Attero Moerdijk

The waste produced by millions of people in the Netherlands and hundreds of companies is processed here every day, in Attero’s waste-to-energy plant in Moerdijk. Every year, the installation converts one million tonnes of household and industrial waste from the Netherlands, England and Ireland into energy. An enormous operation, which also presents complex challenges in the processing of residues. With our unruly approach we helped Attero solve one of the most important problems in the process.

Wet cake

Exhaust gases are created during the combustion process. The toxic substances in it are removed by putting the gases under a kind of shower of lime mixed with water. The result is a sludge with the contaminants, which is dewatered into filter cake and transported to a special landfill.

Disposal of the filter cake is only allowed if the cake is dry enough. This turned out to be problematic: in the past Attero had difficulty meeting the residual moisture requirements. Often, an obvious solution is chosen: a heavier filter press with which the filtration pressure can be increased.

Calm and smart

We opted for a different solution: instead of more pressure and faster pumping, we went for lower pressure and slower flow. In our test installation, this, combined with another smart little idea, turned out to be the key to success. The filter cakes are guaranteed to be dry enough for disposal. In addition, the filter installation now requires far less maintenance. The first 100,000 m3 have already been processed using our filter.