Waste Derived Fuel

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Waste Derived Fuel is generally categorised as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) or Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) and has been prepared by a treatment process to produce a specification for an end user. The specification will depend upon the plant using the fuel, but typically at the most basic level will have had metals and inert materials removed, removal of some recyclables and limited shredding/bag splitting. More refined RDF will have had drying, shredding to a uniform size and Moisture Content reduction. At the very high end of production the RDF will move towards being a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF).

Picture of loose RDF material, picture from Turmec, all rights reserved
Picture of loose RDF material, picture from Turmec, all rights reserved


Context

Waste Derived Fuel is generally categorised as Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) or Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) and has been prepared by a treatment process to produce a specification for an end user. The specification will depend upon the plant to be used, but typically at the most basic level will have had metals and inert materials removed, removal of some recyclables and limited shredding/bag splitting. More refined RDF will have had drying, shredding to a uniform size and Moisture Content reduction. At the very high end of production the RDF will move towards being a Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF).

For the purposes of legislation RDF and SRF remains a waste (unless stringent End of Waste Criteria can be met) and so users of the fuel have to comply with the IED which has superseded WID.

Composition of Waste Derived Fuel

We have pulled together a number of specification (spec) sheets to produce give an overall feel for the spec of Refuse Derived Fuel and Solid Recovered Fuel, as shown in the table below. In reality the spec is usually very tightly controlled by the receiving plant.

Measure Units Residual Waste[1] RDF SRF
Net Calorific Value MJ/kg (as received) 9 - 15 10 - 15 >18.5
Moisture wt% (dry basis) 10 - 40 <25 <15
Biomass Content[2] wt% (dry basis) >45 >65 >65
Ash Content wt% (dry basis) 10 - 30 <20 <15
Sulphur wt% (dry basis) < 0.85 <0.5 <0.5
Nitrogen wt% (dry basis) <1.5 <0.8 <0.8
Lead mg/kg <200 <100 <80
Chlorine CI wt% (dry basis) <1.2 <0.1 <0.6
Zinc[3] wt% (dry basis) <0.1    
Sodium and Potassium[3] wt% (dry basis) <0.8    
Mercury mg/kg <2 <1 <0.6
Nickel mg/kg <200 <100 <100
Thallium mg/kg <20 <10 <10
Ferrous and non-ferrous metals wt% (dry basis) <7 <3 <1
Non combustible material wt% (dry basis) <15 <10 <5
Glass wt% (dry basis) <5 <2 <1
Dust <1mm wt% (dry basis) <5 <5 <5
Bulk Density (loose) kg/m3 100 - 275 100 - 175 185
Particle Size (max dimension) mm 500 300 <40

Chlorine is a particular issue due to its tendency to form Hydrochloric Acid in an energy recovery process, which then requires specific abatement/clean-up technologies. With limited such arrangements in Cement Kilns this means that they generally have a lower tolerance for Chlorine closer in a final specification to SRF. In addition, the use of any Waste Derived Fuel in Cement Kilns has the potential to impact the final quality of the cement produced, and so the composition of an RDF or SRF is critical in the decision to use it in such an application in terms of the ash content of the RDF/SRF.

Background to Export of Refuse Derived Fuel and Solid Recovered Fuel

The movement of WDF from the UK, primarily in the EU, commenced in c.2010 and progressively grew up until around 2016 driven by supply-demand and landfill tax in the UK and the economics and spare capacity of EfW plants in the EU. From around 2017 tonnages for export started to drop, with more pronounced drops from 2018 as the supply-demand patterns changed in the UK, some EU countries started to implement taxation on EfW and the cost and complexities of transportation following Brexit increased. The two charts below show the overall patterns of export:

CIWM Presidential Report 2018 – RDF Trading in a Modern World
CIWM Presidential Report 2018 – RDF Trading in a Modern World
RDF and SRF Export - analysis of EA data by Monksleigh
RDF and SRF Export - analysis of EA data by Monksleigh
CIWM Presidential Report (2018) Showing Grow in RDF and SRF Export[4] Analysis by Monksleigh of RDF and SRF Exports from England from EA Data

Moving Refuse Derived Fuel and Solid Recovered Fuel from the UK abroad requires compliance with the Transfrontier Shipment Regulations (TFS) and in simple terms requires an application for movement to be made to the relevant authorities that requires a number of key measures to be satisfied before this can occur. It also requires the user of the fuel to be classified as an R1 facility.

