Earlier this year waste management major Ragn-Sells Group converted its diesel-powered waste sorting line at the Häradsudden recycling and landfill facility in Norrköping, Sweden to run on electricity using landfill gas (LFG) from the site. In the next step, the company has invested in new, future-proofed technology from local compatriot Againity AB, in order to maximize electricity generation and increase the total electrical efficiency of the site.
As of March 2019, the current production at Ragn-Sells Häradsudden is largely driven by self-generated electricity from landfill gas (LFG) and the surplus is sold to the electricity grid.
However, only two out of three gas turbines are in operation at Häradsudden and the two operational gas turbines are starting to wear out thus losing in electrical efficiency.
For us, it is about finding continuous improvements that lead us towards a more sustainable society. With this investment, we utilize the resources that already exist, stop burning for the crows and contribute to a reduced climate impact, said Erik Gustafsson, Site Manager Ragn-Sells Häradsudden.
Future-proof resource efficiency
Ragn-Sells evaluated several different options and decided on a unique technical solution from local Norrköping company Againity AB. The decision fell on a so-called combination plant whereby the flue gases from the existing two gas turbines could be used together with a 120 kW Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) unit.
To increase the availability of electricity generation, a gas boiler is included in the solution. It automatically starts and produces hot water when there is enough gas. The ORC turbine can be driven by heat from the gas turbines, from the gas boiler or from a combination of both.
This means that there will always be a use for landfill gas, even if one or two gas turbines are out of order.
Furthermore, with the new ORC plant, the total electrical efficiency will increase, which will maximize electricity generation, regardless of fluctuations in gas volume and availability of gas turbines.
The excess heat from the ORC system will initially be cooled, but in the future, the heat will be used for heat-intensive processes at the site, such as heating cisterns for storing, for example, waste oil.
Economically, the investment does not generate a high return, but with regard to the environment and from a sustainability perspective, it would be shameful not to use the fuel available at our plant. Our customers and partners must feel confident that their waste is handled in a resource-efficient and climate-smart way, ended Erik Gustafsson, Ragn-Sells.
Facts
About Ragn-Sells Häradsudden
Häradsudden in Norrköping is one of Sweden’s largest municipal and commercial waste recycling and processing facilities including a landfill and has been operated by Ragn-Sells since 2015. With the goal of treating and recycling as much as possible, Ragn-Sells handles an annual total of around 250 000 tonnes of waste at Häradsudden of which 50 000 tonnes is processed to recover materials or converted into refuse-derived fuels (RDF) on-site in the sorting and treatment plant.
Every day 150-200 trucks with materials arrive at Häradsudden. Most of it comes from energy plants, industries, construction, municipalities, and commercial. The materials are everything from landfill, unsorted waste, polluted soil, organic material, paper, wood, and plastic (PTP) to scrap metals, boiler ash. Household waste in eight different fractions is transhipped at Häradsudden for further transport to mainly material recycling. The plant currently employs about 20 people.
