Introduction
The BHS MSW Series takes a deep look into our company's approach to extracting maximum value from the municipal solid waste stream. Featuring interviews with CEO Steve Miller and Vice President of Engineering and R&D Roy Miller, the six part series highlights the integrated, fully-owned technologies of BHS, Nihot, NRT and Zero Waste Energy.
Chapter 1: Digging Deeper into the Waste Stream
"The industry looked at this with almost disbelief because the recovery numbers were so high, people just could not understand that was possible in the MSW environment."
Screening
Chapter 2 looks at the Debris Roll Screen® and the Polishing Screen, both of which are BHS flagship products and industry game changers. The patented BHS Tri-Disc™ is at the heart of our MSW process. It features a compound, in-line configuration that creates a precise opening for highly accurate material sizing and superior agitation. This unique design minimizes material wrapping and clogging, and produces significantly higher throughput in a smaller footprint than other offerings.
Chapter 2: Screening
"The key to our disc design is the unique ability to present a consistent opening while inherently agitating the material. That's something that only the Tri-Disc™ is capable of doing."
of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States is discarded
of Municipal Solid Waste is food waste & yard trimmings
of food waste is recovered
Projected growth of global MSW generation by 2025
Air Separation
Chapter 3 features the Nihot Drum Separator. Nihot is the proven leader in air separation with more than 65 years in the field and over 750 operational reference sites. The Drum Separator is key to conditioning MSW for maximum recovery. Light, high-value recyclables are separated allowing downstream equipment to effectively capture fiber, metals, plastics and other commodities using proven technologies. The Drum Separator features high throughput and separation efficiency, and exceptional reliability and durability. Nihot has perfected the application of negative pressure using recirculated air for precise, dust-free separation and a high degree of flexibility.
Chapter 3: Air Separation
"We can have rock and stones - you name it-coming at these machines. They have proven to be very durable and very predictable. They do their job every day - they do it the same way every day - and it's been a very valuable asset in the separation of MSW."
Optical Sorting
Chapter 4 features NRT optical sorting and the company’s In-Flight Sorting® technology. In-Flight Sorting® allows NRT to detect and eject material in flight, eliminating motion-related error and belt interference. While others may use a sweeping detection, the NRT SpydIR® features multiple scanning channels which focus on dedicated portions of the belt, scanning 10,000 times/second. Simply put, NRT’s detection capabilities lead the industry, resulting in benchmark capture and purity rates.
Organics
Chapter 5 examines the large portion of the waste stream that includes food waste, yard waste and other organic materials. We strive to find a "home" for everything in the waste stream, and this material has too great a value to be wasted. Zero Waste Energy’s proprietary SMARTFERM® technology can be applied to almost any organic material. These systems range from 5,000 TPY to 100,000 TPY and produce high-quality compost and biogas, the latter of which can be used to produce electricity or fuel a fleet.
Chapter 5: Organics & Anaerobic Digestion
"We’re talking about maximizing the benefit to the environment and maximizing the benefit economically. It's important that you address this organic portion and not just send it to landfill.”
What's next.
Chapter 6 addresses the results of BHS' proven technologies. Our systems are processing mixed waste and producing high-quality commodities. The series concludes with a look at What's next.
Chapter 6: What's next. Choose Results.
"We are always looking for new and better ways to do things. Some of this is a product of our own evolution as a company and the evolution of the industry where customers—cities—are demanding that you recover all parts of the waste stream. The MSW process ultimately will be the collection system of the future."
Chapter 4: Optical Sorting
"These machines move thousands of pieces per hour in a normal operating facility, and making a 1% difference in the recovery - making a 1% difference in the purity - is something that you don't want to pass on."