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EARTH - Ecological Activity for Refuse Treatment at High-altitude
Design and construction: Actelios, Falck Group/Ev-K²-CNR Committee
Operations:
Garbage, prepared and stored in a loading bin, undergoes high-temperature treatment in a combustion chamber after the unit has been suitably heated with the aid of a burner. The hot air consequently generated is then conveyed to a turbo-blowing section, activating a turbine connected mechanically to a compressor. The inhaled outside air reaches the set pressure and mixes with a part of the fumes; this process allows the combustion chamber to have the right quantity of oxygen for operating the unit and producing the heat for waste gasification.
In this way, the plant burns the gas produced by the waste; solid, non-combustible portions fall into a collection tray below. At the end of the process, fumes spewed out are purified via a state-of-the-art, anti-particulate catalytic filter, specifically designed to the end of obtaining the maximum purification of effluents released into the atmosphere through a dedicated stack.
Particular attention has been paid to the environmental sustainability of EARTH. The unit was designed and developed in a way as to ensure full compliance with the most stringent Italian and international regulations with regard to both combustion and emission. The system’s calibration called for the registration of as many as three patents.
Characteristics of the plant:
self-powering when fully operational without the need to avail of external energy sources
high degree of user-friendliness
fully collapsible for transportation purposes
adaptable to suit different quantities of waste generated
operational also in extreme environmental conditions
easy-to-source components even in developing countries, the entire process has been designed to suit highly sensitive environments. Waste reduction is estimated equivalent to 97% in weight
Project stages:
Stage 1
Design, manufacture, preliminary tests, shipment to Plateau Rosa (3,400 meters above sea level), final altitude testing.
Stage 2
shipment, installation and testing at Central Karakoram National Park (Baltoro Glacier, K2). Subsequently, a similar unit will be shipped to the Sagarmatha, Mount Everest’s National Park.
Plant size and waste
Total length = 3.2 meters
Total width = 1.58 meters
Total height = 3.15 meters
Total weight = 1400 kg
(checked with dynamometer scale)
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