Consultants

WILTON SITE WASTE AUDIT

Client:

RENEW at CPI

Centre for Process Innovation Ltd, Wilton Centre, Wilton,

Redcar TS10 4RF

February, 2010

DRD Consultants Process Engineers & HSE Consultants

Design Research & Development Co. Ltd.

H235, Wilton Centre

Wilton, Redcar TS10 4RF UK

Tel: +44 (0)1642 430090 Fax: 08456 800 791

E-mail: info@drdconsultants.co.uk

Contents

Executive Summary 1

1 Introduction 2

2 Project Brief 3

3 Companies Surveyed 3

4 Wilton Site Major Waste Streams 3

5 Possible Future Opportunities 4

6 Other Projects 6

7 Conclusions 8

8 Dissemination Event 9

9 References 10

Executive Summary

Legislation and financial penalties have meant that many companies have

implemented their own waste reduction and resource efficiency

programmes. This is highlighted by the most recent major investment of a

plant at Wilton which has no declared waste streams. The other companies on Wilton site either deal with their waste streams directly or through third

party waste disposal companies. There may be opportunities for some

Wilton site operators to co-operate in the disposal of toxic or hazardous

wastes which are currently transported significant distances to specialist

companies for disposal. Companies could benefit from the economies of

scale from a central collection point on Wilton site for the segregation of

general solid waste such as metals, plastics, paper and wood.

At the time of writing, the future of a number of plants on the Wilton site

was unclear. Whether these plants close or restart will have a significant

effect upon the quantities of waste leaving the site, and on the

opportunities for synergies. However, aqueous effluent from Wilton site has

reduced because of plant closures and Northumbrian Water currently has

spare capacity at Bran Sands.

A key objective for Wilton site is now to attract new companies and

investment that require land, electrical and thermal energy and preferably

other services such as effluent treatment. The audit has identified a

number of potential opportunities for both conventional operations and for

renewable technologies. In general, the investment costs are high, but the

technical risks of the projects would be low, although timescales tend to be

long. However, any investment in waste treatment technology would

almost certainly require the import of waste feedstock because there would

be insufficient wastes available from Wilton site alone for these projects to

be economically viable.

It is apparent that significant commitment and investment will be required,

together with strategic planning, in order for some of the opportunities to

be realised.

Authors’ Notes

1. This is an abridged version of the full report from which confidential company information has been removed. The full report was submitted to

RENEW, which has confidentiality agreements with the companies surveyed.

2. On 27th January 2010, after this report had been completed, it was announced that the assets of Artenius UK would be taken over by KP

Chemical Corporation, a UK-based subsidiary of the Korean company Lotte.

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1 Introduction

RENEW @ CPI was established in 2008 via Regional Development Agency funding

to maximise the economic opportunities being created by the emerging

environmental industries, specifically the renewable energy and environmental

sectors. RENEW’s remit is to identify business opportunities, initiate projects and support both local businesses and inward investors. RENEW provides advice to

businesses, instigates feasibility and viability studies, brokers partnerships and

champions projects.

RENEW has funded this feasibility study, the Wilton Waste Audit (WWA), to assess

the types and quantities of waste (liquid, solid and gaseous) leaving the Wilton

International site. This will support businesses at Wilton.

NEPIC were also keen to support this study, and discussions took place with them

in respect of the scope and purpose of this project. Also relevant to this project is

the North and South Tees Industrial Development Framework(1), which is a

strategic planning investment study for the Tees Valley area and which has been a

source of information for this report.

