Untha, Kuchl, Austria, has launched its third series XR waste shredder. The Untha XR was first brought to market as a robust preshredder that was designed to process a myriad of municipal, commercial and industrial wastes in readiness for the alternative fuel production market. 

Whilst aesthetically the machine has the same construction as its predecessors, it is the internal workings of the technology that have been refined to enable the XR to handle a wider range of input materials.

Different cutter configurations, torque settings and motor modifications mean that one day the shredder can be producing a 2-inch-minus specification biomass fuel with low fines output from waste wood, for example. The next it could be manufacturing a high quality SRF with homogenous 1-inch-minus particle sizing, before going on to achieve a 3-inch gasifier material.

“We have always known the capabilities of the XR are virtually limitless,” says Peter Streinik, Untha’s head of the waste shredding division. “We are a problem-solving team hungry to engineer ever-smarter solutions for the global waste market as it continues to push new boundaries. But, as with many technological industries, the process takes time.

“The evolution of the XR has therefore been an iterative process,” he continues. “This third series machine has been 3 years in the making and has taken months of trials and $1,200,000 to perfect. But now we have a truly remarkable shredder with flexibility like no other equipment in the marketplace. It can tackle everything from ordinary commercial waste through to incredibly complex applications like pulper ropes. And we’ve designed the machine so that it achieves the throughputs achieved by a higher speed shredder, with far lower wear rates, operating costs and energy consumption.

“Whether clients opt for a static or mobile machine, the beauty of the new XR is the breadth of its capabilities,” continues Strenik. “The build and rigidity of the kit, along with its in-built protection from unshreddables, has opened up a whole new world of opportunity. We’re even configuring one machine that gives excellent recovery rates when using optical sorting equipment within a MRF (material recovery facility) or fuel preparation line—this would have previously only been possible using two shaft technology. 

“The waste industry is, quite rightly, continually demanding more, and this shredder addresses that yearn for more flexibility, more uptime and more profits.”

More than 40 XRs are now in operation in alternative fuel production plants worldwide.

Three companies in Phoenix have proposed three different recycling services to the city, a report by KJZZ says. The proposals are meant to increase the city’s diversion rate while saving tax dollars.

Green Sheen Paint & Design, Englewood, Colorado, proposed charging the city $3.50 per gallon of latex paint recycled at its facility in Phoenix. The city currently pays $5 per gallon to a recycling center in California. According to the report, the three-year proposal would cost a maximum of $56,000 per year, or $168,000 over the three-year contract. The contract also includes two one-year renewal options.

Edgewood Lumber and Sawmills, Gilbert, Arizona, wants to take a portion of the 130 tons of tree trunks and stumps the city has at no cost. The report says the company would make a portion of the wood available to high school students in wood shop classes. The wood contract also would last three years with two one-year renewal options.

GIS Consulting will accept for free 100 tons of the city’s carpeting and carpet foam that is currently being sent to landfill. According to the report, the materials would be made into blown insulation and concrete products at its Phoenix facility. The contract would run for six months with four one-year renewal options.

The report says the city’s Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee recommended the city approval all the proposed contracts. The city of Phoenix has a goal of diverting 40 percent of its waste from landfill by 2020.

A multiagency recycling fraud sting has resulted in two arrests, the discovery of fraudulent documents and the recovery of 14,695 pounds of used beverage containers from Arizona that allegedly had been imported in an attempt to defraud the California Redemption Value (CRV) Fund.

The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) joined the California Department of Justice (CDOJ) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to conduct the five-day operation from March 13 -17, 2017.

“CalRecycle’s fraud-prevention reforms and substantial network of enforcement partners make it increasingly risky for those attempting to defraud California’s Redemption Value Program,” CalRecycle Director Scott Smithline says. “The department will continue to use all available resources to make sure CRV deposits go back to California consumers and not in the pockets of criminal enterprises.”

The sting centered on the CDFA border checkpoint in Blythe, California, and the nearby intersection of Agnes Wilson Road and Highway 95, a route often used by individuals in an attempt to circumvent the border checkpoint, CalRecycle says.

March 14, 2017, CDFA agents at the border checkpoint detected a fraudulent Imported Material Report and false bill of lading provided by Balmore Alvarado, 49, of Chino, California, as he entered California from Arizona. A subsequent inspection of Alvarado’s trailer revealed 7,020 pounds of used beverage containers with a potential CRV refund value of $10,275, CalRecycle reports.

March 16, 2017, CDOJ Recycling Fraud Team agents conducted surveillance on a semitruck, which CalRecycle reports was found to be importing used beverage containers from Parker, Arizona, into Blythe, California, via Agnes Wilson Road. CDOJ agents contacted Anthony Sanchez, 56, of Tucson and discovered his trailer filled with 7,675 pounds of used beverage containers with a potential CRV refund value of $9,636. Sanchez also presented a fraudulent bill of lading and did not have an Imported Material Report, required for anyone who transports used beverage containers into California.

Both drivers face charges of felony recycling fraud, attempted grand theft, filing a false or forged document and conspiracy. If convicted, the men could be subject to financial penalties and incarceration. The charges carry a sentence of between six months and three years.

Introduced in 2016, Erie, Pennsylvania-based Eriez says its Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF) Eddy Current Separator is generating significant additional revenue for scrap metal processors by recovering aluminum, copper and other nonferrous fines as small as 2 to 3 millimeters from automobile shredder residue (ASR). The company says its customers are reporting a quick return on investment, with profits increasing by up to $20,000 per month after installing this equipment.

Scrap scrap metal processors such as Illinois-based Scrap Metal Services (SMS) are using Eriez UHF Eddy Current Separators to recover hundreds of thousands of tons of fine nonferrous material annually that was previously missed by their standard units, Eriez says. UHF Eddy Current Separators feature a rotor and design that create ultra-high-frequency changes.

Eriez will showcase the UHF Eddy Current Separator—along with an array of additional metal recovery equipment—at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) 2017 Convention & Exposition (ISRI2017) in New Orleans in late April.

Eriez says it is dedicated to advancing the recycling industry through innovation and investment in metal sorting equipment. To further this commitment and develop new technology, Eriez established strategic partnerships with two outside firms. This consortium will be represented at the Eriez Booth No. 2915 at ISRI2017.

More information about UHF Eddy Current Separators is available at http://erieznews.com/nr410.  Visitors can access an assortment of videos and literature and learn more about Eriez’s full line of recycling products at www.eriez.com/Markets/Index/Recycling.