Equipment Spotlight | AUG 2021 Primary Reduction

by MARY M. THORNTON

As metal prices have recently increased, removing especially valuable materials from the waste stream via primary reduction is extremely profitable. While magnets and picking by hand can recover a lot of metals, many in the waste and recycling industries process material via shredding – a more thorough way to recover even more metals. The same practice is used for plastics recovery, especially as the price of oil increases. Some of the factors involved in choosing the appropriate machines for materials processing follow.

As John Neuens, sales and marketing director of BCA Industries explained, “High volume reduction of oversized metal or plastic feedstock has long frustrated recyclers because the task can slow and even cripple production when shredding equipment breaks down. The challenge is this – traditional, large capacity shredders have points of vulnerability such as knives, shafts, bearings and hydraulics which are not truly designed for such volumes or loads. This can result in costly breakdowns and production downtime, with long lead times for critical replacement parts and rebuilds. We provide a new generation of advanced shredding technology that can reliably shred even the toughest scrap metal and plastics to chips at high volumes.”

Neuens then described BCA’s customizable ES2000 shredder, “The Beast,” which has 24” diameter hard-faced knives, 55” to 72” x 48” cutting chambers, 8” 4130 Chromoly steel shafts and is available as a stationary or portable unit. The ES2000 can shred 15 to 35 tons of metals or dense materials an hour. When even more throughput is required, it can be rated up to 800 hp and utilize dual cutting chambers. When incorporated into the ES2000, BCA’s patented Triplus “knife” technology uniformly cuts to any size in a single pass without a screen, very quickly reducing scrap to a reclaimable proportion and dramatically reducing shipping costs by minimizing voids in containers due to oversized material. A shredder using this design can produce over 85 percent correctly sized material in one pass with less than 10 percent oversized material.

While such units are typically hydraulic, all-electric versions of the ES2000 are an attractive option if a very large chamber size is required, but not the highest torque (i.e., mild steel). Neuens noted that all-electric versions are simpler, quieter, less costly, and even easier to maintain since the machines have no valves or hoses requiring maintenance or fitting inspections.

Greg Wright, vice president of Granutech-Saturn Systems, commented, “The term ‘waste’ can indicate quite a variety of areas. Sometimes there is physical value in waste such as with plastics or metals. Our shredders are used to reduce the size of various waste materials so that separation of the items can be conducted more easily. Other times, material value might be stored in waste as energy and our shredders are used to reduce material size so that it can be fed into a kiln and burned – a process of material energy recovery. Because waste exists in so many forms, there isn’t always a one size fits all approach and different types of shredders may be applicable. Granutech offers the Saturn line of dual and quad shaft shredders, our single shaft roto-grinds, and our medium speed Grizzly grinders; all of which are used to process waste in one form or another. To identify the shredder we’d recommend for your application, we always need to identify answers to the following questions: what is the material involved, what is the final material size needed, and what is the overall volume production size needed?”

Wright also noted, “Typical processing volume for our clients is in the 1,000 lbs. per hour to 20 tons per hour range. If the right equipment is not selected for processing, contamination of the waste stream can pose problems. Often those who purchase shredders believe that contaminants such as heavy steel or concrete blocks will be removed prior to shredding. If they are incorrect and have a machine incapable of handling such materials, a lot of damage to the machine is the result. Mitigating contamination is a large factor when choosing the right shredder for an application.”
Granutech has manufactured automobile crushers since the late 60s, and they’ve been involved in the metals market ever since. “With the acquisition of Saturn Shredders in the late 70s, we began offering solutions for shredding various materials for a variety of markets. We’ve continued to grow and diversify ever since,” Wright said.

The Zerma ZHS Series of industrial horizontal shredders includes a single-shaft shredder featuring an angled hydraulic ram, suitable for a wide range of material shapes and sizes. It is equipped with a 600 mm diameter E-type rotor, a knife holder fixing system and is available in widths from 1,500 mm to 2,600 mm. The final material size is determined by the screen, which can easily be changed, based on requirements. The ZHS Series shredder can be tailored to owner recycling requirements, including various drive strengths, knife configuration and a discharge option. “The ZHS Series shredders provide an economical solution for recycling of plastics, wood, paper, and general waste streams. The industrial horizontal shredders have been engineered for strength and reliability in daily operation.

These shredders can easily be integrated into complete lines with other Zerma products and accessories such as conveyors, granulators, and more,” said E.J. Stratman, national sales director.

“All Zerma machines are developed and manufactured by an international team of experienced engineers in close cooperation with our partners and customers. Almost all components are manufactured by us, we avoid suppliers and outsourcing wherever possible, made possible by our modern machining centers and our experienced, well-trained staff. This independence makes it possible for us to be a global leader in the manufacturing of all size reduction equipment,” concluded Stratman.

Published in the August 2021 Edition