The purpose of collecting the data is:

• To identify the gaps and the opportunities for a potential waste treatment facility at the Wilton site

• To support all the Wilton companies by identifying any problems in their waste management regimes

• To identify synergies for future developments

The anticipated benefits to companies on the Wilton site are:

• Potential creation of synergies between Wilton companies in relation to waste storage, treatment and collection • Promotion of cost effective waste management treatment and disposal regimes • Raising awareness of opportunities to save money and implement best practice • Promotion of best practice • Identification of potential cost savings through economies of scale

The project team consisted of:

• Anastasios Bereketidis MSc MCIWM AIEMA RENEW Project Manager

• Roger Mallinson CEng FIChemE DRD Senior Consultant

• Clive Whitbourn CEng FIChemE DRD Senior Consultant

• Barry Boden CEng FIChemE DRD Senior Consultant

Since the commissioning of this project there have been announcements of

various plant closures, mothballing, or assets being placed into

administration. Consequently, it has been more difficult to predict with any

great accuracy the future quantities of wastes which will be produced from

Wilton site.

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2 Project Brief

• To assess the quantities and, where possible, compositions of all waste streams (liquid, solid and gaseous) leaving Wilton site.

• To assess the current arrangements for disposal or storage of all waste streams.

• To assess future opportunities and their economics. • To identify opportunities for a waste treatment option that has a sustainable future.

• To identify possible synergies for future development. • To quantify any energy or heat that might be generated from, or required by, a new waste treatment plant at Wilton.

3 Companies Surveyed

The following companies were surveyed and asked for details of all their waste

streams leaving the Wilton site:

• Air Products

• Artenius

• Croda

• Dow

• Ensus

• GDF Suez UK

• Huntsman

• Invista

• Sabic

• Sembcorp

• UK Wood Recycling Ltd

• Waste Exchange Services

• Wilton Centre

• Site Canteens

In addition, DRD contacted the Environment Agency for IPPC applications in the

public domain, and Northumbrian Water PLC.

Almost all the above companies responded positively. However, during the period

in which this report was prepared plant closures or mothballing were announced at

Croda, Dow, Invista and Artenius and this has had a significant effect upon the quantities of waste being produced.

4 Wilton Site Major Waste Streams

4.1 Liquid Waste

The majority of liquid waste consists of either hazardous chemical waste or aqueous

effluent. Liquid chemical waste from Wilton site totals ~4400tpa. Companies

either try to recover useful product from liquid waste streams or send the material

for incineration. Quantities of liquid waste are summarised in Table 1, which shows

the quantities prior to the plant closures in 2009 and also after the plant closures.

Table 1

Type of Liquid Waste (tpa) Pre Closures Post Closures

Non-hazardous Chemical 90 50

Hazardous Chemical 4684 4374

Sludge 750 750

Oil 46 46

Cooking Oil 1 1

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4.2 Aqueous Effluent

Aqueous effluent from Invista Nylon and Artenius T8 plants (both currently shut

down and mothballed respectively) and some aqueous effluent from other

plants is pumped to Northumbrian Water’s Bran Sands effluent treatment plant.

Aqueous effluent from other plants, amounting to about 600 tonnes/hour, is

discharged to the Wilton Site Drainage Sewer and then, after consent levels have been checked, into Dabholm Gut and the River Tees.

4.3 Solid Waste

Most companies recycle those components of their solid waste that can readily be

recycled, such as metals, plastics, paper and wood, in order to minimise the

quantity going to landfill. Solid waste to recycle from the plants still operating at

Wilton amounts to ~2600tpa. Solid waste to landfill (non-hazardous chemical

waste, ash and general waste) amounts to ~10ktpa. Quantities of solid waste are

summarised in Table 2.

Table 2

Type of Solid Waste (tpa) Pre Closures Post Closures

Non hazardous Chemical 2694 1794

Hazardous Chemical 435 24

Ash 4552 4552

Mixed Metal 395 215

Ferrous Metal 1351 1238

Non-ferrous Metal 68 60

Plastics 77 77

Wood 940 902

General 3696 3438

Food 5 5

4.4 Gaseous Effluent

Quantitative data on gaseous effluents was more difficult to obtain, but such

effluents consist of three broad types:

• Flue gases from fired heaters • LP steam • Plant vents containing mostly nitrogen It is more appropriate to recover energy from such streams rather than material

and, because of the low pressure of these streams, the energy is best recovered in

situ by the individual companies.

