A new energy facility that will
use tires as its fuel source is expected to be under construction
in Four Ashes, South Staffordshire England later this year.
When fully operational the Four Ashes Tyre Burning Waste to
Energy facility will consume around 65,000 tons of tires each
year and will have a net electrical output of 15.5 MW enough
to provide electricity for about 28,000 domestic customers.
Funding for the plant is being derived from a three part package
that includes a lending institution, a grant provided through
the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and equity investment
from the project sponsor, Energy Power Resources Limited (EPRL).
The total capital cost is approximately £32.4 million.
The plant which will be operated
through a 15 year contract with Hyder, the Welsh Electricity
and Waste utility uses an innovative assembly of conventional
equipment to form a pryocombustor that accepts whole tires and
converts them into electricity and useful by-products.
There are five pyrolysis chambers,
each firing a boiler to raise steam for electricity generation.
Within the chambers, the volatile gases are driven off the whole
tires and combusted at a temperature of approximately 1800 C.
This process leaves behind a
carbon char and the steel and radial belting wire, which are
split apart when quenched. Both of these useful substances that
are recycled by selling them for use in manufacturing processes,
according to the company.
The plant meets the strict emission
limits set by the U.K. Environment Agency by using lime injection
to remove harmful acids from the exhaust gases and bag filters
to collect any particulate material. The very high temperature
of the volatile gases and the stepped introduction of oxygen
into the secondary combustion chambers assures complete burnout
of volatile hydrocarbons while minimizing or eliminating the
formation of dioxins. Almost all of the zinc oxide and much
of the sulphur and other metals remain in the carbon char for
reprocessing by industry.
Waste Tire Supply
A 15 year contract has been signed
with Tyre Collection Services Limited (TCS) for the provision
of all tires to the project.
Birmingham-based Tyre Collection
Services will manage direct tipping by disposers at the facility's
gates and provide service for collecting waste tires from fitting
depots throughout Britain. TCS operates its national collection
service out of three main depots providing retreadable casings
to retreaders, part worn tires to the UK and international markets,
and waste tire fuel to energy recovery and cement manufacturing
facilities. The company currently collects about 30,000 tons
of scrap tires, from 800 collection points using a fleet of
15 tractors and 30 trailers. To meet the need of Four Ashes
project, TCS will expand to approximately 30 trucks with 90
trailers, collecting from 2,000 locations throughout the country.
EPR Four Ashes Limited is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Energy Power Resources Limited (EPRL) which
already has two projects under construction in the UK using
waste-derived fuels. They are: a 38 MW straw fired facility
situated near Ely in Cambridgeshire and a 9.8 MW poultry litter
fired plant situated near Fife, Scotland.
