UNTHA shredder helps Munich recycler achieve wood recycling goals

Munich-based recycling specialist Breitsamer Entsorgung is on track to process 40,000 tonnes of waste wood in 2017, following the installation of an UNTHA XR3000C mobil-e shredder, from the Austrian-based company.

The hunt for an efficient shredding solution began last year when the well-established 60-year-old recycling business commenced its search for an electrically driven machine. Breitsamer knew such a shredder would prove a more environmentally robust alternative to one with a traditional diesel engine, not least because the recycling specialists have their own 1.4 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic system installed on site. And, with 60% of this system’s energy generation powering the Breitsamer facility, this would prove a more economical solution, too.

But an electric drive was not Breitsamer’s only requirement. The shredder would also need to process 35 tonnes of waste wood per hour and achieve a homogenous particle size of less than 120 millimetres (4.7 inches), in a single pass.

Conversations with UNTHA unfolded and managing director Thomas Breitsamer says he became impressed with the energy efficiency of the shredder as well as the machine’s mobility – two factors not found in competitor models. “This UNTHA technology makes us 70% more economical than if we were using diesel power and 30% more economical than the conventional star-delta drive,” he says. “The low speed nature of this shredding system also keeps the noise of our pellet production at a very low level, as well as producing a very low amount of fine particles.”

The movable nature of the XR3000C mobil-e means it can be repositioned around the site, which allows for easier and safer technician maintenance for instance, as it can be moved out of the hall, according to UNTHA. The shredder has been purposefully engineered for ease of maintenance to ensure minimal downtime and – with the ability to change perforated screens in less than 30 minutes – Breitsamer can quickly and easily recycle different wood grades, to different grain specifications.

“We can now offer excellent recycling, not only in waste wood classes 1 to 3, but also in class 4 waste wood and can sell the metals recovered from it to the steel industry,” says Breitsamer. “This flexibility is important because we have several customers in the thermal and material recycling industry, who require granules in various sizes.”

Established in 1956, Breitsamer Entsorgung Recycling GmbH has repeatedly extended its Munich site over the years. With an approved annual waste processing and storage capacity of 205,000 tonnes, the business has largely focused on construction, commercial and industrial waste until recently. But in 2014 came the redesign of a dedicated waste wood processing plant.

Keen to ensure the right purchase, Breitsamer utilised the XR mobil-e over a rigorous test period. This enabled close collaboration with the UNTHA team, to ensure the best-fit – and unique – configuration that would fulfil the company’s requirements entirely.

The XR mobil-e was first unveiled by UNTHA in May 2016, at the world's leading trade fair for environmental technology, IFAT. The shredder has since been sold worldwide, due to its flexible capabilities when safely and efficiently handling a variety of applications including industrial and commercial waste, production waste, construction waste, and – as in the case of Breitsamer Entsorgung – waste wood.