Shan Poornam Green Tech orders Andritz MeWa recycling plant

Ceremonial signing of the contract between Shan Poornam Metals and ANDRITZ MeWa

Andritz MeWa, part of Andritz Group, Graz, Austria, has received an order from Shan Poornam Green Tech, a subsidiary of Shan Poornam Metals Sdn Bhd, Penang, Malaysia, to supply an automatic recycling plant for refrigerators and electrical/electronic scrap and the recovery of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and equivalents. Beginning mid-2017, the plant, located in Seberang Perai in the state of Penang, will process 300,000 old refrigerators and up to 60,000 short tons of electrical and electronic scrap, such as washing machines, household appliances and information and communications technology equipment, including computers, annually from private households.

A central element of the recycling plant is Andritz MeWa’s QZ 2000 cross-flow shredder, which dismantles the various components and materials using rotating chains. The single parts can then be separated into individual fractions, such as iron, copper, aluminium and plastics, the equipment supplier says. In addition, batteries and condensers remain intact and can be sorted without leaking any contaminants. When processing refrigerators and air conditioning units, the fully enclosed system is designed to ensure that CFCs and pentane can be removed by suction and disposed of by environmentally friendly methods, Andritz says.

This first automatic processing plant for refrigerators and electrical/electronic scrap in Malaysia is an important milestone by Shan Poornam Metals in developing and extending recycling management in that country, Andritz says. There is a plan to set up 86 collection centers for household electrical/electronic scrap as part of a subsidy program over a period of five years to ensure continuous use of the new recycling plant.