Waste Today Magazine April 30, 2019: RePower South starts South Carolina facility edited by Megan Smalley
RePower South (RPS), Moncks Corner, South Carolina, started to process material at its new recycling and recovery facility in Berkeley County, South Carolina. The recycling system, provided by Eugene, Oregon-based Bulk Handling Systems (BHS), is highly automated and capable of processing more than 50 tons per hour of mixed waste to recover recyclables and produce a fuel feedstock.
According to a news release from BHS, the RPS facility receives material from throughout Berkeley County, processing a minimum of 120,000 tons annually. Prior to this system coming online, county residents were required to opt in and pay for household recycling or use drop-off recycling sites that only accepted paper and cardboard. All other recyclables were sent to landfill.
BHS reports that the NRT optical sorters and Max-AI AQCs (autonomous quality control) enable the system to run with minimal manual sorters. The BHS FiberPure process features screen, air, optical and artificial intelligence-powered robotic sorters to automate the production of clean fiber. Plastics and metals are also separated without manual sorting. In total, the system contains seven NRT optical sorters and nine Max-AI AQCs.
“With NRT optical and Max-AI technology, we have an almost unlimited degree of flexibility to create a wide variety of high-quality products to serve multiple markets,” says RPS President Scott Montgomery. “The technology maximizes the recovery and quality of those products and with Max-AI technology there’s no real need to expose people to this work during the QC process.”
The plant also makes use of nonrecyclable papers and plastics by producing ReEngineered Feedstock (ReEF), a clean, low-carbon renewable fuel sold to industry, cement and utility customers to replace coal in production processes. ReEF undergoes several quality control steps, including two NRT optical sorters, which remove plastic and metal contamination. The product has been designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a nonwaste fuel.
The fuel system uses a Loesche Energy Systems RocketMill to dry, purify and size the ReEF. Also employed in the plant are two Kadant PAAL balers. Kadant PAAL balers claim nearly half the market share in Europe and were introduced to North America through an exclusive relationship with BHS. A PAAL Konti 500 bales all commodities headed to the secondary market, including ferrous, aluminum, cardboard, paper, and plastics; a PAAL Dokon 500 bales fuel.
“After years of due diligence, planning, negotiating and financing, we’re very excited to be processing material at our second facility,” says RPS CEO Brian Gilhuly. “We think we have a great solution for communities looking to recycle more, landfill less and do so in an economically sustainable way. It is great to be here in Berkeley County recovering materials for reuse that were previously going to the landfill. We’re thankful for the opportunity and appreciative of the partnership with government leadership and the support from the community.”
“RePower South is showing that it is possible, today, to help communities increase recycling of the existing waste stream while also providing the flexibility to adjust to any market condition or opportunity,” says BHS CEO Steve Miller. “The system is built to run with low operating costs over multiple shifts and has the ability to adjust its outputs to meet demand. The waste stream in Berkeley County is a resource which can be fully managed; Berkeley County and RePower South had the foresight to create value from this resource and we appreciate the trust they have in us to help actualize their vision.”