Annual WDF Export from England

The data shown is for export from England and for Waste Code 19 12 10 - combustible waste (refuse derived fuel) as this is the primary code that covers both RDF and SRF tonnage.

It is important to note that some RDF / SRF is exported under the Waste Code 19 12 12 - other wastes (including mixtures of materials) from mechanical treatment of wastes other than those mentioned in 19 12 11, this code is a catch all, and covers any waste from Mechanical treatment not covered by it's own 19 12 waste code and as such has not been included in the numbers below.

Month on Month Export

The graph shows the monthly shipments of RDF and SRF along with a trend line showing the trajectory of export.

month on month export with trend
month on month export with trend

Year on Year Differences

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Data Table
Year Tonnage Shipped Increase on Previous Percentage Change
2011 251,451 - -
2012 1,009,972 +758,520 301.7%
2013 1,963,363 +953,390 94.4%
2014 2,661,871 +698,508 35.6%
2015 3,211,636 +549,765 20.7%
2016 3,530,859 +319,222 9.9%
2017 3,452,295 -78,563 -2.2%
2018 3,174,926 -277,269 -8.0%
2019 2,771,981 -402,945 -12.7%
2020 1,881,103 -890,878 -32.1%
2021 1,562,374 -318,729 -16.9%

Exporters

Company 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

New Earth Solutions (Canford) Ltd 105,865.55 85,101.42 45,822.05 30,610.45 34,737.55 14,347.93 7,009.56
SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd 343,663.73 446,114.67 428,609.12 322,103.65 283,213.15 216,034.54 68,775.26
West Sussex Britaniacrest Seneca Partnership Ltd 0.00 0.00 0.00 30,259.62 56,241.95 70,878.36 67,500.18
New Earth Solutions (West) Ltd T/A Mid UK Recycling 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 18,345.31 77,417.63 63,541.92
Totus Environmental Ltd 59,592.05 58,722.59 47,909.10 63,379.39 41,025.36 55,065.87 54,571.38
Quercia Ltd 17,186.49 38,473.28 54,156.17 58,484.97 55,589.38 58,498.90 54,419.39
Eco-Power Environmental (Hull) Ltd 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3,658.50 39,618.29 52,642.37
FCC Recycling (UK) Ltd 214,717.66 216,038.86 187,943.76 168,850.12 86,387.65 74,523.96 48,541.56
Countrystyle Recycling Ltd 72,974.40 85,602.62 90,848.11 64,260.37 52,411.41 21,621.08 37,945.31
Street Fuel Ltd 23,527.06 60,909.95 56,041.22 44,128.26 23,593.62 15,564.15 34,654.58
Enva England Ltd 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 49.02 3,600.56
McGrath Bros (Waste Control) Ltd 76,611.11 78,604.72 73,326.95 29,853.78 34,391.93 21,713.70 25,773.14
Veolia ES (UK) Ltd 7,191.97 70,529.90 155,917.23 164,009.73 171,809.45 0.00 25,390.29
Hills Waste Solutions Ltd 17,273.55 20,395.27 23,573.06 17,275.77 9,105.82 17,535.75 24,007.28
Associated Waste Management Ltd 39,374.83 63,341.21 53,711.18 39,981.57 49,910.21 6,560.01 21,079.93
Powerday PLC 35,988.48 33,722.91 37,885.51 18,027.72 17,758.95 12,319.72 2,513.75
Seneca Environmental Solutions Ltd 211,713.02 217,884.46 230,049.01 155,214.72 126,137.49 43,222.41 2,165.50
Probio Energy Ltd 68,876.99 80,736.46 94,802.04 143,218.37 170,566.74 180,091.86 180,940.92
Bertling Enviro AB 46,546.48 96,300.49 89,207.56 171,445.30 153,964.36 128,673.41 168,904.82
Geminor UK Ltd 21,664.23 208,125.40 329,068.51 437,008.81 343,539.93 269,000.02 157,899.64
Andusia Recovered Fuels Ltd 234,404.75 228,534.55 180,644.45 157,690.27 153,438.94 156,379.83 147,925.02
N & P Alternative Fuels Ltd 255,410.01 336,524.12 357,394.08 364,872.26 291,130.13 165,732.54 128,270.67
Renewi UK Services Ltd 0.00 0.00 0.00 30,053.00 30,874.23 22,926.44 104,647.07
Biffa Waste Services Ltd 359,959.39 426,770.59 463,101.70 358,290.28 315,622.44 151,637.03 104,444.99
ABN Paris SAS 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,243.85 0.00 0.00 0.00
Specialised Waste Solutions Ltd 0.00 0.00 0.00 48.54 169.88 0.00 0.00
