EnviroServ commissions micro encapsulation plant to comply with legislation

New legislation developed in recent years to further minimise the impacts associated with the disposal of waste to landfill got the waste management experts at EnviroServ to put their thinking caps on.

New legislation developed in recent years to further minimise the impacts associated with the disposal of waste to landfill got the waste management experts at EnviroServ to put their thinking caps on.

In April the company unveiled their micro encapsulation plant at their Holfontein Waste
Management Facility in Gauteng. Similar to a cement batching plant, the plant's end product is an immobile solid that easily complies with the Norms and Standards for Landfill Disposal.

"We knew the prohibition on disposal of high moisture content wastes to landfill was coming into effect in August 2019 so we started trialling various options to treat these problematic materials turn them into immobile solids a few years ago," said Terence Malan, EnviroServ National Technical Manager. "We have been working on various iteration's but it all came together last month with the latest upgrades to the plant being a shed to house the ash."

The process starts with obtaining a waste sample from a customer, which is analysed in EnviroServ's in-house laboratory. A recipe for treating the moisture content in the waste by converting the waste into an immobile solid that complies with legislation is developed. 

"Power station ash is a primary ingredient used in the blending process, and this together with other proprietary additive, it absorbs the moisture and creating a stabilised and solidified waste material. We use front end loaders to load the ash into feed bins. Conveyer belts control the rate at which the ash is added into the mix. The ash, together with other additives, are mixed with the high moisture waste in the feed hopper. The combined mix drops down into the pugmill which mixes the materials into a slurry," Malan said.

The other additives such as cement and lime, among others, are added into the mix to aid absorption and immobilisation of salts and moisture in the waste. The pugmill discharges the stabilised waste into the bunker from where it is loaded onto trucks and transported to the landfill cell for disposal.

The micro encapsulation plant is capable of treating approximately 1000m³ of waste per day. "Any business which produces high moisture or salt content wastes no longer suitable for traditional landfill disposal, including industries such as petrochemical, metallurgical and water treatment facilities can potentially utilise the micro encapsulation plant, which can treat a multitude of problematic wastes."

Malan said EnviroServ was proud to embrace the legislation promoting more sustainable and environmentally acceptable waste management practices, and has taken the necessary steps to provide its customers with legally compliant solutions.