5 Possible Future Opportunities

5.1 Liquid Chemical Waste

Companies either try to recover useful product from liquid waste streams or

send the material for incineration. Currently, short loads of chemical waste

are sent to Ince Marshes at Ellesmere Port for incineration, but some simple

co-ordination would enable companies to contribute to a full load and thus

reduce transport costs and CO2 footprint for their chemical waste.

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A Waste Incineration Directive (WID)-compliant incinerator at or near the

Wilton site might be used to incinerate the various residue streams and

save transport costs. A WID compliant thermal oxidiser capable of handling

~4,000 tpa of liquid chemical waste and operating on a continuous basis

would cost approximately £2M (Source: Process Combustion Ltd).

A typical plant comprises:-

• thermal oxidiser with waste gas and waste liquid capability • waste heat boiler (fire tube type) • ceramic filter plant to remove particulates and acid gases (uses bicarbonate powder injection)

• 160 kW id fan and motor with variable speed drive • SCR catalytic unit to control NOx • 12 m chimney • structural steelwork, access ladders, platforms, handrails etc. • control system

The client would provide:-

• foundations and building • storage of waste liquid • emissions monitoring equipment and SCADA • planning and permitting applications

There are limitations on the quantities of halogenated compounds and

sodium or potassium salts that can be treated. Assuming a calorific value

for the chemical waste of 40MJ/kg and 8,000 hours operation per year, the

residual heat would produce approximately 6 tph of 10 Barg steam. Based

on a steam value of £16/t this would provide a revenue of £768k/annum.

Additional savings of road transport and incineration costs would provide

additional savings and give a project payback period of 2 – 3 years.

The North and South Tees Industrial Development Framework Report(1) identified

the waste market in the UK as developing quickly as a result of legislative

drivers such as the Waste Incineration Directive. Allied to this is the

concept of industrial symbiosis, where the waste streams from other

processes can be used beneficially by others, in this case for the generation

of steam and potentially power.

5.2 Aqueous Effluent

Access to an aqueous effluent treatment plant could make Wilton more

attractive for new investment. However, process drains and storm water

drains would need to be segregated. Northumbrian Water has potential

spare capacity at Bran Sands for appropriate biologically treatable liquids.

If there was a redundant pipeline under the Tees it might be used as far as

Bran Sands to pipe aqueous effluent for treatment. If T8 does not restart,

could another company make use of the 14” SS pipeline from T8 to Bran

Sands? Invista Nylon has a 14” 304L Class 150 line that took waste water

from Adipic Acid and KA to Bran Sands, and which is now redundant. Each

line could handle ~500m3/hr.

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5.3 Solid Waste

Currently, most companies on Wilton site undertake limited segregation of

waste in terms of batteries, paper, cardboard etc from their general waste.

Although most companies use Veolia for disposal of solid waste, one

company stated that it could see value in having one contractor to collect all

waste of a particular type from all Wilton site locations, provided that the waste remains segregated. That company’s past experience indicated that

certain contractors re-mixed the segregated waste.

Going one step further, there could be value in having an agent to act on

behalf of all the companies at Wilton with, perhaps, the establishment of a

Waste Segregation Station for the site.

5.4 Waste Heat

Shoreline Polychaete Farms at Ashington, Lynemouth, use low grade waste

heat (30C – 40C) from the Rio Tinto Alcan smelter for ragworm production.

The primary requirements for Shoreline’s aquaculture facility are:

• 2 – 15 hectares land

• 1800 – 2500m3/hour sea water at 20C.

Design Research & Development Company has visited Shoreline who have

expressed an interest in using waste heat for a new aquaculture installation

at Wilton.

