VERDIR An energy dividend from island waste

Waste management is more costly on islands and in other remote areas than it is in most parts of the mainland. The expense of dealing with plastic, cardboard, wood, organic waste and other materials depends on what processing equipment is already available, and is otherwise highly dependent on transport to the mainland.

Some of the waste in island areas has been recovered from the sea and therefore has a high water content. Sea pollution from plastic waste presents a major challenge, with more than 8 million tonnes dumped in the oceans every year. Where it is not possible to reuse or recycle this plastic material, the only way of deriving any benefit from it is to draw off some of the energy that it contains.

The VERDIR project seeks to develop a solution that derives energy from some of this waste, using the heat produced to dry out the rest. This brings the benefit of lowering the water content of the remaining waste and reducing the volume that needs to be shipped away, while also generating energy locally.

NorPaper was selected as the ideal site for carrying out initial tests on an industrial scale. Its manufacturing process for white testliner generates waste that is similar to some solid recovered fuel (SRF – paper and cardboard), with a high moisture content of 70%.