Master Magnets Help Finnish Waste Sorting.

In early 2015 Master Magnets were contacted by their Finnish dealer-Vimelco regarding a new project for a waste treatment facility processing municipal solid waste (MSW) and solid recovered fuel (SRF) in Lahti, 105km northeast of Helsinki. This new plant would be handling an input in excess of 66,000 TPA of this mixed waste and Master Magnets were asked to provide a solution for the recovery of an estimated 2700 TPA of ferrous and non-ferrous metals in the material.

The incoming material was sized into two different fractions, a 3D and 2D fraction with a size range from 20mm to 200mm. Vimelco required an Overband Magnet installed inline over the head of the conveyors for the removal of general tramp iron. A Mastermag permanent in line overband (12PIL7) was selected for the 3D fraction to work at a 300mm gap across the 1000mm wide feed belt. Once cleaned of the ferrous contaminants, the material was to be transported to a 1000mm wide eddy current separator to have the non-ferrous metal fraction removed.

The finer 2D fraction required another Overband Magnet, this time for a 250mm operating gap and a slightly wider 1250mm wide eddy current separator to accommodate the lighter density material. To further protect this ECS from fine ferrous particles, a 400mm diameter x 1000mm wide rare earth magnetic head pulley was proposed, to ensure no ferrous fragment, no matter how small could made it to the ECS system.

With both of the proposed eddy currents being fully inverter controlled, the customer has the ability to fine tune the separation, optimising the capability of the concentric rotors to retrieve the smallest of non-ferrous particles. This maximises the return by reducing unnecessary landfilling of valuable commodities.

With the feed material free of metal, it is then fed into windshifters and optical sorters to be broken down into saleable products.

In January 2016 Vimelco was successful in their tender for this significant project and Master Magnets having quoted equipment of a very high quality and with a reputation for outstanding customer service was successfully awarded the contract for all the magnetic separators.

All of the equipment was delivered in April of 2016 and subsequently installed over the following weeks by a team of sub-contractors employed by Vimelco. Throughout July and August the equipment underwent cold & hot commissioning respectively. Although Vimelco engineers were fully versed in the setting up and operation of the machinery, Master Magnets personnel were always available to provide technical assistance and information to ensure any adjustments were made in a timely manner.

The new plant is now fully operational and very quickly working towards reaching that all important payback period.