Off-grid energy from wood waste – Northern Ireland joinery manufacturer and fit-out specialist use production scraps to generate heat
What happens to wood scraps when they’re viewed not as waste but as a valuable energy source? This is precisely the approach taken by the joinery and fit-out firm Somerville Fit-Out Ltd with a customised waste management solution. At the heart of the system is a WEIMA Tiger 1800 horizontal shredder, which transforms bulky production scraps into homogeneous wood chips.
More production. More wood waste.
As production volumes increased, so did the amount of scrap wood generated by the specialist interior fit-out company in Northern Ireland. Items included pallets, wooden shipping materials, long strips, and square-edged lumber, as well as scrap wood from their site operations.
The solution: Process the material right where it’s generated—and turn a disposal problem into a usable raw material.
A Complete Solution for Wood Waste Processing
To implement the project, the WEIMA dealer Fercell Engineering developed a complete waste management solution that integrates all process steps—from shredding, through metal separation and dust filtration, to the storage and loading of the processed material.
At the heart of the system is a WEIMA Tiger horizontal shredder. A flat IMRO feed conveyor allows for the convenient feeding of wood panels and other waste materials. To ensure the quietest possible operation, the shredder was additionally installed in a soundproof enclosure designed by Fercell.
Long pieces of wood? Perfect for the WEIMA Tiger.
Long and bulky wood scraps often pose challenges for conventional shredding systems. Horizontal shredders really showcase their design advantages in this context.
Strips, square timbers, and other extra-long production scraps are usually fed continuously via the long vibrating chute into the WEIMA Tiger 1800.
Inside the machine, the V-rotor shreds the material between the rotor and counter blades. The wood pieces leave the cutting chamber only when they are small enough to pass through the round-hole screen. In this application, this produces a uniform wood chip fraction of approximately 20 mm.
With a feed opening 1,800 mm wide and 132 mm high, the machine at Somerville is designed to process very wide wood waste and is built for continuous industrial operation. Material can be fed into the machine as needed throughout the entire production day. This allows wood scraps to be processed immediately, rather than accumulating in large quantities on the production floor.
Less Noise Despite Industrial Shredding
Where high-performance shredding technology is in operation within or in the immediate vicinity of the production area, noise control also plays an important role. That is why the WEIMA shredder is housed in a freestanding, soundproof enclosure from Fercell that was specially designed for this application. In addition to noise reduction, the enclosure’s design also took into account accessibility, ventilation, and the shredder’s specific requirements. After shredding, the material passes through a pipe magnet integrated into the exhaust pipes. It is then conveyed via the central exhaust system into an MPD mini-silo filter. This allows the high-performance wood waste processing system to be seamlessly integrated into existing daily production operations.
Filter, store, and transport flexibly
The MPD Minisilo plays a central role in the overall system. It combines dust filtration and material storage in a single unit. Up to three discharge points allow for particularly flexible material handling. The silo not only collects dust particles but also serves as an intermediate storage for the shredded wood. Electropneumatic diverter valves then determine which route the material takes. If a downstream section of the system is not currently needed, the wood chips can remain in the silo for the time being.
Some of the processed material can be fed directly into a biomass combustion plant on the company premises. Especially during the colder months, this allows the company to use its own wood waste to generate heat and reduce its reliance on external energy sources.
If more material is produced than is needed for the company’s own operations, there is a second option: The wood chips are transported via the GW double-chain conveyor to a storage silo and then loaded onto a trailer. This makes it easy to pick up the processed material for reuse. This transforms what was once waste material into reusable sustainable products.
For more information about the joinery manufacturing and specialist fit-out services Somerville offer, visit Somerville Fit-Out Ltd.