6 Other Projects

This assessment of the quantities of waste from Wilton site has indicated

that the total quantities are small, especially after the announcements of the

closure of the Croda, Dow and Invista plants and the mothballing of the Artenius plants. It is therefore worth considering other projects that might

take place at Wilton, and the effect that these might have on the quantities

of waste.

6.1 Anaerobic Digestion with Power Generation

Anaerobic digestion was identified as an opportunity for development in the

North and South Tees Industrial Development Framework(1) Report.

For the immediate future it appears that Northumbrian Water has sufficient

capacity to handle most likely new investments and so an AD plant at Wilton

would seem unnecessary. Any additional AD investment at Wilton would

require the import of suitable waste feedstocks. However, it is understood

that Newcastle University is planning a large AD facility for R&D (Source:

Professor Dermot Roddy at the Third ICIS Bioresources Summit in

Gateshead, 26th November, 2009). Wilton site could be a suitable location

for such a unit.

The authors were asked to consider the viability of an anaerobic digestion

plant at Wilton and a brief overview of anaerobic digestion is as follows:

Almost any organic material can be processed by anaerobic digestion. This

includes biomass materials such as waste paper, food waste, sewage and

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animal waste. After sorting or screening, the material to be processed is

often shredded to increase the surface area available to microbes in the

digesters and hence increase the speed of digestion. The material is then

fed into an airtight digester, often with extra water added depending on the

digestion process and feedstock.

Advanced waste treatment technologies can produce biogas with ca. 60 mole % CH4 and 40 mole % CO2 with 1-5 % H2. Operating efficiency is such

that 60 – 80 % of volatile matter is transformed into biogas. Unfortunately,

the process requires a residence time of 15 – 30 days, which leads to rather

large plants. The cost of producing anaerobic biogas is £0.12 - £0.18/kWh

cf purchase price of natural gas, ca. £0.02/kWh.

An anaerobic digestion plant using 45ktpa feed and generating 2MW

electricity would cost ~£12m (Source: Confidential). At a standard

electricity price of £60/MWh, this will generate £60 x 2 x 8000 = £960kpa.

If we assume double ROCs for generation from a renewable source then it

will give £130 x 2 x 8000 = £2mpa, which is still a 6 year pay back!

However, if the feedstock is supermarket food waste and the supermarkets

pay for the waste to be treated then a fee of £44/tes would generate a

further £2mpa and halve the pay back to 3 years.

Digesting 1 tonne of food waste can generate about 300 kWh of energy.

(Source: NNFCC) So, 45kt food waste generates 13500MWh of energy, or

1.7MW over 8000 hours, which is in line with 2MW quoted above.

6.2 Tyre Pyrolysis

The possibility of locating a tyre pyrolysis plant at Wilton has been

rumoured in the past with the interested party being METSO Minerals

PYReco Limited. See Ref.1.

A typical tyre pyrolysis plant would handle ~170 tes/day shredded tyres and

produce 55 tes/day off-gas. The off-gas composition is very rich in

hydrocarbons and also contains sulphur compounds. It is not suitable for

discharge to atmosphere, but could be used as a fuel elsewhere on Wilton

site.

Off-gas from tyre pyrolysis contains little carbon monoxide (CO) or

hydrogen, but could be put through a high temperature partial oxidation to

convert the hydrocarbons to hydrogen and CO. After removal of the sulphur

compounds it could then be suitable for the Fischer Tropsch process, which

is a catalysed chemical reaction in which CO and hydrogen are converted

into liquid hydrocarbons, producing a synthetic petroleum substitute for use

as synthetic lubrication oil or as synthetic fuel.

