HUBER Technology has recently completed a screenings compaction project for Heineken at its Ledbury cider mill site which has delivered significant cost savings for the cider and beer manufacturer.

Following successful trial work, HUBER Technology has seen increased sales into the industrial market. HUBER has provided over 500 WAP® units for the UK alone and are seeing increasing demand, as customers across various industries are seeing the benefit of reduced disposal volumes.

The equipment provides a reduction in disposal volumes by removing excess water and compacting the loose screenings removed from the existing screens.

Project Background

In the UK, 45% of all apples harvested are for use in cider. The harvesting process sweeps the apples off the ground, often bringing with the apples dirt, sticks and leaves. With the season spanning from September to November, there can be particularly large amounts of debris towards the end of the season and all of this ends up at the milling plant.

Apples delivered to site are tipped into large pits and floated into production using transport water. This transport water quickly becomes dirty and a large amount of material is screened out of the water to allow the water to be reused. These wet screenings were dropped into a trailer and the client had water draining from the trailer across the yard in large volumes. Screenings which dropped into the trailer were loose and even after draining, were still very wet. This resulted in much higher disposal weights and volumes, along with the associated increase in vehicle movements.

Objective

HUBER were approached for a solution to remove the excess water from the screenings and compact the remaining material. By using equipment from the HUBER hire fleet, site were able to witness the benefits before committing to a capital spend.

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Image: HUBER WAP® L 6 compactor and Ro8T conveyor

Solution

HUBER Technology Supplied:

1 No HUBER Screenings Wash Press WAP® L 6 - screenings compaction unit with

• Inlet hopper to accept wet screenings
• Ultrasonic level control
• Frost protected wash water system
• Drain line for disposal of separated water

1 No HUBER Screw Conveyor Ro8T conveyor - to elevate the compacted material into a trailer for removal from site

1 No Control panel to automate operation of the plant

The HUBER WAP® L screenings compactor and Ro8T conveyor were commissioned at the apple milling plant ahead of the milling season. The machine provides a significant reduction in disposal volumes by removing water and compacting the loose material. It also keeps the site clean and tidy, containing all of the separated water. By using an inclined conveyor, compacted material is elevated and dropped directly into the trailer. With the HUBER WAP® L 6 and Ro8T installed, there are no more trailers leaking across the yard and reduced vehicle movements, providing Heineken with significant cost savings.

                                                                     Image: Wet material in Dry material out 

James Tucker, HUBER’s Industrial Business Development Manager commented :

“This was a really interesting project to work on and the end result is a very tidy solution for Heineken. We have provided over 500 WAP® units for the UK alone and are seeing increasing demand, as customers across various industries see the benefit of reduced disposal volumes.”

For more information please contact James Tucker on 07720 086808, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit our website www.huber.co.uk