Spanish facility set to process 20,000 tonnes of waste per year

Waste management specialist Madegan is in the final stages of commissioning a new shredding system that will enable the family-run business to process up to 20,000 tonnes of waste per year.

The Spanish organisation is no stranger to the waste and recycling market, having its roots in the late 1970s.But fast forward to 2017 and continued growth and innovation means Madegan is now a well-known name in the world of waste to energy.

The team therefore sought a new machine to boost the capacity and flexibility of their Madrid facility.

Following an extensive three-year research project, Madegan headed to Austria to visit the global shredder manufacturer UNTHA. Impressed with the operational capabilities and performance of the machine, plus the vastly reduced energy consumption, Madegan procured the XR mobil-e – a new shredder that has quickly become renowned for its ability to efficiently process a variety of wastes.

Luis Silva from UNTHA IBERICA said: “When discussions first began, our local sales team worked with Madegan to understand the requirements of the project. They have been shredding waste since 2005 but as they continue to expand, they need to be able to handle higher volumes of different material streams.

“We helped them devise a new shredding solution that can tackle everything from commercial and industrial (C&I) waste, to construction and demolition waste, wood and municipal solid waste (MSW). They then travelled to our global headquarters near Salzburg – not just to see the XR mobil-e in operation, but to trial it with their own materials too.”

The technology soon proved it could handle the waste with ease, to manufacture a high quality SRF product. But the business case for the mobile machine was also strong.

“This was a very important economical investment for us,” said Alberto Magan, CEO of Madegan. “We therefore looked at everything, ranging from the initial cost of the machine, through to the speed and ease of maintenance, typical uptime rates, throughputs, energy efficiency and adaptability to meet varied customer specifications. The stats, coupled with the promised longevity of the machine, made the XR the most solid investment.”

When fully operational, the shredder will allow Madegan to process a number of waste streams down to a homogenous particle size of 30-40mm. Supplied on tracks and with an in-built conveyor, it can easily be moved around the Madrid site, and plugged back in.