ABB Australia's System 800xA helps AnaeCo deliver Alternative Waste Technology

Hafeez Abdulaziz, projects proposal engineer, ABB Australia, “the process will be fully automated using ABB System 800xA with extensive use of Profibus communication protocol for all the drives and field devices. The plant process data will be monitored and controlled remotely from the AnaeCo staging facility. Sensors will monitor the conditions within each vessel and will set and vary the flow of air and water, thereby regulating moisture levels, temperature, pressure, oxygen, carbon dioxide and methane, as well as odour generation and control.”

ABB solution offering:

•  Process Control System based on ABB’s Industrial IT 800xA technology
•  Field instruments integrated to 800xA through Profibus
•  Gas Analysers integrated to 800xA through Profibus
•  Drives integrated to 800xA through Profibus
•  Design, supply, engineering, installation and commissioning of ABB equipment.

The AWT facility process begins with the sorting of the waste where inert, recyclable items such as metals, plastics and glass are recovered by predominantly mechanical sorting with minimal manual intervention. There is then a 4-stage bioconversion process for the recycling of solid organic waste into organic fertiliser and renewable energy. These are:

• Aerobic processing: After organic material is mixed and pulverised, it is loaded into a treatment vessel where it undergoes aerobic treatment.
• Anaerobic processing: This occurs in the same vessel through the introduction of carefully regulated bacterial inoculum in the form of inoculum solution. This part of the process produces methane gas used to generate electricity to meet plant needs.
• Secondary aerobic processing: After anaerobic processing, the inoculum is drained from the vessel, air is reintroduced and secondary aerobic processing occurs to convert the material into compost.
• Removal: Compost is removed from the treatment vessel available for retail sale, or use in agriculture.