2007-10-12 - It is estimated that the DiCOM® Alternative Waste Technology facility could generate in total, enough renewable energy to provide the annual electricity needs for up to 2,700 homes.
ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, announces that its award winning automation system, System 800xA has been selected by AnaeCo to control an Alternative Waste Technology (AWT) facility to be based in Shenton Park, Western Australia. ABB will supply the complete hardware, engineering and commissioning of the control system, drives, analysers, instruments and field devices.
The commercial scaled facility is based on the patented DiCOM® bioconversion process and will be situated immediately adjacent to an existing transfer station building and will for the first time in Australia, allow for the retrofitting of existing Transfer Stations with municipal solid waste processing technology. The plant will include a waste sorting and preparation facility and three DiCOM® biological processing vessels, including associated ancillary equipment.
Hafeez Abdulaziz, Projects Proposal Engineer, ABB Australia, says: “ABB is thrilled to be involved with this project as it will be a powerful demonstration of the potential that this technology presents in the municipal solid waste (MSW) processing sector."
 | The DiCOM® process is a community friendly and environmentally sustainable alternative to landfill disposal of putrescible wastes.
Hafeez adds: “The process will be fully automated using ABB System 800xA with extensive use of Profibus communication |
protocol for all the drives and field devices. The plant process data will be monitored and controlled remotely from the AnaeCo staging facility. Sensors will monitor the conditions within each vessel and will set and vary the flow of air and water, thereby regulating moisture levels, temperature, pressure, oxygen, carbon dioxide and methane, as well as odour generation and control.”
Thomas Rudas, AnaeCo’s Managing Director says “We selected ABB as the preferred automation provider because of its state-of-the-art integrated solution and its excellent price-performance ratio. With the Profibus connections, AnaeCo will also benefit from a high degree of standardisation for planning and documentation and
an
extremely flexible system in regards to operation, maintenance and future expansion opportunities.”
“System 800xA extends the scope of traditional control systems to include all automation functions into a single operations and engineering environment; enabling plants to perform smarter and better at substantial cost savings.” concludes Hafeez.
The project’s controls concept was developed by Hero Engineering who as a key member of AnaeCo’s EPCM team will be working closely with ABB. The project will be delivered in two stages, with the second stage commencing approximately six months after the completion of stage one.
ABB solution offering:
- Process Control System based on ABB’s Industrial IT 800xA state–of-the-art technology
- Field instruments (safe and hazardous areas) integrated to 800xA through Profibus
- Gas Analysers (safe and hazardous areas) integrated to 800xA through Profibus
- Drives integrated to 800xA through Profibus
- Design, supply, engineering, installation and commissioning of ABB equipment.
DiCOM® AWT Facility Process Overview
Step 1 Resource recovery – MSW arrives and is deposited at the DICOM AWT facility, inert, recyclable items such as metals, plastics and glass are recovered by predominantly mechanical sorting with minimal manual intervention. Approximately 80 percent of MSW delivered to the facility can be diverted from landfill through this process.
Step 2. DiCOM® Bioconversion – a 4-stage bioconversion process for the recycling of solid organic waste into organic fertiliser and renewable energy:
Aerobic processing. After organic material is mixed and pulverised it is loaded into a treatment vessel where it undergoes aerobic treatment.
Anaerobic processing. This occurs in the same vessel through the introduction of carefully regulated bacterial inoculum in the form of inoculum solution. This part of the process produces methane gas used to generate electricity to meet plant needs. Surplus can be sold to the electricity grid.
Secondary aerobic processing. After anaerobic processing, the inoculum is drained from the vessel, air is reintroduced and secondary aerobic processing occurs to convert the material into compost.
Removal. Compost is removed from the treatment vessel available for retail sale, or use in agriculture. Vessels and system are prepared for next cycle. The DiCOM® Bioconversion cycle occurs over a 21 day period and is managed by a fully-automated control system that constantly monitors and adjusts vessel conditions to deliver an optimal result. |
About AnaeCo: AnaeCo (
www.anaeco.com) is committed to providing environmentally, socially and commercially sustainable solutions for the recycling of solid waste, including organic materials. It has positioned itself at the forefront of the waste management services industry, pioneering a new approach to solving global solid waste problems through holistic application of leading edge technology for the processing of municipal solid waste.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 111,000 people.