exciting new Sita UK plant – a site which provides further evidence of the UK’s growing commitment to alternative fuel production.”