Tonnage
160tph
Material
C&D Waste, Excavation Waste, Non Hazardous Soils
Output
1 Sand | 3 Aggregates | Filter Cake
THE CHALLENGE
Pélichet Albert SA, the public works contractor and aggregates producer based in Cessy (01), France, embodies the circular economy business model with operations in demolition, groundworks, landfill and C&D waste recycling.
The century-old company has over the past two decades adapted its business to have a greater focus on recycled materials for use in the construction industry. This follows the introduction of local legislation in Le Pays de Gex which, in the early 1990s, halted the extraction of virgin resources there.
A former quarry, the company’s Chauvilly site, became the base of its recycling operations in 1998 and has processed C&D waste material sourced from Pélichet’s business activities ever since.
Up To 200,000 Tonnes of C&D Waste Diverted Annually
A new C&D waste recycling wet processing plant recently commissioned at the company's Chauvilly site will support Pélichet to divert up to 200,000 tonnes per year of inert construction and demolition waste from landfill. This will enable Pélichet to expand its current operations through additional revenue stemming from the production of higher-value products.
Under the direction of CEO Jérôme Pélichet, the recently commissioned plant is the culmination of a project that has matured from a collaborative design process with CDE.
“More than a supplier, we wanted to find a partner to come on this journey with us; a company that would oversee the process, from design through to commissioning on site, and work in conjunction with us to fully understand our operation and our business objectives,” he said.
Challenging Feedstock
Jérôme said, “It was during a visit to the UK where we visited a C&D waste recycling operation utilising CDE plant that convinced us CDE was the right partner for this project.
“We saw first-hand the challenging feed material CDE plant was capable of processing and extracting high-value aggregates from. We had access to similar grade material, but until that point didn’t have the technology to process it.”
Pélichet processes two types of material; firstly, excavated materials from its construction works and demolition operations, including 0-300mm clay-bound, silica-limestone material and, secondly, 0-40mm scalpings from primary operations when it’s about C&D waste.
The presence of plastics and other organic contaminants retained after processing was resulting in second rate products with low value. The installation of the CDE plant ensured a more effective washing and grading, allowing Pélichet to create a range of higher value in-spec products.
Water availability proved to be another significant challenge at the company’s Chauvilly site. The plant sits on a 2,600 cubic meter reserve of water created by filtration water on site. Pélichet & CDE designed a washing plant with minimal top-up water requirements ensuring that the plant can comfortably operate within the reserve available.
THE SOLUTION
Marc Sopransi, Business Development Manager at CDE, explains how the commissioned plant is the result of a detailed site audit and a clear understanding of the aims and objectives of the Pélichet operation.
“Following an initial site visit at Chauvilly, and after considering the site’s footprint and the customer’s requirements, we presented an integrated plant that would address three primary challenges; processing high volume of feed material with significant levels of plastic and organic contaminants in one hand and very high content of clay contaminants in the other hand, extracting maximum value from what is considered waste material offering high-quality construction material, and water conservation.”
An innovator in cyclone technology, CDE has designed and delivered almost 2,000 projects globally since 1992 to increase the efficiency of materials washing operations.
Marc Sopransi added, “Each customer has their own unique challenges, be they geographic – or site limitations – or related to feed material. Every wet processing solution we commission is tailored to the customer. Of the near 2,000 projects CDE has commissioned worldwide, each plant features something unique to respond to the particular challenges of that site or project, and Pélichet is no different.”
In response, CDE presented the blueprint of a bespoke wet processing plant, including the R2500 primary scalping screen designed to handle heavy clay-bound gravel, rock and mineral ores and construction, demolition and excavation waste. The R2500 ensures the efficient delivery of difficult material to the wet processing plant.
It feeds the AggMax 251 modular scrubbing and classification system, engineered to maximise product yield from clay-bound feedstock.
CDE’s flagship EvoWash technology – a compact, modular sand washing system – integrates a high-frequency dewatering screen, sump and hydrocyclones to provide unrivalled control of silt cut points and eliminate the loss of quality fines producing a range of high-quality sands.
The plant design also addresses one of the main challenges faced by Pélichet, the lack of sufficient water supply on site by incorporating a full water management system that recovers and recirculates up to 95% of process water. This means only a small top-up supply of 25 cubic meters per hour is required.
The system includes an Aquacycle thickener which uses a flocculant to separate clean water from the solid particles. The solid particles form a sludge which is dried further in the Filter Press, recovering more water for recirculation and creating a dry filter cake that can be used for pipe bedding and landfill capping.
THE RESULTS
“Highly efficient water management was vital for our operation,” Jérôme said. “The feedstock we process is challenging material and our old plant was returning recycled aggregates of a lower quality and value.
“The new plant commissioned by CDE is maximising profitability by processing more of this challenging feed material than before, and by extracting more value from our end product as a result of a more efficient process that returns higher quality recycled aggregates.”
The engineered-to-order wet processing system commissioned by CDE is supporting Pélichet to transform 160 tonnes per hour of raw feed into washed 0-4mm, 4-10mm, 10-20mm and 20-40mm aggregates for use in concrete mix and drainage systems.
It is projected that the new plant will support Pélichet to divert up to 200,000 tonnes per year of C&D waste from landfill.
Pélichet is proud to continue to build upon its proven sustainability track record with the support of CDE, as Jérôme explained.
“As a company, we have a long history, one that is almost a century old. By adopting this sustainable business model with industry experts we’ve a confident outlook for the future of the business, and specifically the lifespan of our Chauvilly site.”
Marc Sopransi added, “Our Customer for Life model means we will continue on this journey with the Pélichet team and provide after-sales support. Our expert engineers will continue to offer unrivalled maintenance support and pre-emptive parts availability for high-wear and consumables will minimise downtime and maximise plant throughput.”
He concluded, “It was a pleasure to work with Jérôme and the Pélichet team to commission its latest wet processing plant that will enable the company to unlock the full potential from its available feed material.”