6.3 Gasification of Municipal Waste or Biomass

Gasification processes such as the MME Technology use rapeseed pressings,

palm pressing, foodwaste, sewage sludge (human or animal), flourmill

wastes, brewery wastes and AD residues as their feed stock. The products

from the reaction are gas, biodiesel, carbon black and water. Approximate

yields that are claimed are as follows:-

Synthetic Diesel ~30 to 42%

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Gas ~ 25%

Carbon black ~ 13%

Water ~22%

Any investment in gasification plant at Wilton would require the import of

suitable waste feedstocks. However, it is understood that a plant using

MME technology will be built in the North East in the near future (Source: David Atkinson, MD, MME-UK Ltd, at the Third ICIS Bioresources Summit in

Gateshead, 26th November, 2009).

The North and South Tees Industrial Development Framework(1) Report indicated

that sites with good infrastructure connections would be particularly

attractive

for companies looking to build merchant gasification or autoclave facilities.

6.4 Paper Mill

The possibility of locating a paper mill at Wilton has been rumoured in the

past. The interested party is Ecco News Print Limited. See Ref.1. A typical

paper mill producing 200tpd air-dried pulp (ADP) would generate 160 –

2000 m3/hr waste water. The waste water is high in BOD, COD, suspended

solids, and chlorinated organic compounds, and is a suitable feed for an

anaerobic digestion plant such as Bran Sands.

6.5 Sonhoe - Heavy Crude Upgrader Project

This proposed new facility was referred to in the North and South Tees

Industrial Development Framework(1) report and would process 200,000 barrels

a day of heavy crude oil into high quality, low sulphur diesel, petrochemical

feedstock naphtha and kerosene for use in the UK or for export. The plant

also incorporates the production of hydrogen and would be one of the largest hydrogen producing plants in Europe. At the time of the proposal

this was estimated to be a £2bn investment for Wilton site and would have

a significant impact on the site effluent and waste streams. However, the

current status of the project is no longer clear.

7 Conclusions

At the time of writing, the future of the Artenius T8 and Melinar plants, and

the Dow ethylene oxide and Croda EOD plants was unclear. Whether these

plants close or restart will have a significant effect upon the quantities of

waste leaving the site, and on the opportunities for synergies. However,

aqueous effluent from Wilton site has reduced because of plant closures and

Northumbrian Water currently has spare capacity at Bran Sands.

Possible opportunities for investment on Wilton site that have been

identified are summarised in Table 3. In general, the investment costs are

high, but the technical risks of the projects would be low, although

timescales tend to be long. Any investment in waste treatment technology

at Wilton would almost certainly require the import of waste feedstock. A

central system for the disposal of solid waste could provide synergies that

would benefit the companies on Wilton site.

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Table 3

Potential Projects for Wilton Site

Project

Investment Technical

Risk

Required

Timescale

Comments

Thermal

Oxidiser

High Low/Medium Medium Payback 2–3

years.

Aqueous Effluent

Treatment

High Low Medium/Long Spare capacity

available at

NWL Bran

Sands.

Solid Waste

Central

Collection

Low/Medium Low Short

Aquaculture Medium/High Low Medium/Long Requires land,

sea water and

waste heat.

Anaerobic

Digestion with

Power

Generation

High Low/Medium Long R&D facility

planned by

Newcastle

University.

Tyre Pyrolysis High Low Long Import of

tyres

required.

Gasification of

Municipal

Waste/Biomas

s

Medium/High Low/Medium Long Gas can be

used for

chemicals

manufacture,

biodiesel

and/or power generation.

Paper Mill High Low Medium/Long

Heavy Crude

Upgrader

High Medium Long Import of

heavy crude

required.

8 Dissemination Event

The results of the project were disseminated to all companies that had

contributed to the project at a meeting held in the Wilton Centre on 25th

February 2010. At that meeting the following possible future projects were

identified:

• Use of waste heat at ~40C for drying. • Opportunities for pre-treatment of waste streams going to Bran Sands.

• Cultivation of algae and incineration as a biofuel. • Treatment of waste oils and solvents.

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9 References

(1) North & South Tees Industrial Development Framework Report - Tees

Valley Joint Strategy Unit; FSE97402A.2170; November 2009.