Our in-Vessel Compost Facility

In 2005 a new company Bryn Compost Ltd (SE Wales Demonstration Facility) was set up in partnership with Wales Environmental Trust, Merthyr Tydfil C.B.C. and Torfaen C.B.C., in order to build the first In-Vessel composting unit in Wales.
We have recently completed building the In-Vessel facility to recycle 20,000 tonnes of food and catering waste into compost. We are also researching and developing this field of compost with the University of Wales Cardiff.

This involved the construction of an in-vessel facility to recycle 20,000 tpa of source segregated green and food waste collected by local authorities into compost. Linked to this facility will be a 3- year research and development project to undertake growing trails proving the efficacy of compost in the landscape and land restoration markets.

The £1.3million construction project is now complete with material being treated at the facility since mid April this year.

Funded by a range of sources including Objective One, Welsh Assembly Government and Bryn Quarry Limited involved a lot of ‘red tape’ to bring it all together. However with the assistance of Wales Environmental Trust (Paul Roberts) capital funding was finally granted in July 2005, with construction starting in September 2005.

The photograph above shows the high powered ventilation system that uses natural materials to scrub the air clean before it reaches the atmosphere.

The choice of in-vessel technology was a very difficult process involving a lot of research into compost processes, for this; we are indebted to the assistance of Cardiff University and the research they have undertaken at their facility at CERT Carmarthen. http://www.cf.ac.uk/engin/research/waste/about/compost.html

Their work lead us to consider fully sealed tunnels operating a high volume aeration system with associated controlling software and exhaust air treatments.

To this base specification we constructed a facility based on 6 tunnels each around 300t capacity operating a 2-barrier process, Negative pressure reception building with bio filter treatment of all exhaust air (including tunnels) is integral to the environmental standards we set ourselves at the onset. All design and construction was managed in house, using appropriate contractors for the various phases of work. Initial results prove the facility is working to design standards and easily exceeding ABPRO treatment temperatures.