Waste Wood

Waste wood processing

The most common use for untreated waste wood is the production of wood building materials, such as chipboard or particle board. Used wood that is not suitable for recycling as a material can be used as fuel to generate electricity or heat. For the necessary processing steps, we offer flexible combinations of low-speed shredders and star screens, either as mobile machines that can be used anywhere or as customized stationary systems.
 
Wood waste includes industrial and waste wood that, according to the Circular Economy Act (KrWG) drafted in Germany, must be collected and disposed of separately. Efficient and specially designed machinery must be used to process biomass and waste wood.
 
Depending on the source, waste wood can be contaminated with non-wood substances such as paints, halogenated organic compounds, and wood preservatives. As a result, in Germany, only 17 percent of waste wood was recycled in 2016, while 77 percent was used for energy production. Although German law equates these two uses, this may change in the future. Currently, the German government is considering how to change the legislation on waste wood recovery, taking into account technical and analytical advances. Komptech is closely following these developments in refining its waste treatment processes.

Use of waste wood

The designation “waste wood” is used for materials of widely varying composition, from untreated wood pallets to painted or coated particle board and impregnated construction lumber. It is primarily the contaminant content that determines the treatment of waste wood for recycling purposes. National classifications are based on this aspect. They divide waste wood into four categories based on contaminant content and provide basic guidance on permissible recovery routes.
 
Waste wood category A I
Untreated or mechanically treated wood only.
Uses: material recovery in the wood products industry, thermal recovery in biomass heating/energy plants.
 
Waste wood category A II
Waste wood glued, painted, coated, lacquered or otherwise treated, without organohalogen compounds in the coating and without wood preservatives.
Uses: material recovery in the wood products industry, thermal recovery in biomass cogeneration plants (observe limit values).
 
Waste wood category  A III
Waste wood with organohalogen compounds in the coating, without wood preservatives.
Uses: thermal reclamation in wood waste cogeneration plants, reclamation of material only after extensive processing.
 
Waste wood category A IV
Waste wood treated with wood preservatives and other waste wood whose contaminant content is higher than allowed in waste wood categories A I, A II or A III
Use: fuel in waste wood cogeneration plants.
 
Treatment by size classes
After a visual inspection upon receipt and manual pre-sorting, scrap wood is shredded to the most suitable size for its subsequent use. Initially, metallic materials are removed. Particle sizes are defined according to the categories in EN ISO 17225, which determines particle classes for biogenic solid fuels. If the waste wood is destined as reclaimed material, it is further shredded and subjected to a new process to remove contaminants, resulting in fine chips for chipboard.

One-stage and two-stage treatment

Komptech CRAMBO and TERMINATOR machines are used for single-stage treatment with P200 and P100 specifications. These are low-speed shredders that are insensitive to metallic materials. To obtain P100 or P63 class particles, two-stage treatment is recommended. A star screen, such as the Komptech MULTISTAR ONE, positioned downstream of the shredder, generates a well-defined particle size fraction, returning oversized pieces to the shredding process. Product quality can be further improved with the addition of an eddy current separator and a permanent magnet. These machines can be mobile or stationary, and both the Crambo and the Terminator, are also available in electric versions.
 
Size class 45 is often required as a woody salvage material. To achieve this, two shredders can be combined. For example, a Crambo can handle pre-shredding, during which combined wood and metal objects must be separated as much as possible. After metal separation, a Komptech Axtor can perform post-shredding efficiently. The Axtor can be configured according to the specific material and requirements. Komptech offers a wide range of compact systems and mobile machines for effective and economical treatment of every category of waste wood.

Products for handling wood waste

Wood waste treatment products

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