New Earth Solutions (Leicestershire) Ltd 26,765.43 16,911.92 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
New Earth Solutions (West) Ltd 27,131.02 19,304.03 62,050.71 38,730.36 42,620.98 15,687.36 0.00
Niramax Group Ltd 4,709.80 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Weir Waste Services Ltd 18,869.26 21,473.72 13,612.81 1,895.28 0.00 0.00 0.00
Northstone International Ltd 0.00 0.00 0.00 9,808.78 35,183.79 5,315.43 0.00
Pericula Ltd 4,461.89 9,792.61 288.59 1,199.70 3,793.76 0.00 0.00
PM Recycling Ltd 0.00 0.00 7,554.97 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Wastecycle Ltd 14,422.06 11,989.52 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
REDACTED 0.00 0.00 869.72 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Transwaste Recycling & Aggregates Ltd 34,559.66 1,093.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
REMONDIS Ltd 0.00 0.00 0.00 5,091.25 16,440.89 1,933.16 0.00
Thanet Waste Services Ltd 20,715.93 25,649.81 8,471.02 72.08 0.00 0.00 0.00
Zweckverband Abfallbehandlung Kahlenberg 5.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Taurus Waste Recycling Ltd 0.00 6,408.90 419.93 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Shanks Waste Management Ltd 99,486.39 130,693.62 143,416.06 117,886.34 75,486.59 28,017.36 0.00
EFO AB 0.00 0.00 4,932.15 9,834.72 7,045.41 0.00 0.00
Akata Biomass UK Ltd 8,679.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Armstrongs Environmental Services Ltd 800.60 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Baco-Compak (Norfolk) Ltd 6,840.78 8,767.98 7,076.98 5,062.18 849.14 0.00 0.00
Bagnall & Morris (Waste Services) Ltd 7,194.75 7,274.53 17,115.35 18,667.91 9,253.54 0.00 0.00
Blakeley's Recycling Ltd 8,723.79 8,580.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Boomeco Ltd 88,450.17 8,197.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Bywaters (1986) Ltd 35,005.44 36,709.83 24,788.86 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Camreg Ltd 0.00 18,615.41 26,170.11 21,182.62 0.00 11,978.86 0.00
Cellmark UK Ltd 66,462.06 37,404.54 14,231.24 1,955.65 0.00 0.00 0.00
Chambers Waste Management PLC 34,184.67 37,453.18 24,906.81 2,553.75 0.00 0.00 0.00
Combineering A/S 10,951.51 19,719.46 4,758.90 13,610.01 6,011.72 1,572.53 0.00
Cory Barking Operations Ltd 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
DONG Energy Waste UK Ltd 15,465.44 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
MJ Church (Plant) Ltd 14,152.33 9,043.88 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Elite Recycling Solutions Ltd 233.82 20.62 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Failand Paper Services Ltd 1,042.83 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Frimstone Ltd 0.00 7,684.33 15,282.08 14,689.89 13,719.27 2,067.59 0.00
Gemi UK Ltd 258,212.90 60,453.40 14,025.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Greenway Waste Recycling Ltd 80,823.72 89,805.96 77.19 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Grundon Waste Management Ltd 27,636.08 36,356.00 32,411.91 24,853.53 16,728.75 0.00 0.00
Hinkcroft Transport Ltd 8,030.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Island Waste Ltd 1,138.00 1,658.96 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
JBT Waste Services Ltd 17,645.25 23,438.52 17,864.16 11,825.51 0.00 0.00 0.00
MDJ Light Brothers Ltd 2,363.82 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Mick George Ltd 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 888.09 0.00
Mid UK Recycling Ltd 75,142.59 42,664.39 17,418.99 52,481.18 21,887.32 0.00 0.00

References

  1. ↑ Typical ranges for Residual Waste as a Comparison
  2. ↑ Not generally defined for exports to EU (no biomass requirements.)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Not generally defined in a fuel spec
  4. ↑ CIWM Presidential Report 2018 Summary of Findings pdf
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