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LDX Oversees Dustex, Lundberg
LDX Solutions is the new name of the company formed recently that will encompass the Dustex, Geoenergy and Lundberg air emissions control equipment. Mergers of those companies in recent years allowed rapid investment in new product development, but also created some market confusion. LDX Solutions is now the corporate umbrella.
“As one name we can demonstrate the unity of our team’s commitment to better serve our customers,” the company states. “It is our vision to be the preferred partner in achieving sustainability goals utilizing environmentally conscious solutions.”
LDX Solutions offers a complete portfolio of emissions control, chemical process improvement, and energy conservation solutions.
Key points of contact remain in place as the business continues to market and support the Lundberg, Dustex and Geoenergy product brands under the company brand name LDX Solutions. The LDX Solutions name will be used on all correspondence and documents.
In addition the website and domain names are changing to www.LDXsolutions.com and @LDXsolutions.com.
Screen Machine Buys Diamond Z Chipping
Screen Machine Industries, LLC of Etna, Ohio has become the parent company of Diamond Z of Caldwell, Idaho. This will create a strong partnership of two material processing pros—Screen Machine in crushing and screening, Diamond Z in chipping and grinding.
Shane Terblanche, President & CEO of Screen Machine, comments: “We have a great opportunity to join our shared vision of providing the most durable and reliable products in our industries with our unmatched focus on customer service.”
Screen Machine began in 1966 as a structural steel company and found its niche serving crushing and screening needs for the aggregates and coal industries in the Midwest. Diamond Z was founded with a clear focus on chipping and grinding and has enjoyed great success as a result of its affiliation with Rule Steel, a structural steel manufacturing company.
Both Screen Machine and Diamond Z will continue to operate as they have done so for many years from their respective facilities in Etna and Caldwell.
Rotochopper Attracts Machine Owners
Rotochopper owners and operators gathered at Rotochopper’s manufacturing facility in St. Martin, Minn. for training the last two weeks of February. The customer service department hosts Rotochopper University annually for companies that have purchased Rotochopper grinders during the past year.
The two-day class includes a manufacturing facility tour, equipment operation best practice training, a hands-on demonstration and plenty of networking opportunities allowing machine owners to learn from each other. This year the education focused on “how to properly feed your grinder,” “how to perform preventative maintenance” and “how to troubleshoot.” The hands-on demonstration showed attendees how to install the main rotor bearings on a Rotochopper grinder.
Rotochopper offered two session options, with more than 50 students from 32 companies across the U.S and Canada attending.
“Being at Rotochopper University this year has been really interesting,” comments Jason Fenley, AKA Tree Removal, Buford, Ga. “I really enjoyed being able to come to the Rotochopper factory to see and meet the people that are behind the machines that we are operating on a regular basis. Anyone that operates a Rotochopper would benefit from coming here to see exactly how much care and time are put into building these machines,”
BE&E Expands Conveyor Operations
Due to the demand for its SMART Conveyors, Biomass Engineering & Equipment announced it is opening a second manufacturing plant in Indianapolis. This plant is solely dedicated to producing the company’s popular twin-chain drag conveyors for the biomass and bulk materials markets.
Adding a second facility will reduce lead times for the conveyors and allow the company to bring more production in house for better oversight and quality management.
The second plant represents several million dollars of private investment. To make use of the plant and to fill demand, the company is adding approximately 20 jobs, according to Dane Floyd, president of Biomass Engineering & Equipment. Jobs will include fabricators, welders and engineers.
The original plant will make assemblies to feed the new facility and manufacture custom, lower-volume machines.
Biomass Engineering & Equipment began producing SMART conveyors in 2011 in response to an increased use of wood waste for boiler fuel in the wood products industry. As larger and more diverse companies took notice of the conveyors’ efficiency and design, BE&E expanded its conveyor line to three series to handle differing volume requirements: S (standard), M (medium) and T (tall).
“When we started, we were making conveyors that handled four to five tons per hour of material. Now it’s not uncommon for us to get orders for conveyors that handle more than 100 tons per hour,” Floyd says.
Biomass Engineering & Equipment, along with its parent company, Veneer Services, has always been known for its innovative machines. What sets SMART conveyors apart is their low operating costs. The conveyors are uniquely designed for minimal friction and wear so components last longer and less energy is required to operate the machine.
“With this new facility, we’re ready to meet the demand we’re encountering for our conveyors,” Floyd adds. “We’re poised for growth. We’re in a good position.”
