New RDF production line in South India

Heidelberg Materials, a German building materials company, has partnered with Untha, located in Kuchl, Austria, to install a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) facility in India.

The production line has been installed at Yerraguntla cement plant in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is owned and operated by a Heidelberg subsidiary, Zuari Cement, and has the capacity to produce 7.1 million tonnes of cement a year.

The alternative fuel production system processes 20 tonnes of sorted and unsorted municipal solid waste per hour. The line uses an Untha XR3000C shredder which has in-feed and discharge conveyors, and a magnetic belt for metal separation. The shredder can deliver a homogenous 80mm output. The energy from the RDF produced will power the cement plant.

‘Lower speed without compromising’

Heidelberg’s head of competence center cement, Indonesia, Robert Sweigart, says the requirements for the facility shredder were stringent.

‘We sought heavy duty technology that can withstand the pressures of shredding unsorted waste and achieve refined fuel, in impressive quantities, in only one step,’ Sweigart says. ‘The shredder operates at a lower speed without compromising on capacity which results in lower wear. This means more uptime and lower whole life running costs.’

Manish Shah, head of Heidelberg’s technical centre in India, says the company’s goal Is to produce 8 000-10 000 tonnes of RDF per year. Untha says the XR3000C can handle a range of input materials, including industrial plastics, textiles, tyres, rubber, paper and biomass materials that require further processing.

Taner Topcu, Untha’s business development manager, is looking to further collaboration with Heidelberg. ‘As a brand, we are working hard to further develop our relationships with cement manufacturers on a global basis, with recent success in countries ranging from Türkiye, France to Brazil – as well as now, India.’