A “first of its kind” plant designed to treat residual waste using enzymes in Northwich is now expected to be commissioned later this year, three years after its initial target date.
Danish-owned Ørsted, formerly Dong Energy, had initially planned to have the Renescience project in Northwich online in 2017.
The initial delay to 2018 was put down to ‘mechanical challenges’ involved in the treatment process (see letsrecycle.com story).
Development of the 120,000 tonnes per year capacity facility was first announced in 2016. The plant is designed to treat unsorted residual waste using enzymes to create a ‘bioliquid’ and solid recovered fuel, while also generating electricity.
This process would also, the company claims, see recyclable material separated out from the residual waste fraction.
Waste for the facility is to be supplied by FCC Environment and is expected to be sourced from the north of England and the midlands.
A spokesman for Ørsted told letsrecycle.com in January 2019 that the company had faced challenges in optimising the mechanical operation of the plant – prompting a need to install additional equipment to improve the efficiency of the process (see letsrecycle.com story).
They predicted it would be finished “later in 2019”.
Now, it is expected later this year, having restarted the commissioning process in June following a break caused by the government’s lockdown.
A spokesperson told letsrecycle.com today: “Following upgrades to our Renescience facility in the UK in late 2019 and early this year, and a shutdown throughout the spring due to Covid-19, the plant has processed waste again since June. We expect the plant to be commissioned later this year.”
Strategy
Despite having yet to be completed the facility was among those to be featured as a case study in the government’s recently issued Resources and Waste Strategy.
According to the Strategy, the technology could be used to recycle unsorted waste in areas with low rates of sorting refuse – such as high-density housing.
The below video was launched by Orsted in 2016 to show how the facility will work.
The post Ørsted issues update on delayed Renescience plant appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
