An M2500 wet materials recovery and processing system supplied by United Kingdom-based CDE Global Ltd. has helped recover more than 50,000 metric tons of reusable aggregates from a 260-acre landfill in Israel.
According to CDE, Netanya, Israel-based waste management and construction firm M.eylon Aviv Nechasim Ltd. has invested in the new recycling plant from CDE, representing the wet processing equipment manufacturer’s second installation in Israel and its first M2500 model unit commissioned in that market.
The 70 metric tons per hour (tph) M2500 modular wash plant integrates feeding, screening, sand washing and stockpiling on a single compact chassis, says CDE. At the landfill site, the M2500 is processing contaminated soils containing heavy metals and other contaminants from a site set in a location deemed prime for redevelopment along the Netanya coastline.
The 260-acre site holds 400,000 metric tons of material to be processed and washed and is set to be restored to create space for new residential developments.
Orin Binyamin, company engineer at M.eylon Aviv Nechasim Ltd., says the simplest approach would be to redistribute the material to other landfill sites, but the company prefers a long-lasting solution that could yield both commercial and environmental advantages.
“When we secured the contract to excavate the site for the land to be reinstated for development, we were keen to identify a long-term solution as opposed to a temporary fix,” says Binyamin. “It would be counterproductive to reinstate this site by trucking vast quantities of contaminated soil and other waste material from one landfill to another – a process [that] produces a double disadvantage due to significant operational costs and resulting carbon emissions.”
Continues Binyamin, “We also saw an opportunity. We could take up a leading role in this space, driving positive change and demonstrating, in partnership with CDE, the potential and value to be unlocked from contaminated soil.”
She says her company’s decision to partner with CDE was a result of its technical expertise and proven technologies. “Ours is only the second CDE install in Israel and the first from its M-series range. Despite a smaller presence in the local market, we were familiar with CDE’s credentials in the recycling space. After engaging its team, we were confident we had selected the right partner.”
Adds Binyamin, “We shared a vision for the site, and both recognized the potential for it to further the circular economy in the local market. That shared purpose backed up by tried and tested processes is the stuff successful partnerships are made of.”
CDE Business Development Director Matt Bunting says the company has supported materials processors to divert over 90 million metric tons of material from landfills over the past three decades.
“We have many reference sites around the world that are diverting massive tonnages from landfill,” he comments. “It’s CDE technology enabling the change and recovering premium, in-spec sand and aggregates that are comparable to that of virgin quarried materials from contaminated soil and construction and demolition waste streams.”
A difference with this project, says Bunting, is the stage at which CDE’s pioneering recycling technology is being used. “It’s a unique project in that the material to be processed is not destined for landfill, but rather has already been landfilled.”
Adds the CDE executive, “We engineer solutions designed to divert material from landfill, and that is a major focus of ours. But an equally important next step – one that we’re taking with the customer – is deploying our technology to existing landfill sites to minimize the material already disposed of to recover construction products that have huge commercial value and can be returned to good use in the sector.”
The CDE system installed, which also features its AquaCycle water management system, is producing 50 tph of washed 2 millimeters (0.08 inch) and under sand, oversize aggregate and filter cake.
Binyamin says CDE delivered was exactly what was expected. “Eylon has extensive industry experience and was impressed with the technology and construction that CDE offered, which was superior to anything we had researched locally,” she comments. “We were also extremely impressed by CDE’s ability to deliver the project in the current climate.”
Jordan McCooe, Project Manager at CDE, says travel COVID-related restrictions prevented CDE from traveling to the plant. “Working remotely, we implemented a series of steps to ensure the customer’s plant was installed and commissioned on time, including the development of a comprehensive mechanical installation guide for every plant item.”
Virtual modeling was central to delivering the project remotely, says McCooe. “We built the plant virtually from the ground upwards using a 3D model and guided the customer through it, which the mechanical install team was able to follow along with whilst working through the guide.”
He says the guide and regular contact with CDE’s technical, electrical and commissioning teams resulted in a successful remote plant commission.
“We opened multiple channels of communication to work with the install team,” says McCooe. “Through conference calls, instant messaging and more we guided the team through the install guide, provided immediate support to diagnose any potential faults, and remotely assisted in the dry and wet running of the plant.”
Uncontaminated material recovered by CDE technology is being used to restore the land, says Binyamin. “These materials will never leave the site,” she remarks.
“With the help of CDE, we’re recovering material from the local environment to support the regeneration of that environment,” adds Binaymin. “By extracting high quality sand, aggregates, and a filter cake product from the contaminated soil on site we can make the land productive again while simultaneously minimizing requirements for shipping in natural materials.”
CDE’s Matt Bunting says the project has been a resounding success with potential to grow further. “Such is the potential of the material on site that we’re already in discussions with the customer to expand the capacity of the plant to recover higher volumes of sand and aggregates more efficiently.”
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