"Sheffield Company, CPS Civic Ltd has come up with an ingenious answer to the growing problem of household waste disposal. Known as the Contained In-Vessel Indigenous Composting (ciVic®) system, it not only segregates recyclable materials but also produces an end product (compost), which actually benefits the environment. For this unique project CPS Civic Ltd and their sister company Hadee Engineering Ltd, who manufacture the main vessel called upon state of the art welding technology from Sheffield based Lincoln Electric Ltd.
The patented ciVic® Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Composting and Materials Recovery plant is a totally enclosed system, which recycles 80 - 90% of domestic waste. In addition to the recovery of metal and plastics, much of the residue is turned into a sanitised compost which can be used for the restoration of derelict land, closed landfill sites, former industrial sites etc. Anything from 60 to 400 tonnes of waste can be handled in a day by a team of three people from one site.
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The key to the process is the 20 metre-high, 12 metre-diameter, steel composting tower in which the unsorted waste is processed in closely controlled conditions for ten days, during which time the biodegradable content is broken down to form compost, water vapour and carbon dioxide. The system is completely closed, allowing total control of the gases produced, which are passed through a bio-filter to ensure that no odours escape. After ten days the material is passed through a materials separation system, which recovers ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, glass, plastics and compost. Only a small percentage of material is left for disposal by incineration or to landfill.
The system is modular and can be built to serve fairly large communities, as well as small ones. Pete Lowe, Managing Director of Hadee Engineering, says: "All equipment and consumables that we used have been supplied by Lincoln Welding. For the welding of the composting plant we have found that SUPRA-MIG wire from Lincoln Electric gives us the best performance. It reduces spatter, prolongs tip life, gives us better welds and is made in Sheffield, too. In addition Lincoln Electric have given us valuable advice and support throughout the development and construction of the plant.""
Lincoln Electric Ltd produce SUPRA-MIG at their dedicated MIG factory in Sheffield. SUPRA-MIG is a quality MIG wire, designed for high performance and reliability. The consistent quality is ensured by a unique manufacturing process, combined with stringent quality controls. SUPRA-MIG is ideal for all semi-automatic, automatic and robotic applications, giving improved feeding performance and exceptional weldability compared to wires manufactured with conventional technology.
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