Emerson tech used to optimise the waste-to-energy process

Emerson is helping a Swedish cleantech company, HaloSep, to optimise its process that turns hazardous incinerator flue gas residue from waste-to-energy plants into usable materials. Emerson’s control technology and software is being deployed at HaloSep’s plant for optimisation, research and technology (PORT) to manage a chemical separation process that recovers salt, metals and minerals from fly ash.

There are over 2600 waste-to-energy plants worldwide, with a disposal capacity of approximately 460 million tonnes of municipal waste annually. About 2–5% of the incinerated waste becomes flue gas residue known as fly ash, a hazardous material containing contaminants such as heavy metals, chlorides and sulfates. Tonnes of fly ash are currently transported to landfills by truck, rail or sea, which is both costly and unsustainable.

HaloSep, a subsidiary of the Stena Metall Group, provides an on-plant solution that can be built locally at a waste-to-energy plant or placed at sites where fly ash from smaller plants is consolidated, thus eliminating long-range transportation costs and emissions. Staffan Svensson, HaloSep President, said fly ash has varying properties requiring different separation processes.

“Our PORT plant will analyse fly ash samples from around the world, test specific separation processes and demonstrate circular economy benefits to potential customers,” Svensson said. “Emerson’s technology and expert advice on implementing automation throughout the plant has played a vital role in optimising these processes, which, when deployed, will help increase the sustainability of the waste-to-energy industry.”

Emerson designed and implemented its DeltaV distributed control system, a scalable control system architecture, at the PORT facility, working closely with HaloSep to develop separation sequences to recycle fly ash with variable compositions. The DeltaV Live software provides human–machine interfaces for operators, with key performance indicator-led dashboards providing intuitive reporting and management and supporting optimised decision-making and operational performance.

Nathan Pettus, President of Emerson’s Process Systems and Solutions business, said the company is committed to helping customers in industries such as plastics, waste-to-energy and lithium-ion battery manufacturing to meet demand for minimising environmental impact.

“Emerson’s technologies and expertise are designed to handle the complexity of HaloSep’s recycling process,” he said.