HoSt Will Provide Boiler To IKEA
HoSt has been selected by IKEA Industry Poland as supplier of a 2.5 MW wood waste boiler for replacement of an old biomass boiler at IKEA’s production site in Stepnica, Poland. Residual wood from furniture production is turned into renewable heat for the production process. First fire is expected in October.
IKEA Industry is the world’s largest producer of wood furniture. The furniture manufacturer has 39 production sites including the Stepnica site in Poland. An important principle of IKEA Industry is not wasting a single piece of wood: all wood used for the products is sawn so that unnecessary waste is minimalized. Residual wood from the furniture production, such as sawdust and wood shavings, is used as fuel and turned into renewable heat.
After burning of the residual wood, the HoSt boiler supplies the produced hot water with a temperature of 135 °C en 6 barg design pressure to the production process of the neighboring IKEA furniture factory Stepnica.
HoSt also supplies the furnace with a capacity of 600 kg fuel per hour and the baghouse filter that ensures low dust emissions of <5mg/Nm3. The wood feeding and storage system is fully compliant with ATEX explosion regulations. HoSt is responsible for the project supervision and commissioning.
West Salem Provides Materials Testing
At West Salem Machinery’s size reduction and screening test facility in Salem, Ore., customers and prospective customers can have feedstock tested. The testing and refining of processes (and sometimes equipment) often result in improving the customers’ operations or help them to make informed, confident machine purchases.
Whether your business involves green or dry wood fiber preparation; biomass fuel preparation; fiber prep for pellets, briquettes, or co-firing; converting ag-residuals for bio-fuels; mulch processing; animal bedding; or other fine-grind materials, WSM’s lab can simulate various size production settings and volumes, as well as provide detailed screen analysis. Depending on the amount of detail required, WSM can supply complete reporting, including sieve analysis and energy usage.
The test facility is equipped with a horizontal grinder, primary shredder, high-speed hammermill, full air discharge capabilities, disc screen, oscillating screen, and screening equipment for sieve analysis. One of its key features is a Variable Frequency Drive system, allowing machines to be run at different speeds to simulate different operating conditions.
WSM invites those interested to come see the testing in person and tour the plant, or WSM can film the test. Either way, WSM provides expert analysis and recommendations on the type and size of equipment.
Dangjin Power Plant Goes Back To Valmet
Valmet has received a repeat automation technology order from Asia’s largest capacity biomass power plant owned by GS EPS Co., Ltd. Phase 2 of the Dangjin 4 Biomass Power Plant is under construction in the city of Dangjin, close to Seoul in South Korea.
The delivery will take place at the end of 2019 with installation and commissioning starting in February 2020. The order was placed by GS Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. (GS E&C), the contractor responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction of the plant.
In 2014-2015, Valmet delivered automation for phase 1 of the Dangjin 4 Biomass Power Plant. Similar to that, the new power plant will have a capacity of 105 MW and run 100% on wood chips. Once the project is completed, the Dangjin unit will be the largest biomass power plant in Asia.
Valmet’s delivery includes a Valmet DNA automation system, a vibration monitoring system, plant performance system, information management system, fuel management system, boiler protection system and boiler environmental package system.
Aries Biochar Gains USDA Certification
Aries Clean Energy announced that its Aries GREEN biochar product has earned the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Biobased Product label and certification from the International Biochar Institute (IBI). The product is now able to display the USDA label and the IBI Certified biochar seal.
Third-party verification for a product’s biobased content is administered through the USDA BioPreferred Program, an initiative created by the 2002 Farm Bill (and most recently expanded by the 2014 Farm Bill). One of the goals of the program is to increase the development, purchase and use of biobased products.
Independent labs are also utilized for the IBI certification process. In each instance, samples are tested and the results are sent to USDA and IBI for analysis and final approvals.
The addition of biochar to plants and crops returns carbon to the soil. It also improves plant life by retaining water due to the carbon content of the product.
“The certification of Aries GREEN biochar by both these groups is a great accomplishment,” says Gregory Bafalis, CEO of Aries Clean Energy. “This will give our product an edge in today’s biochar marketplace. It’s further validation that downdraft gasification is a green solution for wood waste streams.”
A primary goal of the IBI Biochar Certification Program is to create consumer and marketplace confidence and quality assurances around biochar by creating a standardized, recognized system to certify biochar that meets the IBI Biochar Standards.
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