Landfill Mining Explained
Resurrecting resources , reclaiming our planet: Earth Equipments Landfill Revival
Introducing the game-changing concept of landfill mining and restoration, powered by Earth Equipment’s cutting-edge machinery. Landfill mining offers a sustainable approach to reclaim valuable resources from existing landfills, reducing environmental impacts and promoting restoration. With Earth Equipment’s top-of-the-line machinery, including Screeners, Trommels, Mobile Picking Cabins, Conveyors, Screenpod Air Vacuum Units, Electric Crushers and Overband Magnets, the process of landfill mining and restoration has never been more efficient.
Landfill mining is revolutionising waste management practices by extracting recyclable materials from previously discarded waste. Earth Equipment’s versatile screeners play a pivotal role in the process, efficiently separating valuable resources from mixed waste streams. By incorporating our Trommels, operators can further refine the extracted materials, optimising resource recovery and maximising their potential for reuse.
Our mobile picking cabins provide an ergonomic and safe environment for workers during the landfill mining process. Equipped with advanced safety features, these cabins ensure a secure sorting space, enabling efficient and meticulous separation of materials for recycling and disposal. This approach minimises waste sent to landfills, reducing the need for additional disposal sites and conserving valuable land resources.
As an integral part of landfill mining and restoration, Screenpod air vacuum units offer a revolutionary solution for removing light fractions from various materials. These vacuum units, offered by Earth Equipment, effortlessly extract light plastics and other contaminants, enhancing the efficiency of the sorting process while preserving the integrity of the machinery itself.
To complement the landfill mining process, Earth Equipment’s overband magnets play a crucial role in ferrous metal recovery. These powerful magnets effectively capture and separate ferrous metals from waste, facilitating proper recycling and preventing harmful materials from entering the environment.
Experience the future of landfill mining and restoration with Earth Equipment’s state-of-the-art machinery. Together with our Screeners, Trommels, Mobile Picking Cabins, Screenpod Air Vacuum Units, Crushers and Overband Magnets, we’re paving the way for a greener, more sustainable waste management approach, promoting resource recovery and environmental restoration like never before.
How it all works together, Typical Machinery layout
Material is stockpiled ready to put through a dedicated system.
- Material is fed into our robust Deck Screener, which will separate material into 3 different size fractions. An oversize material typically over 200mm piece size. This material will be re-handled [see section a.]. The mid product typically 200mm to 40mm [see section b.] would then enter either another screening unit to further liberate any potential fines or it will go into a mobile picking cabin. The third product the minus 40mm [see section c.].
- [Section b.] The mobile picking cabin will have operatives who are in a clean, safe and ergonomic environment presented with a conveyor belt of various materials between 40 – 200mm where they separate the different fractions. an overband magnet will remove ferrous material, with the option of a vacuum unit or blower or both to pull out any small light fraction that the operatives missed.
- The material that comes of the end of this line would we hardcore between 40 to 200mm which could then be crushed to be reused.
[section c] The minus 40mm fines from the screener, could be further screened to remove micro plastics and leave a material that can be reused, there will be circa 30% stone in this material. By re screening this material and taking out say the sub 15mm, it will allow this material to dry out which would allow the material to be further screened and separated with the use of vacuum units to pull out the light wood and contaminants.
[section a.] The Plus 200mm product from the screener could be few into a slow speed shredder where it will be shredded down to a homogeneous size where it can be put back into the screener unit which would then allow it to be processed in the -200mm product range.
Depending upon the material in the landfill, there are a few different ways to deal with the material to maximise recovery and liberate precious metals (eddy current separators). All the machinery that Earth Equipment rent allows a competent contractor to mine a landfill and maximise recovery.
Why do we need to Mine Landfills
Landfill mining is emerging as a key part of the circular economy. There is a growing need for solutions that solve resource depletion and shift towards sustainability. Metals especially are becoming increasingly scarce. Thus, mineral recovery from industrial waste helps to develop clean technologies. For instance, it plays an important role in the manufacture of photovoltaic cells, electric cars, or wind turbines.
Mining Landfills is also relevant for resource recovery from municipal solid waste (MSW). In this case, the goal is to separate waste into recyclable and fuel materials. These recyclable materials include glass, plastics, metals, and aggregates, as well as refuse-derived fuels (RDF). Likewise, the recovery of refuse-derived fuels (RDF) is vital today as a potential alternative energy source. Using the current waste-to-energy technologies, it is possible to obtain high value-added fuels from RDF. Click here for a short read on Landfill mining in Scotland