Set in the heart of the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is a picturesque and independent semi-rural community, which is home to 70,000 people. In 1999 SITA UK was awarded a contract to design, build and operate a new energy-from-waste (EfW) facility in Douglas.
The EfW facility processes all of the island's 60,000 tonnes of municipal and commercial waste, including clinical, animal and oil waste.
The facility actually has two incinerators. The primary incinerator uses a water-cooled grate allowing old tyres to be incinerated with the municipal waste stream. This line also includes a bulky waste shredder so that larger items of furniture can be incinerated.
The secondary incinerator was designed to process up to 5,000 tonnes of clinical, animal and oil waste. The development of this line allowed the closure of two very old and environmentally damaging processing plants on the island.
During the planning stage the size of the building was of some concern. It was generally agreed that a building of this magnitude could not be disguised within the island's semi rural environment. In an inspired move, the architects decided to make the build a landmark - not trying to hide its presences but celebrating it with innovative design. The stack, in keeping with the island's heritage, was built in the style of a 70-metre high Viking sail. This striking feature has the visual effect of reducing the scale of the building behind it.
Efficiency
To save water the facility captures rainwater that falls on the site for use within the process and it recycles all the water used on the plant. This innovative approach reduces the demand for mains water by 40 per cent and protects the environment by negating the need for a water discharge from the facility.
The whole facility is 22 per cent energy efficient operating an ultra-high efficiency 16-stage turbine with two air pre-heaters. The secondary incinerator uses a waste heat boiler that pre-heats the combustion air on the primary incinerator, again, increasing the efficiency of the whole process. The facility produces 10 per cent of the island's electricity needs.
An on-site laboratory ensures that the boiler operation and flue gas treatment systems can be monitored and corrected on a daily basis. This facility also monitors the burn out of the bottom ash to ensure that the energy contained within the waste is being fully used to generate electricity.
Community involvement
SITA Isle of Man takes its responsibility to the community very seriously. Each year we welcome around 1,000 visitors to look around the facility. We also have a website, www.sita.co.im, which allows members of the public to see the continuous emissions data from the plant. It also shows the amount of electricity generated on a daily basis.
The Isle of Man facility is also one of the first in the UK to continuously sample for dioxins and furans, using state of the art extractive technology. The features together with the visitors' centre and active community programme allow SITA UK to demonstrate that it continuously meets the requirements of the Waste Incineration Directive and the local community.
Contact us
SITA Isle of Man
Energy from Waste Facility
Richmond Hill
Douglas
Isle of Man
IM4 1JH
Tel: +44 (0) 1624 695260
Fax: +44 (0) 1624 660252
Email: isleofman@sita.co.im
Web: www.sita.co.im
