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JM sets up thermal recycling unit for glass fibre waste

15 Feb '21

3 min read

Pic: JOHNS MANVILLE

Making a positive environmental impact for the local community, Johns Manville Engineered Products has set up a new thermal recycling unit for waste glass fibres in Trnava, Slovakia. The new unit uses the waste generated during the production and processing of glass fibres. The recycled glass powder is free of organic particles and is used on-site.

The recycled glass powder, free of organic particles, is refed as raw material into JM’s own glass production on-site. That means the company has reached a closed production loop. This recycling effort will bring a positive environmental impact to the local community through reduced CO2 emissions from truck transportation of waste fibres.

This project is part of the company’s response to the European Commission’s zero waste programme and is also in line with its overall targets for sustainable management of the planet’s natural resources driven by the UN climate action strategy.

“Waste is a very common problem among industrial plants across the globe and a proper recycling loop needs to accommodate the specifics of different types of waste. Finding the best solution requires a combination of problem solving and a strong passion for continuous improvements of production processes. At JM, we were eager to rise to this challenge,” the company said.

A project team of several JM experts thoroughly analysed the waste problem in the Trnava plant from several perspectives. The team identified four different options for an “in-house” recycling method that would eliminate landfilling. Each of these methods was supported by analyses of environmental, health and financial impacts. The environmental impact assessment analysed possible influences on soil, water, air, emissions, energy consumption, emergency situations and the efficiency of existing process flows.

After prioritising the establishment of a closed production loop solution that did not affect the quality of the final product — glass fibre rovings and chopped strands — the company invested in thermal recycling technology.

The new Trnava unit has a projected recycling capacity of more than 3 tons per hour and consists of a warehousing area, feeding and transportation equipment, shredder, burning chamber and milling. After processing, the recycled glass powder is free of organic particles and refed as raw material into the glass production process on-site.

When the COVID-19 pandemic crisis altered the entire world in the beginning of 2020, construction for the unit was in full swing. Martin Macejech, senior project engineer and recycling line project coordinator had to cope with many problems. For example, it took a month to precisely plan and execute the positioning of the rotary kiln. The team avoided an unplanned roof disassembly to get the large device into the hall by just a few millimetres. Thankfully, no roof opening was needed.

However, the progress of the technology supplier’s team was partially slowed by strict hygiene rules in the plant. “Of course, the health of our employees and visitors to the Trnava plant was the highest priority. Despite all these constrains, testing operations were launched in November 2020,” the company said.

“All the hard work, research and careful planning resulted in a recycling unit with the best available technology that also aligns with legal regulations for environmental protection,” it said.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)