What is an Energy Recovery Facility?Energy Recovery is the multi-stage process of converting non recyclable household waste and similar waste from shops and offices into power for the National Grid.

Information Event

Divert

330,000

tonnes of waste from landfill

Energy for

60,000

homes

350 construction jobs

45 permanent roles when operational

Part of the Heysham

Energy Coast

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1 Waste that can’t be recycled is brought to the Energy Recovery Facility and is tipped into the waste storage bunker.

2 From the storage bunker the waste is lifted and fed into a feed chute by overhead cranes.

3 The feed chute delivers the waste onto the furnace grate where it is burned at temperatures in excess of 850°C.

4 Ammonia is injected to control levels of NOx.

5 Lime and activated carbon is also introduced to neutralise the acidity of the flue gas and to absorb other pollutants.

6 The cooled flue gases pass through a filter house where the amount of particulate within the gases is removed by the filter bags.

7 Any particulate collected in this process is then stored in a silo for separate disposal later.

8 Cleaned gases are then released through the chimney. These gases are monitored to ensure they meet strict environmental legislation.

9 Particulates are removed by the filtering process and are sent to a Veolia treatment plant where they are used to treat liquid wastes.

10 An electromagnetic overband separator removes metal from the ash. The metal is delivered to local companies for recycling.

11 Ash from the incineration process goes into a bunker and is then transferred into lorries. This is then taken for further processing to remove more metals. The remaining ash is then recycled into aggregate.

12 Above the furnace is a large boiler where superheated steam is generated. The steam is used to drive the turbine.

13 The steam turbine generates electricity which is exported to power homes.

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10336_A1_What_is_an_ERF?_board_V3.indd 1 09/05/2019 12:37